Parent and Child Wellbeing and the Influence of Work and Family Arrangements : A Three Cohort Study

Australian families work and raise children in different contexts from those of families 50 or even 30 years ago. Technology, globalisation, flexible and deregulated labour markets, and the unprecedented movement of mothers back into the labour force have rewritten the way work and family interconnect. At the same time, what constitutes adequate parenting has been redefined in novel and demanding ways. New knowledge is needed to understand what the convergence of these changes means for the wellbeing of parents and their children.Work experiences and parenting expectations have been revolutionised. Most children now grow up within the confines of nuclear families focused on children's developmental needs. Bringing up children was once the business of large, multigenerational families and their local communities and is now seen as the responsibility of parents. At the same time global competition, increased labour flexibility, and the shift to service and knowledge economies has placed new pressures on working life. Employed parents must combine working with providing care for children and are therefore facing increased expectations and demands from both work and family spheres