Returning to work post-baby (Part 1): Some history and background

Dr Breanne Kunstler (BBiomedSci, BHealthSci, MPhysio, PhD).

This is the first post in a three-part series discussing my desire to return to work (see post 2 and 3). This post talks about my history with work and my personal attitude shift from wanting to be a stay-at-home mum to returning to work four months after having my first child.

My experience with work since graduating university

There was a time when I hated my job. I was in my 20s and had just graduated from my physiotherapy degree. I felt like it was normal to hate my job, as if working full time was a free pass to paid misery. It’s well established that full time workers hate Mondays and live for the weekend, right (Image 1)? It was this time in my life where I couldn’t wait to have kids so I could stop working and be a stay-at-home mum. I could do what I really want to do, which was raise children and care for my family.

Image 1: Surely all full time workers hate Mondays? (Credit: Facebook)

I decided that I had the wrong attitude to work, life and raising a family. I couldn’t, in good conscience, start a family knowing that one of my reasons was so I could quit my job and never work again. I knew, deep down inside, that I wanted more.

I took a chance and decided to quit my job and start a PhD, with the aim to work in research afterwards. I graduated with my PhD less than three years later and started a job I actually liked. It felt so weird to not hate work. I almost felt guilty that I was happy at work, like I was given this gift that no one else has. It wasn’t a gift though; I did a lot of personal exploration and hard work to improve my career path. I earned the right to be happy at work. I still wanted to have children, but I wanted them because I wanted to have children, not so I could escape my job.

The “curse” of loving your job

The blessing of having a job that I enjoy (two actually: one as a physiotherapist and one as a researcher) comes with the curse of longing for it when I’m not there. I am lucky enough to have a healthy four-month-old daughter, Abby. For the last four months, I have focused all my days (and nights) raising a giggly, unpredictable and sometimes smelly baby. We are emerging from the depths of the fourth trimester and Abby is becoming more and more independent of me each day. Don’t get me wrong, she’s not exactly making herself breakfast and driving herself to her first part-time job just yet (Image 2), but she is showing signs that she’ll be OK hanging out with someone else all day (e.g. she lets other people give her a bottle and interacts with strangers at the library). She will be OK, right?!?!?

Image 2: Abby is growing up fast, not quite this fast! (Credit: Incredible Things)

The shift in expectations of mothers over the years

Despite a large percentage of professional women choosing to stay home and raise their children, society has changed from expecting mothers to stay at home and look after the kids without pay or recognition for their efforts (Image 3) while the father goes out, presumably with his lunchbox in one hand and cap in the other, and earns money as the breadwinner (Image 4). Men, or co-parents other than the mother, are increasingly being accepted as stay-at-home parents. However, workplace policies and supportive legislation are slow to catch up and facilitate this choice that many families might like to make. However, several large organisations are taking the lead in this space.

Women are encouraged to make their own choices regarding returning to work, but they also face a lot of criticism and conflicting advice regarding what is best for the child. Are stay-at-home mums or working mums better role models for children? Or what about the mum with her high-heeled foot in both camps? Can’t they all be good role models for different reasons? All women will make a choice based on what’s right for themselves and their family, which, in my opinion, is worthy of role model status.

Image 3: We have come a long way, but there's more work to do (Credit: Dawn.com)

Image 4: Men have been considered the 'breadwinner' for a long time (Credit: Time)

Three quarters of Australian mothers returned to work, on average, when their child was 6.5 months old in 2011. 51% of the 582,300 Australian women who were the birth mother of a child under 2 years were working in November 2017, which is 8% higher than in 2011. Women returning to work has strengthened our economy, as well as creating positive professional role models for children. But this societal progression has created this weird situation where women feel guilty for staying at home with the kids or going to work, creating a ‘motherhood penalty’ if she chooses one over the other. It seems like we can’t win.

How are Australian women supported to return to work?

Only 56% of lone mothers and 64% of coupled mothers of children under 15 were employed in 2011. Furthermore, the number of hours worked by mothers upon returning to work decreases with the more children she has. This suggests that support might be needed to help more mothers who want to return to work to do so, especially as their families grow.

Having the physical support (e.g. workplace flexibility) of an employer and the immediate environment (e.g. access to affordable and high quality childcare, being in a couple, having a supportive partner) makes returning to work much easier, which is great for both the employee and employer (e.g. staff retention).

Australian women are supported by legislation and workplace policies (which vary based on where you work) to return to work. The Sex Discrimination Act, Fair Work Act and State-based anti-discrimination legislation all outline the rights and responsibilities that employers and employees have when it comes to supporting parents and carers returning to the workforce. Some of these rights and responsibilities are set out below.

1. You can take additional unpaid parental leave while maintaining the right to return to your pre-parental leave position. This means you can take additional leave and come back to your role as you knew it (provided it still exists) before you left. It is common for Australian women to return to the same employer (82% of women did this in 2017) and in the same role (79% of the 82% of women who returned to work in 2017).
2. If your role no longer exists, you are entitled to work in a similar (regarding pay and status) position.
3. You can request flexible work arrangements (e.g. work from home, reduced hours, different start/finish times) from your employer provided you have worked for them continuously for 12 months. Your employer must grant your request unless they have reasonable business grounds to refuse.
4. You can use your personal/carers leave (usually captured under the umbrella of ‘sick leave’) to care for an unwell, or otherwise in need, child or immediate family member.
5. Your ability to breastfeed must be supported by your employer. This can be done by providing you with the time and a comfortable and private location to either express or feed your child directly (e.g. if your child was in care at your workplace). Facilities (e.g. a fridge) must be provided for you to safely store breast milk.

So, it seems that I have everything acting in my favour. I want to return to work and supportive Commonwealth and State-based legislation has informed the helpful workplace policies my employer has to make sure my transition back to work is as smooth as possible.

I will write about why I want to return to work and my fears associated with this in my next post.