Unions NSW
March 2025
In December 2024 to January 2025, Unions NSW surveyed 1,029 workers about their experiences managing their reproductive health at work and how reproductive leave and flexibility would affect them.
The findings show overall that reproductive leave and flexibility is good for our health and can boost workplace participation.
Amongst other findings, the reported highlighted that:
- Workers are delaying medical care due to a lack of reproductive leave. Almost half of respondents (49%) have delayed receiving medical treatment for reproductive issues due to an inability to take leave from work.
- Reproductive health issues are common and impact the ability of workers to participate in the workplace. More than four in five respondents (81%) have experienced or needed to access treatment or support for a reproductive health issue that impacted their ability to attend, manage, or fully participate in work.
- The provision of paid reproductive leave is in line with the Australian Government’s Men’s and Women’s National Health Strategies, which set reproductive health as a priority area for both men and women and call for improved access to health services to improve reproductive health outcomes.
- Access to reproductive leave can support workers to be more productive in their workplace and stay in their occupation. Reproductive leave can also support more women to work in blue-collar industries.
- Paid reproductive leave, flexibility, and workplace adjustments are widely supported. More than nine in ten respondents (91%) said paid reproductive leave, flexible working arrangements, and/or adjustments would help them manage reproductive health issues.