The costs and benefits of implementing a universal reproductive health leave entitlement in Australia

Project Summary

The Health Services Union (HSU), the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and Aware Super engaged the services of the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) to assess the cost of implementing a universal reproductive health leave (RHL) entitlement to Australian workers. The project also estimates the financial benefits and costs offset for companies and employees related to the provision of RHL. Additionally, the economic cost of lost productivity of people with reproductive health conditions, due to absenteeism and reduced productivity, is also calculated in the project.

The BCEC designed a novel workplace reproductive health survey investigating how prevalent reproductive health conditions are among employees, to what extent these conditions affected workers’ ability to attend work and by how much their work was impaired due to bothersome symptoms related to reproductive health conditions (lost productivity). The survey also collected information on employees’ attitudes towards RHL, their perceptions of people taking RHL and the stigma and discrimination attached to reproductive health conditions in the workplace.