My Phd - Sheree Cartwright

The Age

Monday October 29, 2007

Julia Proctor

Sheree Cartwright is 30 and in the third year of her PhD at RMIT University. She has been following 27 Victorian mothers and mothers-to-be over the past three years. She is interested in their experiences - particularly how they managed child care, family and paid work after childbirth - and whether their pre-birth plans have become reality.

What are you researching?

"I am interested in these women's experiences of choice," Ms Cartwright says. "Pre-childbirth, all the women talked about wanting to go back to work. Most had a preference for part-time work but this depended on what type of child care they could get." Her study is focused on women working in higher education and the retail industry.

What have you found?

"Part-time work was a clear preference (for the women) at the beginning," Ms Cartwright says. "But in many cases, part-time work after childbirth (comes) at a price."

Some of the mothers returned to roles that were, in effect, a step backwards. To get part-time hours, they were taking up so-called equivalent positions that matched what they had done three years earlier.

Their commitment to work was also questioned. Others in the survey were made redundant.

"Mothers returning to work are getting a rough deal," she says. "Many of these women indicate they have no choice. Negotiating paid work and child care is complex. Maternity seems to be leading to a sideways or downwards shift in career for many.

"From the outside, it looked like women working in higher education had a really good deal in terms of a range of innovative work and family provisions."

Ms Cartwright points to 36 weeks' paid parental leave at some institutions but her research shows it can be very hard for women in universities to take advantage of this arrangement.

"On paper, higher education is a really good situation for women to be in," she says. "But access to these policies is highly limited."

In contrast, she found women in retail, who often have fewer maternity benefits on paper, are finding it easier to negotiate a part-time return with managers.

After completing a BA at the University of Newcastle, Ms Cartwright worked as a research assistant on the Australian Longitudinal Study of Women's Health,, which ran for more than 20 years.

How did you become interested in this area? "My interest in women and family comes from a mixture of personal and policy issues," she says. "I am interested in the way public policy seems to undermine choice."

And the future?

Ms Cartwright is keen to keep working in the area of return to paid work and child care, and ensuring these issues remain on the agenda.