Good jobs can lead to happy families

Most people associate work with negative effects on family life, but new research from The Australian National University (ANU) has turned this view on its head, showing that the positives of jobs flow through too. With both National Families Week and the Federal Budget this week, this finding is a timely reminder of the impact policy decisions about jobs, work and work conditions can have on Australian families. "What happens at work matters to families. Policy decisions about work affect families and, in turn, children - both positively and negatively. When jobs are rewarding and supportive of parents the benefits flow through to children," lead researcher Associate Professor Lyndall Strazdins said. Associate Professor Strazdins, a researcher at the ANU National Centre for Epidemiology & Population Health and a Families Australia Family Week Ambassador, surveyed more than 2,800 mothers and almost 4,000 fathers with children aged 4-5 years as part of the Growing up in Australia study to determine how work influences family life. The messages were mixed.