Despite the efforts of governments and employers in recent years to boost the number of women in the workforce, research shows taking time out of work to care for young children remains a very gendered activity. Women not only take more parental leave, but they also experience reduced work hours and longer-term withdrawal from employment than men.

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That's not to say progress hasn't happened. Of mothers of a child aged under one year, the proportion employed almost doubled from 30 per cent to 57 per cent between 1991 and 2021.

Almost all of this increase was explained by mothers employed but away from work, which rose from 5 per cent in 1991 to 32 per cent in 2021 - showing the positive impact of measures like paid parental leave and flexible work arrangements.

But is access to these arrangements across all women fair and equal? Are some more likely to benefit than others? The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), recently released a report examining the types of jobs women were in before and after the birth of a child, as well as which new mothers return to work sooner - to further build the evidence base to inform policies on gender equality, income support and industrial relations.

The research shows mothers with higher education, in a couple........

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