The re-entry to work after parental leave: Australian workplace supports within a neoliberal framework

Re-entry to paid work after becoming a mother is tied to institutional productivity, equity, and diversity outcomes, while also playing a crucial role in ensuring financial stability and well-being for individuals and their family. However, gendered patterns of care and employment within Australia, together with the neoliberalist positioning of care as a ‘private matter’ to be managed individually, significantly shape women’s lives and careers. Women are often significantly disadvantaged due to a conflict between work and caring–resulting in negative economic and career outcomes. Despite some legislative and institutional supports for women’s re-entry to work, there is a lack of understanding regarding their availability and what they might mean for women’s engagement with paid work. Cast against the backdrop of neoliberalist discourses, cultural norms and gendered expectations, this study informs our understanding of the organisational supports for women’s return-to-work within and across major Australian industries. The findings highlight that while a range of return-to-work supports are available, some variability exists between industries and supports may be restricted by neoliberalist challenges including market pressures, wage disparities, and the reinforcement and (re)-production of gendered and intersectional norms.