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Unit of study_

LAWS6344: Work, Care and Gender

2023 unit information

In this unit, we examine laws that regulate work-family balance looking at employer duties to provide family-friendly working conditions and employee rights to have caring responsibilities accommodated in the workplace. We look at gender norms about work and care and how law reflects reinforces and sometimes challenges these. The focus is on workplace laws Fair Work Act 2009 Cth anti-discrimination legislation in respect of discrimination on the basis of sex and caring responsibilities and the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 Cth. We will however also touch on a range of other laws that regulate work and care including laws governing paid parental leave social security and tax laws including childcare subsidies and family assistance. Comparisons will be made with alternative legal regimes for work and care in other countries such as the United States United Kingdom New Zealand and Sweden.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Sydney Law School

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
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None
Prohibitions:
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None
Assumed knowledge:
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LAWS6252 or a law degree

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. critically analyse how labour laws currently regulate the options, decisions, and reconciliation of paid work and unpaid caregiving in Australia
  • LO2. critically analyse different theories of ‘care’, gender, and equality, and how these theories can be used to understand Australian laws regulating work and care
  • LO3. Critically analyse how gender norms influence the allocation of unpaid caring and paid work in Australian society, and how this impacts gender equality
  • LO4. Assess whether Australian labour laws could and should do more to support work-care reconciliation and gender equality
  • LO5. demonstrate a high level of skills in critical analysis and application of the law, and the ability to carry out independent research, engage in oral and written argument, and discuss and write clearly.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

There are no availabilities for this year.
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Session 1 Early Census 2021
Block mode Remote
Intensive June 2023
Block mode Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.