Abstract: This paper reviews and investigates the relationship and intersection between
three employment developments of the past decade. The restructuring of employment,
notably in growth in non-standard employment forms, the implementation of affirmative
action and equal employment opportunity legislation, and the development of enterprise
based bargaining. The central issue investigated is whether the employment conditions of
women workers in female-dominated sectors have been enhanced, unaffected or regressed by
these developments. Of particular interest is whether enterprise bargaining and employment
restructuring are compatible with the improvement in EEO-based employment conditions for
women workers. A number of case studies, enterprise agreements and AA reports will be
reviewed. The paper concludes by drawing out the implications from the analysis and in the
light of these, examining the likely impact of the proposed Federal Workplace Relations Bill
on the employment conditions of women workers.