Life balance still not working

This article was published in The Age 1 August 2010

Almost 10 years after then prime minister John Howard delivered his ''barbecue stopper'' line about the challenge of balancing work and family life, little has changed for most people.

Improvements to parental leave, flexible working hours, telecommuting and job sharing have had little effect on the nation's workplace culture.

In fact, Australians are increasingly dissatisfied with their job conditions, and many are risking their health by spending too many hours at work, the fourth Australian Work and Life Index study says.

More than a fifth of Australians spend 50 hours or more at work each week and 60 per cent do not take regular holidays.