The reality for women

By JANINE OGIER

The breakdown in employment equity usually takes place when women become mothers and must try to balance home and work.

Meeting the needs of children and employers requires regular difficult choices.

There is often conflict and tension about priorities and time, let alone getting enough sleep or any personal time.

For some, it means giving up work until the children reach school age. For many, it means switching to part-time work and arranging part-time child care. For others, it means returning to their previous fulltime roles and arranging fulltime child care.

Whether women choose part-time or fulltime work, they also become professional jugglers - taking care of family responsibilities and doing their paid work.

Often their situation is similar to having two jobs.

Difficulties arise when a child is ill and can't go to care, or the carer is sick. School-age children get regular holidays and need supervision. Part-time workers fall behind on length of service and miss promotion opportunities.

Their work is often not valued as much as that of a fulltime employee and sometimes they are paid less for the same work.

Employers can help by:

* Offering flexi-time and the opportunity to work from home

* Making affirmative moves to advance more women into senior positions

* Providing comprehensive family leave entitlements for men and women

* Acknowledging employees' families as key resources that support them in meeting their work responsibilities

* Ensuring telephone access so staff can be contacted by their families and check on their children

* Challenging and removing the high status often awarded to long hours of work

* Redesigning work programmes and expectations away from deadlines and competition and towards goals and collaboration