Organisations attempt to address gender equality in the workplace by offering family-friendly benefits such as parental leave. However, many mothers and fathers are still reluctant to take long parental leave due to potential bias and discrimination from their co-workers and supervisors at work. In this assignment, you are required to apply relevant OB theories/frameworks to address the following questions: 1. Using theories/frameworks in perceptions, stereotyping, and attribution in Topic 3, discuss the challenges that mothers/fathers may experience when they utilise parental leave; 2. Using the Triple Bottom Line framework in Topic 3 (also briefly addressed in Topic 1), discuss how progressive parental leave policies may contribute to the sustainability goal of the organisation. 3. In light of the challenges and benefits addressed in the two questions above, what recommendations (maximum three recommendations) could you offer to organisations as to how to address gender bias and improve access of parental leave for women and men in the workplace. Additional requirements: Please read carefully the marking rubric provided at the bottom of this page. For further information on essay writing, please consult Study’s page on essay writing: Subheadings should identify each of the three sections. You only need to address the three questions identified above, ., you do not need to write an introduction or conclusion. The response length should be 1500 words (+/- 10%) (excluding the reference list and up to 500 words per question). Students must strictly adhere to the word limit (500 words per question) set for each question. Mark will only read up to the word limit for each question and mark accordingly. Your submitted document MUST be in a Word format or PDF format – we will not mark any papers in any other formats. You are required to reference (. use and cite within their document) at least six (6) peer-reviewed journals. You must distinguish clearly between your own words/analysis and those of your sources. Failure to provide appropriate citations is plagiarism. Your list references should only include material cited in the assignment. The reference list will not count towards your final word count. The reference style adopted for this unit is APA 7th edition (further information at The following will provide useful resources for this assignment. However, students need to do further research. Please note if you may cite all of the references below only two of these journal articles (even if you cited more than two) are counted towards the ‘minimum of 6 journal articles’ requirement. Therefore, you need to research and cite beyond those articles listed below. Last, for your information, Harvard Business Review is not considered as a journal article. Academic Hideg, I., Krstic, A., Trau, R., & Zarina, T. (2018a). Do longer maternity leaves hurt women’s careers? Harvard Business Review. Hideg, I., Krstic, A., Trau, R. N., & Zarina, T. (2018b). The unintended consequences of maternity leaves: How agency interventions mitigate the negative effects of longer legislated maternity leaves. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(10), 1155-1164. Kossek, E. E., Su, R., & Wu, L. (2017). “Opting out” or “pushed out”? Integrating perspectives on women’s career equality for gender inclusion and interventions. Journal of Management, 43(1), 228-254. Little, L. M., Major, V. S., Hinojosa, A. S., & Nelson, D. (2015). Professional image maintenance: How women navigate pregnancy in the workplace. Academy of Management Journal, 58(1), 8-37. Paustian?Underdahl, S., Eaton, A., Mandeville, A., & Little, L. (2019). Pushed Out or Opting Out? Integrating Perspectives on Gender Differences in Withdrawal Attitudes During Pregnancy. Journal of Applied Psychology, 104, 985-1002. doi: Ulker, A., & Guven, C. (2011). Determinants of maternity leave duration in Australia: Evidence from the HILDA survey. Economic Record, 87(278), 399-413. Non-academic resources: ABS. (2017). One in 20 dads take primary parental leave. Gender Indicators, Australia, September 2017 Retrieved from ABS. (2018). Pregnancy and Employment Transitions, Australia, Nov 2017. Retrieved on 11th November 2019 Australian Human Rights Commission. (2014). Supporting Working Parents: Pregnancy and Return to Work National Review – Report. Sydney: Australian Human Rights Commission Keleher, H., & Hutcheson, E. (2015). Baby Makes 3: Final Report. Melbourne: Carrington Health.
