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EXCERPTS
Childcare shortages and the failure to offer paid maternity leave are holding Australia back from lifting workforce participation among women of childbearing age to match levels in other developed nations.
A new report prepared by the Productivity Commission has found Australia is ranked 23rd for participation among women aged between 25-44 years, falling below Britain, the US and New Zealand.
The report finds the failure of the US and Australia to offer a legislated minimum paid maternity leave provision across the workforce - the only two OECD nations not to do so - may be reflected in poor participation rates.
Despite big gains in the participation of women in the workforce over the past 25 years and record investment in childcare by the Howard Government, Workforce Participation Minister Sharman Stone conceded yesterday more needed to be done.
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However, the report also contains a warning the true picture is even worse than official figures suggest because part-time work accounts for 40 per cent of total female employment and many of these women would like to work more hours.
Opposition workforce participation spokeswoman Penny Wong said it was no surprise that Australia lagged behind. "Australia needs more people working, but many women who want to work are locked out of employment because they can't find or afford childcare," she said. "They also know that if they do get a job, the Howard Government will take back most of what they earn. (John Howard's) extreme industrial relations changes make it even harder for working families to get ahead."
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- reprinted from The Australian