Why parents should be calling for the four-day week

One of the reasons I support the four-day working week model is because the weekend does not provide an opportunity to rest, in particular, for many parents.

Last Saturday, for example, went something like this: sleep in until 7.20am (the usual start to the day is 6am); 7.30am to 8.30am walk with my husband; breakfast for all; read a paper; discover one child is unwell; perform COVID test (not COVID); try to make him comfortable; send two emails to teacher advising son won’t be able to play cricket that day.

Start washing up; 11am husband departs with other child for cricket in Geelong not to return until 4.30pm; I go to book Uber to take daughter to netball only to discover that the half-hour trip to netball training (at 11.45am before 12.45pm game) will cost $79 minimum.

Book taxi; taxi does not arrive so at 11.30am book Uber anyway, costing more than $74; in Uber, work out how one would get to venue by public transport; discover that journey would involve tram, train and infrequent bus and take 1.5 hours; miss netball training, daughter goes straight into match; I act as scorer; beautiful friend drops us home.

Tend to unwell son; cook lunch for all; hear about cricket match of other son; shocked to discover it is already 5pm; finish washing up from breakfast and lunch; go to shops to get lemonade and icy poles for unwell child; husband cooks dinner.

This is a fairly typical Saturday. Then Sunday is filled with community sport, washing, the weekly shop, finding various pieces of equipment for an upcoming camp, as well as getting outside with the children.

Sure, netball is an optional extra (the cricket is compulsory) but the benefits of playing sport are well documented, providing a healthy counterbalance to academic work, teaching team skills and enabling much-needed social opportunities after two years of lockdowns.

These are good things, but it does mean that the weekend does not give parents a chance to rest.