Introduction : Work and future challenges

1. What is the work-family balance anyway?
2. The family will not go away
3. The continuing gender war
4. Encouraging children in their working life
5. Future schools and work demands
6. The Olderagers are here to stay
7. The workplace of the future
8. The global challenge to Australian workers
9. A framework for future work and family policy

Reviews

The War Over Work

The Future of Work and Family
Don Edgar
Many workers are caught in a spiral of longer hours, growing job insecurity, work stress and family conflict.

Opinion

"An exhaustive account of the conflict-ridden Australian workplace."
Julie Szego, The Age 4/6/05
"Sick of climbing the ladder? Then this exhaustive account of Australia's troubles at work should encourage some swift downshifting."
No Author - breakout box to Julie Szego article, The Age 4/6/05

About this Title

Many workers are caught in a spiral of longer hours, growing job insecurity, work stress and family conflict. Many want to spend more time with their family but fear being labelled uncommitted.
The War Over Work is a bold and authoritative account of work patterns and the labour market in Australia. As Edgar sees it, the future workplace is a battleground, with struggles between corporate need and private greed, unions and employers, men and women, old and young. The re-election of the Howard Government promises to make these battles even more contested.
In this accessible and engaging book Edgar argues that we cannot continue to focus narrowly on 'the work-family balance' as though it can be achieved through simple programs within individual Australian workplaces. The War Over Work provides a blueprint for how we can win the war to get a life that works.