Social demographer Bernard Salt has coined the term Nettels (Not Enough Time To Enjoy Life) to describe the demographic of traditional nuclear families where both parents are working full time in well paying jobs with children under 15 who are forever shuttling between home, work and school. Nettels are basically DINKS (Double Income, No Kids Couples) who have become parents and are trying to uphold the same lifestyle they had before kids.
“The surefire way of discerning a Nettel is the fact that every evening they whip out their Blackberries and negotiate the next days activities,” says Salt. “High expectations of lifestyle drive Nettels. There is status in being busy. They need the money to keep up the pretence of a happy, successful and consumerist existence.”
Only 7% of Australian families can actually be classified as Nettels but many other families share similar traits – being time poor, having high stress levels and seeking financial stability to be able to afford everyday expenses and a mortgage but they also want to enjoy their money with travel, entertainment and gifts. However the difference is that they do not revel in being busy in the same way as Nettels and are willing to compromise on somethings to lessen the pressure, guilt and logistical complexities they face on a daily basis.
Consequently, young women who are yet to have children who see their co-workers and friends struggle are adopting a different mindset and pre-emptively entering into self employment in future preparation for motherhood, and so they have enough time for regular holidays, hobbies and quality time with family. This is often motivated by working in companies where there is little understanding from bosses and childless colleagues for their working parent counterparts.
Media Source: SMH
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Top Baby Names in 2009
Love them or hate them, the list is in ... here's the top 20 baby names for boys and girls in 2009...
20 most popular girls' names
1. Isabella
2. Olivia
3. Lily
4. Chloe
5. Emily
6. Charlotte
7. Ella
8. Ava
9. Amelia
10. Sophie
11. Sienna
12. Mia
13. Grace
14. Ruby
15. Zoe
16. Isabelle
17. Madison
18. Emma
19. Matilda
20. Georgia
20 most popular boys' names
1. Jack
2. Lachlan
3. Cooper
4. William
5. Joshua
6. Thomas
7. Oliver
8. Riley
9. Noah
10. Max
11. James
12. Ethan
13. Aiden
14. Liam
15. Jackson
16. Lucas
17. Alexander
18. Oscar
19. Charlie
20. Connor
Trends for girls
Isabella is the new number one on the girls’ name list for 2009. Isabella was fourth on last year’s list but this year it is even more popular, knocking Lily from the number one position.
It is very likely that the Twlight-phenomena is responsible for the rise of ‘Isabella’. The heroine of the books and films that have taken the world by storm is named Isabella (nicknamed ‘Bella’). Isabelle, without the A, is also in the top 20 names of this year, taking out the girls’ award for the most variations of spelling. There are seven different ways that BabyCenter members spell Isabelle!
Another name which has risen in popularity is the ever-popular Olivia, and we also see the rise of Grace, up from number 20 in 2008 to number 12.
New girls’ names to make the list are Matilda and Emma. Though they are traditional names there were not seen on the list last year. The rise of Matilda could possibly be related to the amount of publicity surrounding Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda in the time since his death.
On the downward dip are the names Hannah and Caitlyn which have both slipped out of the Top 20 list in 2009.
Trends for boys
It’s no surprise that Jack takes the top spot in the most popular boys’ names list this year. The name has long been very popular, and last year it took the number two position after Lachlan. Lachlan this year is still in the number two position and neither name looks like losing its popularity soon.
Newcomers to this year’s list are the names Connor and Oscar, knocking out Jayden and Samuel, both of which left the list this year.
Climbing the list this year are Cooper, Thomas and Max. Could it be a coincidence that Max is gaining in popularity just as the film Where the Wild Things is released, with the character Max played by the super-cute actor Max Records?
Losing popularity from last year are the names Riley, Ethan, Lucas and Charlie. And the award for variety of spellings goes to Aiden, which has seven variations in use.
Source: http://www.babycenter.com.au
20 most popular girls' names
1. Isabella
2. Olivia
3. Lily
4. Chloe
5. Emily
6. Charlotte
7. Ella
8. Ava
9. Amelia
10. Sophie
11. Sienna
12. Mia
13. Grace
14. Ruby
15. Zoe
16. Isabelle
17. Madison
18. Emma
19. Matilda
20. Georgia
20 most popular boys' names
1. Jack
2. Lachlan
3. Cooper
4. William
5. Joshua
6. Thomas
7. Oliver
8. Riley
9. Noah
10. Max
11. James
12. Ethan
13. Aiden
14. Liam
15. Jackson
16. Lucas
17. Alexander
18. Oscar
19. Charlie
20. Connor
Trends for girls
Isabella is the new number one on the girls’ name list for 2009. Isabella was fourth on last year’s list but this year it is even more popular, knocking Lily from the number one position.
It is very likely that the Twlight-phenomena is responsible for the rise of ‘Isabella’. The heroine of the books and films that have taken the world by storm is named Isabella (nicknamed ‘Bella’). Isabelle, without the A, is also in the top 20 names of this year, taking out the girls’ award for the most variations of spelling. There are seven different ways that BabyCenter members spell Isabelle!
Another name which has risen in popularity is the ever-popular Olivia, and we also see the rise of Grace, up from number 20 in 2008 to number 12.
New girls’ names to make the list are Matilda and Emma. Though they are traditional names there were not seen on the list last year. The rise of Matilda could possibly be related to the amount of publicity surrounding Heath Ledger’s daughter Matilda in the time since his death.
On the downward dip are the names Hannah and Caitlyn which have both slipped out of the Top 20 list in 2009.
Trends for boys
It’s no surprise that Jack takes the top spot in the most popular boys’ names list this year. The name has long been very popular, and last year it took the number two position after Lachlan. Lachlan this year is still in the number two position and neither name looks like losing its popularity soon.
Newcomers to this year’s list are the names Connor and Oscar, knocking out Jayden and Samuel, both of which left the list this year.
Climbing the list this year are Cooper, Thomas and Max. Could it be a coincidence that Max is gaining in popularity just as the film Where the Wild Things is released, with the character Max played by the super-cute actor Max Records?
Losing popularity from last year are the names Riley, Ethan, Lucas and Charlie. And the award for variety of spellings goes to Aiden, which has seven variations in use.
Source: http://www.babycenter.com.au
Lose the Guilt Aussie Mums!
The employment of mothers with young children is lower in Australia than in many OECD countries. Just under half - about 48 per cent - of Australian mothers whose youngest child is aged between three and five are in the workforce. This is well below the OECD average of about two-thirds of mothers.
Source: Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Source: Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Monday, December 7, 2009
2009 BABY Boom Year!
Did you know...AUSTRALIANS are producing babies at the fastest rate in 40 years!
We are in the grip of our biggest baby boom - a record 301,000 babies were born in 2009 - the highest since 1977. Australia’s total fertility rate reached a
30 year high with just under 2 babies born per woman.
We are in the grip of our biggest baby boom - a record 301,000 babies were born in 2009 - the highest since 1977. Australia’s total fertility rate reached a
30 year high with just under 2 babies born per woman.
The NEW Pay Equity Gap
We've long debated the pay equity gap between men and women. Here's a new one - the growing salary gap between women with kids and women without.
The search for work is still a tough one but not all applications will be considered equally, says new research at Stanford University's Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
It's called the “motherhood penalty.”
Mothers looking for employment are less likely to be hired, are offered lower salaries and are perceived as being less committed to a job than fathers or women without children, according to her recent study of gender inequality in the workplace. What's more, the pay gap between mothers and childless women is actually bigger than the pay gap between women and men.
"At some level, there is still a perceived incompatibility between family and the workplace, which disadvantages mothers," says Professor Correll, an associate professor of sociology. "My research finds that mothers are judged by a harsher standard, which leads to a 'motherhood penalty' in getting hired and being offered a good salary."
Ms. Correll and her colleagues found that evaluators consistently ranked mothers as less competent and less committed workers than childless women but ranked fathers as more competent and committed than non-fathers.
In a follow-up study, the researchers responded to more than 600 newspaper ads for high-level business positions by sending out fake resumes for two equally qualified candidates that varied only in very subtle references to parenting activities. They found that the childless female candidate was twice as likely to be called in for an interview as the mother. Fathers experienced no call-back penalty.
Ms. Correll says the research points to a pervasive and almost subliminal discrimination that also affects business outcomes.
Media Source: Central Valley Business Times, CA
The search for work is still a tough one but not all applications will be considered equally, says new research at Stanford University's Clayman Institute for Gender Research.
It's called the “motherhood penalty.”
Mothers looking for employment are less likely to be hired, are offered lower salaries and are perceived as being less committed to a job than fathers or women without children, according to her recent study of gender inequality in the workplace. What's more, the pay gap between mothers and childless women is actually bigger than the pay gap between women and men.
"At some level, there is still a perceived incompatibility between family and the workplace, which disadvantages mothers," says Professor Correll, an associate professor of sociology. "My research finds that mothers are judged by a harsher standard, which leads to a 'motherhood penalty' in getting hired and being offered a good salary."
Ms. Correll and her colleagues found that evaluators consistently ranked mothers as less competent and less committed workers than childless women but ranked fathers as more competent and committed than non-fathers.
In a follow-up study, the researchers responded to more than 600 newspaper ads for high-level business positions by sending out fake resumes for two equally qualified candidates that varied only in very subtle references to parenting activities. They found that the childless female candidate was twice as likely to be called in for an interview as the mother. Fathers experienced no call-back penalty.
Ms. Correll says the research points to a pervasive and almost subliminal discrimination that also affects business outcomes.
Media Source: Central Valley Business Times, CA
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
More Women = More $$
“Greater participation of women in the Australian workforce would be a lucrative move for our economy,” said Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick today.
The Australia's Hidden Resource: The Economic Case for Increasing Female Participation report by Goldman Sachs states that closing the gap between male and female employment in Australia will boost Australia’s GDP by 11%. The report highlights that while raising participation is vital, bridging the gulf between historic male and female productivity rates has the potential to boost the level of economic activity by over 20%.
Commissioner Broderick said that the solution did not lie in making it necessary for women to work like men. It lies in both genders being able to work, and be remunerated, equally in the industries in which they wished to work, without being judged by or buying into stereotypes about gender and particular industries. It also lies with the opportunity to work flexibly so that both genders can involve themselves successfully in paid work and care.
“Closing the employment gap includes closing the gender pay gap, so women no longer have to endure the levels of underpayment explained in this report, nor be penalised just because they work in a particular industry,” Commissioner Broderick said. “It also means that we must actively resist stereotypes about which gender works in which industry.”
“The reason for this drop-off in the economic participation of women is that our employment structures are set up in a manner that forces women to choose between work and care,” Commissioner Broderick said. “More women graduate from tertiary study than men in Australia, so it is clear that women have the desire to be economic participants, but the model is geared toward the traditional pattern of males working longer hours overtime before coming home to their families, so women are necessarily shut out of quality work.”
Commissioner Broderick said the report confirmed that encouragement of a more even spread of gender throughout industries, of equal pay for equal work, and of flexible work practices that allow men and women to more effectively balance work and care, would deliver economic dividends for Australia.
The Australia's Hidden Resource: The Economic Case for Increasing Female Participation report by Goldman Sachs states that closing the gap between male and female employment in Australia will boost Australia’s GDP by 11%. The report highlights that while raising participation is vital, bridging the gulf between historic male and female productivity rates has the potential to boost the level of economic activity by over 20%.
Commissioner Broderick said that the solution did not lie in making it necessary for women to work like men. It lies in both genders being able to work, and be remunerated, equally in the industries in which they wished to work, without being judged by or buying into stereotypes about gender and particular industries. It also lies with the opportunity to work flexibly so that both genders can involve themselves successfully in paid work and care.
“Closing the employment gap includes closing the gender pay gap, so women no longer have to endure the levels of underpayment explained in this report, nor be penalised just because they work in a particular industry,” Commissioner Broderick said. “It also means that we must actively resist stereotypes about which gender works in which industry.”
“The reason for this drop-off in the economic participation of women is that our employment structures are set up in a manner that forces women to choose between work and care,” Commissioner Broderick said. “More women graduate from tertiary study than men in Australia, so it is clear that women have the desire to be economic participants, but the model is geared toward the traditional pattern of males working longer hours overtime before coming home to their families, so women are necessarily shut out of quality work.”
Commissioner Broderick said the report confirmed that encouragement of a more even spread of gender throughout industries, of equal pay for equal work, and of flexible work practices that allow men and women to more effectively balance work and care, would deliver economic dividends for Australia.
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