In Australia in the 1990s, a complex combination of industrial and political factors interact with gender to produce the exploitation of child-care workers. Examination of the industry reveals the crucial role that government funding and policy play in determining working conditions. Analysis of the child-care industry also highlights the extent to which conditions in the industry are determined by a complex regulatory apparatus comprising legislation, regulations and departmental guidelines specific to the industry in addition to awards. Concentration on the characteristics of a distinctly female dominated industry reveals some of the limitations of mainstream industrial relations theory. It is clear that neither industrial relations nor feminism has yet provided the theoretical tools necessary not simply to explain the exploitation of women workers in such industries but also to overcome it.
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