Fifty years on from the publication of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique", this article in the New York Times by Stephanie Coontz looks at the stalling of progress towards gender equality.
Sensibly, it argues that the causes are structural and political. Average work hours have increased in recent decades (despite technology and labour saving devices etc), and both partners typically work so the number of hours of work each week to sustain a middle class lifestyle have shot up (progress?).
In addition, we have witnessed casualisation and greater job insecurity. At the same time, the provision of public services (parental leave, childcare) that support work-life balance, and therefore gender equality, have not kept up with demand. Anne Summers made some similar points in a recent SMH article.
I would also point to another great problem in this area - commuting. Commuting is unpaid (and often costly) and robs people of time with their families. Child care centres typically close around 6pm meaning that one partner (usually the woman) has to work close by and / or part-time. The high cost of real estate in Australia has pushed many people to the city fringes where public transport is often non existent, expensive or limited.
The same is true for the many after school sports and other activities that children participate in. With both parents working, and people working longer hours and facing lengthy commutes, who does the coaching, who drops the kids off and picks them up? I expect that sports coaching falls heavily on tradies, school teachers and the parents who don't work or who work full-time.
As both Summers and Coontz point out both men and women still want more gender equality (understood as the opportunity for both genders to participate in parenting and careers) but problems in the workplace (and commuting) together with poor public services to support these choices are making it harder for many people to put their choices into practice.
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