Employment Polarisation in Australia

Abstract

Although employment levels in Australia are healthy when compared to those 20 years ago, the distribution of work across households has become more unequal. The present paper measures any polarisation of employment that has taken place in Australian households between 1982 and 2000/01. We find that employment has indeed become polarised across Australian households with most of the polarisation within-household types and not entirely reflecting changes in household size. Particularly worrying is the polarisation found in households with children. This is likely to have consequences for the well-being of future generations.