Working families. Paid parental leave. Subsidised childcare. They were the catchcries of this election campaign - but drew complaints from single taxpayers and couples without children.
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Now there are renewed claims women with children receive preferential treatment in the workplace.
Jo Wallace from Marrickville, who works part-time in legal administration while studying law, believes industry penalises women without children by preventing them from obtaining part-time employment or achieving job flexibility.
"There are jobs in the industry but they rarely go to anyone but mothers," says Wallace, who believes she has missed out on a number of part-time jobs due to this. "The question comes up with interviews with part-time roles. It's outright illegal to ask, but they do."
Wallace believes other women are forced to shoulder additional work not given to women with children. "It was just automatically assumed we could stay until 7pm if we didn't have a legitimate place to go," she says, while women with children "could leave at any time".
But radio and TV presenter Chrissie Swan disagrees: "It's not like I'm ducking home early to sip pina coladas and read Vanity Fair,'' she says. ''I'm responsible for human beings, and their needs must always be the priority, for me, my workplace and society on the whole. I never even broach the topic [of leaving] until all other avenues are exhausted - partner, mother, babysitter etc.
"But I would be horrified if my needs were not met.''
With three children and a long career in legal administration, Brisbane-based Georgie Denford believes it is the time spent having babies and the potential for more that can scare potential recruiters or lead to discrimination. "I've always said at interviews I'm finished having children, and that's met with a big relieved smile."
Marian Baird, Professor of Employment Relations at the University of Sydney, estimates 10 per cent of women without children and 31 per cent of women with children work part-time, based on OECD 2007 data of Australia's work population. Australian Bureau of Statistics data from 2011 indicate the majority of women with children under 12 work part-time.
Professor Baird agrees "there is more recognition of care for parents of children, and there is legislation to provide care", but she does not believe there is evidence to suggest women with children receive preferential treatment.
ACTU president Ged Kearney says women should approach the Fair Work Ombudsman or the Sexual Discrimination Commission if they are asked whether they have children. "What we need to be doing as a gender is standing up and complaining,'' Kearney said.
