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Elizabeth Watt, a former employee of Australia’s peak, publicly funded women safety organisation, had to escalate a dispute to the Federal Court after being denied her job back following maternity leave.

Elizabeth worked at Australia’s top women’s safety body - until she went on mat leave

Elizabeth Watt spent years fighting the federal agency after being denied her pre-parental leave role. Her case exposes a loophole that experts say leaves mothers lagging the rest of the world.

  • Rob Harris

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Emily Mannix and Maddy Proud with their daughters.

Inside Netball Australia’s remarkable baby boom and what it takes to get back on court

The Super Netball league is having a baby boom, with multiple players returning to court after giving birth. But how does motherhood shape athletes and what does it take to play again?

  • Hannah Kennelly
Treating employees like adults, who can manage their own time, is a good first step.

Juggling work and family life? Apparently, it’s still a mother’s problem to solve

Mums aren’t clowns. It’s time they stopped juggling it all alone.

  • Lucinda McKimm
Some July 1 changes will see happier hip pockets, while others won’t. It depends on what stage of life you’re in, and where you live.

All the changes coming into effect from today – and it is not all good news

Who won when the clock struck midnight? It depends on what stage of life you’re in … and where you live.

  • Bronte Gossling
How involved and available grandparents are to their grandchildren is an increasing source of anxiety to many families.

‘Grandparents are afraid to say no’: Navigating the politics of caring

With more seniors working longer and families scattered to the winds, battle-lines are drawn between parents in need of support and grandparents unable to – or uninterested in – caring for their grandchildren.

  • Flic Everett
Yola Armstrong

Grown kids, ageing parents, demanding careers: Why ‘midlife collision’ is buffeting women

Women who are caught in the middle of caregiving responsibilities just when their careers are at their peak are handling responsibilities in all aspects of their lives.

  • Wendy Tuohy
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Women’s birth plans have become increasingly elaborate in recent years.

Looking back, my birth plan was delusional. I wouldn’t change a thing

When I went into labour, I wasn’t cracking jokes in the delivery suite. But now, I recognise absurd mirth in the day, and in the expectations I held for how it would go.

  • Wendy Syfret

‘Every wrinkle is celebrated’: The women using age to their career advantage

Returning to work after taking years – or even decades – away? For some women, the benefits far outweigh the challenges.

  • Dilvin Yasa
Working from home meant the number of people using parents to care for their children has fallen.

The workplace change that could fix our declining birth rate

For some parents, it’s not that they can’t afford to have more children, it’s that they simply don’t have the time to raise them.

  • Charlotte Mortlock
Parenting has always been stressful, but now it’s different, experts say.

Has parenting really become too hard? Experts certainly believe so

Many parents are at the breaking point of stress, and some say parenting has become too hard. What can we do to bring the joy back?

  • Sarah Berry