Research report - Family and Domestic Violence Leave Entitlement in Australia: A Systematic Review

Family and domestic violence (FDV) ‘spills over to the workplace’ (Aeberhard-Hodges & McFerran 2018, p. 252), significantly impacting on women’s health, safety, and economic security. For victims of FDV, employment is critical, providing an important source of economic and physical safety (Aeberhard-Hodges & McFerran, 2018). Thus, FDV is increasingly recognised as a workplace gender equality issue.

Increases in the rates of labour force participation for women can largely be attributed to advancements in women’s education as well as greater access to childcare supporting women’s engagement with paid work, and the ‘growth in traditionally feminised occupations’ (Williamson, Foley & Cartwright, 2019, p. 344). Yet, with the exception of 15–19-year-olds, women’s labour force participation rates remain lower than men’s across all age groups. This imbalance is most pronounced in the 30-34 age group, with 77.8 per cent of women compared to 91.7 per cent of men and corresponds with the age range for the highest proportion of mothers in Australia (36 per cent of all mothers) (ABS, 2020; AIHW, 2021).