Abstract
The gendered character of the Australian labour market is rarely the subject of direct research and policy making in Australia at present. Conservative govern ments uncritically endorse the globalising and so-called deregulation of the labour market, suggesting that it offers a boon for women. This paper reviews aspects of women's current labour market experience by referring to characteristics that range across the boundaries of home and waged work and suggest continuing interdependencies between the spheres. These include work patterns; sex segregation; wages, conditions and bargaining; quality of working life and 'family-friendliness' in the workplace. The article summarises current literature and offers some new analysis and data. There are few signs that women's employment status is improving relative to men's, and instead some indicators suggest an increasing divide in tbe labour markets—both between the sexes and between women. The analysis is relevant to theory, policy and the practical business of combining paid work and home life.
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