Concept of "women needing to fight for their work rights" has become obsolete in 21st century Australia. Women taking part in the workforce is the norm. That being said, however, the number of women quitting their jobs and becoming full-time housewives for their husbands and children has been on the increase in Australia in recent years.

Indeed, it is difficult to maintain a balance between work and home life. Especially for women, the responsibilities they are expected to assume at home are greater than those of men, despite being in an era of women's social advancement. Many Australian women believe that it is almost impossible to be a good mother while successfully climbing the corporate ladder. Despite the equal opportunity laws, good old "glass ceiling" has not been removed from society, still bothering many Australian female workers. However, this is not necessarily why they choose to stay at home.

Australian Women in their twenties and thirties who are becoming mothers today often missed their mothers as children, as their mothers were the first generation to leave the domestic environment. Quite a few women think that they do not want their children to go through a similar experience. They are learning from the negative examples set by their mothers, who had to fulfil household duties under tight schedules while coping with the pressure of work stress. In fact, two thirds of Australian women in the Y generation (currently between 18 and 29 years old) admit that they would rather lead a lifestyle comparable to 50 years ago. If their financial situation would allow it, these women would prefer to take care of household chores such as cleaning, washing and cooking, saying "If I don't stay home, who will raise my children?"

However, this attitude has been met by a furious backlash from the generation who had to fight to gain women's rights. Feminists question why only women have to give up their roles in society; to give up being independent human beings. Women confined in a "domestic cage" are not able to live their lives independently. Feminists say the opposite to the Y generation mothers; "What will they do when they reach their fifties and their children leave home? They still have 40 years of their lives left."

In short, the reality is that the last few generations of women in Australia have not been able to find a common ground on this issue.

Still, when viewed from a different perspective, it can be said that today's Australian mothers have options to choose from. In their grandmothers' time, women simply had to stay at home. In their mothers' time, women left home thanks to the feminist movement. Today, after all these years, mothers are now able to choose their own way of life.

Written and Photographed  by Tets Kimura