Statistical Spotlight #18: Striking a Balance: The Reconciliation of Work and Family Life – Update 2026

This report ‘Striking a Balance: The Reconciliation of Work and Family Life– Update 2026’ is the eighteenth report in the Statistical Spotlights series. Spotlight publications focus on a specific topic and gather available statistical data to highlight trends or patterns. This Spotlight #18 follows an earlier edition (Spotlight #3) and provides information and data relevant to work-life balance and gender equality policies. It responds to First 5, A Whole-of-Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families 2019-2028. An objective of the policy is that “parents will be assisted to balance working and caring to contribute to optimum child development and to best suit their family circumstances.” This Spotlight collates data relevant to work-life balance for families, on topics such as work, early learning and care and school age childcare, and a number forms of leave: maternity, paternity, parents, and parental leave. Key information in the report includes

• There were 885,899 families with children in 2022, an increase of over 15% from 749,626 in 2022. The percentage of children aged 5 and under living in jobless households has decreased from q4 2021 to q4 2024.

• The largest cohort of all family units have children in the 20 years and over age range living in private households (27.5% or 244,001). The second largest cohort is families with a child or children aged 0-4, amounting to 211,737 families, or 23.9% of all families (with children) in private households.

• In 2025 nearly a third of females (30.1% or 398,700 persons) were in part-time employment compared to over one in ten males (12.3% or 183,300).

You can find previous volumes in the series here