‘It was just too hard to come back’: unintended policy impacts on work-family balance in the Australian and Canadian non-profit social services

Abstract

Data from an international comparative study of changes in the Canadian and Australian non-profit social services sector (NPSS) suggest that conditions within specific sectors of the labour market, in this case the non-profit sector, and the distinctive contexts and ethos operating in these sectors influence the ways that women remain attached, reduce their hours or cut ties to the labour market in an effort to balance work-family dynamics. Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article explores the links between social and industrial relations policy and the strategies women employed in the NPSS to balance work-family demands. The article suggests that the existence or absence of social entitlements and support services may impact more than one generation of women, thus having unanticipated outcomes and shaping the way that multiple groups of women participate in the workforce and larger society or are positioned marginally within them. The article also contributes to debates on comparative welfare regimes and gender inequity in the lives of those working in and using the services of the non-profit sector; a sector that is increasingly viewed as an extension of the state and state policies and the larger welfare regime.