Who's got the time? Jobs, gender, and sanity in a tilted hourglass

Across Australia, women are still doing the lion’s share of unpaid care and household work – and paying for it with their careers, health, and mental wellbeing.

Chronic time pressure, exhaustion, and the emotional load of care are taking a quiet but serious toll, contributing to stress, burnout, and long-term health impacts. Meanwhile, men’s working hours (and leisure) are too often made possible by women’s invisible labour. The result? A hidden economy of time that entrenches inequality and undermines wellbeing.

In this event, we brought together Professor Lyndall Strazdins — world-leading researcher on the intersections of work, family, health, and wellbeing, and author of The Unequal Hour — and Annabel Crabb — acclaimed ABC journalist, political commentator, and author of The Wife Drought — to unpack how the gendered division of labour shapes our health, mental wellbeing, and working lives.

Facilitating the discussion is Professor Michelle Ryan, Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and internationally renowned for uncovering the “glass cliff”, the groundbreaking research on the pressures and challenges facing women in leadership roles.

We were also joined by Padma Raman PSM and Barbara Pocock AM, who offered their reflections on what these challenges mean for policy and reform, and how we can take tangible action towards change.

Padma Raman PSM. Padma is the Executive Director of the Office for Women in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and her work has consistently focused on how systems and institutions can better support women’s safety, wellbeing and participation. Barbara Pocock AM has spent her life fighting for the rights of working people, women and low-income workers. She became a South Australian Senator for the Greens in 2022 and is currently the Greens spokesperson for Housing & Homelessness, Workplace Relations, Jobs & Employment, Finance, and Public Sector portfolios.

Together, our panel examine how our cultural assumptions about time, care, and work are shaping stress, wellbeing, and opportunity — and what meaningful, systemic change could look like to support healthier, more equitable lives for everyone.

Watch the event recording

Live scribe artwork

Many thanks to Dr Erin Walsh for live scribing this event.