For many women, time away from paid work is not a break at all. It is years spent raising children, caring for a parent or partner, running a household, volunteering, or holding a family together through a difficult period. Yet when it comes time to return to work, that time often shows up on a resume as a gap, and the person behind it can start to believe they have fallen behind.
They usually have not. This article looks at what women returning to work bring with them, the barriers that tend to get in the way, and the opportunities that are open.
A gap in employment is not a gap in skills
Caring and running a household involve a remarkable range of capabilities. They just do not come with a job title. Some of the transferable skills we see most often include:
- Organisation and planning: juggling appointments, budgets, school timetables and competing priorities
- Communication: dealing with schools, health professionals, government agencies and service providers, often in difficult situations
- Problem solving under pressure: working out what to do when plans fall apart, usually with limited time and money
- Financial management: stretching a household budget and keeping track of bills and paperwork
- Patience, empathy and conflict resolution: skills that are highly valued in customer service, community services and care roles
- Volunteer and community experience: school committees, sporting clubs and community groups all involve real responsibility
The challenge is rarely that these skills are missing. It is that they are hard to describe in the language employers use. Part of our work is helping people translate their experience into words that make sense on an application and in an interview.
The barriers are often practical
Confidence matters, but practical barriers are just as real. Women returning to work often need to find roles that fit around school hours or caring responsibilities. Childcare can be costly or hard to access. Some have been away long enough that technology in their field has changed, or that the qualification they once held now needs updating.
These are solvable problems, but they need to be named and planned for. A return to work that ignores them is much less likely to last.
Opportunities worth considering
There is no single right path back into work. Depending on interests and circumstances, options might include:
- returning to a previous field with a refresher course or updated qualification
- moving into a new industry where life experience is a genuine advantage, such as community services, aged care, disability support, education support or customer service
- starting with part-time or flexible work and building up over time
- exploring industries that have historically employed fewer women and are actively looking to change that
Accredited training can help in many of these cases. Through our partner registered training organisations, participants can access nationally recognised qualifications that match the roles they are aiming for. Pre-employment workshops can help rebuild confidence before a course or job starts.
How we approach it
When a woman comes to us after time away from work, we start with what she wants to do next and what she already brings. From there we work out a plan together: the training, if any, that would help; the kinds of roles that fit around her life; and the support she might need in the first weeks of a new job.
Returning to work is not starting from scratch. It is building on everything you have already done.
If you are thinking about returning to work and would like to talk it through, get in touch or call 1800 993 557. You can also read about what case management looks like in our programs.