Families suffer in modern society

AUSTRALIANS spend longer commuting to work, are being diagnosed with depression in record numbers and are increasingly unhappy with their work-life balance.

It might have something to do with their wages, which have been stagnant since the global financial crisis.

The Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey has been tracking 17,500 people in 9500 households since 2001, revealing insights about trends in Aussie families.

“Commute times are much longer and we’re struggling to find a better balance between work and family commitments,” the report says.

“Childcare continues to contribute to family pressure, the number of young adults living at home is on the up and there has been a significant increase in diagnosed depression and anxiety.”

The Melbourne University report, released yesterday, shows a substantial increase in depression diagnoses across all age groups, most notably in young people.

It also says incomes have stagnated, which is affecting the capacity of households to stimulate the economy.

“The income of someone in the middle has basically remained unchanged since 2012,” Professor Roger Wilkins said. “That was on the back of very substantial rises, particularly in the mid 2005 to 2009 range, in particular, we saw very large increases in household incomes, but since 2012 there’s been basically no growth.”

Stagnant incomes are affecting the ability of parents to find childcare, which in turn affects their ability to earn.

Commuter times are also up, with mainland commuters spending an average of 66 minutes travelling to and from work every day.

The report says fathers with

COMMUTE TIMES ARE MUCH LONGER AND WE’RE STRUGGLING TO FIND A BETTER BALANCE BETWEEN WORK AND FAMILY HILDA REPORT

two or more children were more likely to have the longest commutes and they were more likely to be unhappy with their pay, job and work-life balance.

But Dr Inga Lass says the number of fathers with high levels of “work-family conflict” has dropped since 2001, while the number of women suffering such conflict has risen.

The data reveals working hours are behind the gender gap – the longer hours a parent works, the higher their workfamily conflict score.

“Once we account for working hours, it is mothers who have the highest levels of work-family conflict,” Dr Lass said.