After the Baby: A Qualitative Study of Working-Time Arrangements Following Maternity Leave

ABSTRACT

To date, the issue of part-time work for women returning after the baby has received little attention in the working-time research and debates. In order to address this particular aspect of the work and family conundrum, this article draws on research in two large Australian organisations and explores the various factors within each organisation that limit the ‘practical availability’ of part-time work arrangements on return from maternity leave. The analysis highlights the importance of the broader organisational and gender context as well as the influence of each organisation's working-time norms on the construction and definition of part-time hours. Both organisations are male-dominated and any specific interest female employees may have in work-family benefits sits outside the dominant workplace norms of full-time work and a long working-hours culture.