There is some evidence of increased pressure on work–life balance in Australia’s relatively long
working hours (ranked second longest in the OECD), the increase in non-standard working hours, a growing number of employees who would prefer fewer hours than they currently work and the shift from male-breadwinner to dual-earner couples and single-parent households (Bittman & Rice 2002; Jacobs & Gerson 2001;Thornthwaite 2004).