A new survey shows women juggling huge out-of-hours care burdens, while a third of the women surveyed deal with the fallout from earning half the median female wage or less.

The survey of almost 1500 United Workers Union members (N=1459) released to mark International Women’s Day on Saturday reveals the viewpoint of women working in often-low-paid industries

Issues flagged by women in the survey were above-average unpaid care burdens, low hours, erratic work patterns and low access to formal paid care options.

And the resounding demands of women include 70 per cent wanting better pay, 54 per cent interested in some form of reproductive leave and 44 per cent wanting more personal leave or carers’ leave.

The industries covered in the survey include logistics, cleaning, manufacturing, food and beverage production, farms, disability support, aged care, early childhood education and care, ambulance, correctional services and security, and allied health and support services in the public health and education systems.

Issues faced by women in the survey:

  • Entrenched low pay: 37 per cent reported earning less than $41,700 annually. In the median bracket of the survey women earned between $41,700 and $48,000 – or less than $1000 a week. ABS statistics show the median wage for full-time males is $93,000 annually and for full-time females it is $83,000.
  • High levels of part-time work and low hours: 50 per cent of women in the survey said they worked part-time, and 29 per cent said they wanted to work more hours.
  • Low access to formal paid care for children and the elderly: Only 12 per cent report paying for early childhood education and care or similar services; only 7 per cent report paying for disability support or aged care services.
  • Insecure work and erratic shift patterns: One in three workers (34 per cent) report they need to keep their phone nearby in case of last-minute shift changes weekly and even daily.

The workplace issues faced by women in the survey are compounded by high levels of unpaid, out-of-hours caring responsibilities, above reported national averages: 60 per cent of women overall report unpaid care responsibilities, 31 per cent overall report caring for children under the age of 18 and 16 per cent overall report caring for elderly relatives.

In the 2021 Census, a total of 26 per cent of Australians reported unpaid care for children and in 2022 12 per cent reported caring for people with a disability, people with a long-term illness or the elderly.

Quotes attributable to United Workers Union National President Jo Schofield.

“It is highly significant that women in sectors including aged care and early childhood education have fought for and won pay rises of up to 28.5 per cent – a start towards addressing systemic gender pay gaps occurring in sectors across the economy.

“There has been considerable progress in identifying and combating this historic undervaluation based on gender, and union members can hold their heads high about their role in fighting for these reforms.

“However it’s also striking that women in this survey are reporting care duties higher than the rate of those of the broader community.

“The fact many are doing this with some of the lowest wages in Australia amid highly insecure work environments should give policy makers pause for thought.

“Low-paid women’s demands for better leave options to address women’s health issues and a high level of caring duties is a big take-out from this research, and we will carry that forward on behalf of our members.”

Quotes from the survey:

I have exhausted all of my sick, long service leave and sometimes leave without pay caring for my Mum. There should be a carers’ leave for people caring for their aging parents.

– Teacher aide, Queensland

Pay us decent super, I am 60 years old and have hardly any super, yet I have worked hard all my life. I need to retire now as it is hard getting out of bed and still having to work my behind off at this age is not my idea of fun.

– Logistics, NT

My biggest fear is to be homeless, I have been renting for years, it would be helpful if government support aged care carer to buy a house (like the nurses). My income as a carer still doesn’t help to get loan approval to buy a house. As an Australian citizen we would appreciate the government support on buying a house.

– Aged Care, Western Australia.

Some women have a really bad time with period pain, endometriosis, menopause – all things that men do not experience. Acknowledge this difference and give women maybe another five paid sick days.

– Allied Industries, NSW.

I think a lot women sacrifice a lot to look after children: they lose superannuation, annual leave, promotions at work and sometimes work hours. These things should be considered.

– Assistant-In-Nursing, QLD