Preparing you for parental leave

UNSW collaborates with Parents at Work to provide support to UNSW parents and soon-to-be parents, on topics such as Preparing for Parental Leave, Returning to Work After Parental Leave, and Managing Mental Wellbeing for You and Your Family.

UNSW is an Employer Member of Parents At Work, a membership-based organisation that provides best-practice policy advisory services and resources to employers to ensure that they have flexible workplaces that focus on wellbeing, parental transition and wider caring services so that staff with parenting and/or caring responsibilities can thrive in their roles both within and outside the workplace.

UNSW's membership of Parents At Work supports our commitments made as part of the SAGE Athena SWAN Bronze Award Action Plan to advance gender equity and diversity at UNSW.

Scientia Professor Fiona Stapleton, UNSW's Athena SWAN lead, states that; 

"UNSW's membership of Parents At Work will greatly contribute to the University's commitment to achieving gender equality by acknowledging that one of the barriers to greater participation of women in the workforce, including academia, are parenting and caring responsibilities that are disproportionately held by women. The resources and guidance provided by Parents At Work will assist UNSW in ensuring that we provide a family-friendly workplace supporting every staff member who is also a parent or carer to thrive in both their work and home lives."

Together with UNSW's Parents and Families Champions, Mei Lee and Keith Ooi, Parents At Work membership will help UNSW to build a holistic program of support for parents and families at UNSW, supporting staff to balance work and other responsibilities while progressing their careers.

UNSW is committed to helping students and staff balance work-life responsibilities, by providing access to high-quality services, facilities, and flexible work and leave arrangements, where possible.  

The award outlines UNSW's commitment to help women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) disciplines thrive.