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• Aspects
• Family
• Child care
• In study and work
• Community
• Health
• Crime and safety
• Economic security
  • Participating in leisure activities
  • Parental employment
    • Trend: overall
    • Table: summary (child)
    • Table: summary (household)
    • Trend: household type
  • Making ends meet
  • Being less well off
  • Having enough to eat
  • Having access to technology
• Demographics
• Age groups
• Essays
• Glossary

What does this mean?

In Kids Stats parental employment refers to the involvement of parents in paid employment.

Why is it important?

The financial resources available to parents affect their ability to provide for their children. Families in which a parent is employed are likely to have greater income and be less reliant on welfare and social security [1].

Children who do not have a parent in paid employment may be living in, or at risk of living in, economically disadvantaged households [2]. In addition to increasing financial strain, unemployment may also create tension and hostility in relationships between parents and children, and reduce warmth and supportiveness in the home [3].

Indicator

The indicator used in Kids Stats to monitor parental employment is:

The number of children aged 0-14 years with at least one parent in the family employed full-time.

Main findings

• In 2007, 75% of children in NSW aged 0-14 were living in families with at least one parent in full-time employment.
• Children aged 0-14 living in one parent families were far less likely to have a parent in full-time employment than those in couple parent families (in 2007: 23% and 87% respectively).

Notes: [1] Waters. E., Goldfeld, S, and Hopkins, S (2002). Indicators for child health, development and wellbeing. Centre for Community Child Health, Royal Children’s Hospital Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne.
[2] Australian Bureau of Statistics (2002). Measuring Australia’s Progress. No. 1370.0. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra, Australia.
[3] Shonkoff, J. & Phillips, D. (2000). ‘Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood Development; Board on Children, Youth and Families,’ in From Neurons to Neighbourhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development, National Academy Press, Washington D.C

For details of the references and to find out more about the data follow the link to Glossary and further information.