Hard pressed familites turn to others for help
By Carla Caruso
The Advertiser 21/04/04

Time-poor mums are despreately in need of a helping hand.

Two-thirds of women in the peak of child-bearing years, aged 25 to 34, are now in full-time work.

The Prime Minister's Work and Family Interdepartmental Taskforce report has shown women feel stretched for time because they are bearing the brunt of domesitc work.

Women are taking on 90 per cent of child-rearing tasks and 70 per cent of the housework.

The trend has led to the growth of the personal concierge and lifestyle management market.

Australian business magazine BRW says the lifestyle services industry is one of the fastest-growing long-term industries in the country. More people are looking to outsource domestic tasks so they can spend time on important things, such as "quality" time with the family.

The "outsourcing" trend - led by the eastern states, the US and UK - is set to boom in South Australia.

Abbie Martin, 23, of Brooklyn Park, set up a personal concierge service, Lifestyle Elements, in February.

The former nanny, as a personal concierge, will run errands, meet tradesmen, plan holidays or research buying a new car for her 10 "time poor" clients.

"Our service is only limited by our client's imagination," she said.

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Women's Information Service manager Wendy Thompson said such a service benefited only those who could afford it.

"There needs to be these service available...(but) workplaces still need to be more flexible," she said.

Ms Thompson said they fielded many calls about time-poor mums. "It's just a way of living now - there's so much pressure on time, especially for working mums," she said.

Child and Youth Health senior social worker Anita MacPherson said any help for mothers was good.

"Some mums are quite socially isolated - even getting a baby on a bus can be quite an ordeal," she said.

"This kind of service helps lighten the burden - especially for people who come from interstate and don't have the family support."

Tackling the Problem

• More than 1.7 million Australian's work more than 49 hours a week, says the Australian Bureau of Statistics, so the demand for domestic help is soaring.
• One in four people are choosing to be "time rich and cash poorer", shows a study by The Australia Institute.
• Household "outsourcing" represented business revenue of more than $50 billion in 2003 and almost a million new jobs - or 9.5 million people - according to business magazine BRW.
• The lifestyle services industry is one of the five fastest-growing long-term industries in Australia, says the magazine.

The Help at Hand

• Plan you next holiday
• Meet tradesmen
• Take your dog for a walk
• Pick up your dry cleaning
• Run errands
• Research for a new car
• Plan a party
• Cook your dinner