Staff Profile

Dr Jennifer Baxter
Senior Research Fellow

BSc (ANU), MPS (ANU), PhD (ANU)

Biography

Dr Jennifer Baxter is a demographer who joined the Australian Institute of Family Studies in 2005. Her research focuses on the interaction between work and family, although includes broader research interests relating to family wellbeing.

Since starting at AIFS, Jennifer has made a significant contribution to a number of important reports, including the FaHCSIA Occasional Paper No. 37, Fathering in Australia among couple families with young children (Baxter & Smart, 2010) and AIFS' submission to the Productivity Commission Parental Leave inquiry (2008). Her research interests include fathering, maternal employment following childbearing, childcare use, job characteristics and work-family spillover, children's time use and parental time with children. She has made extensive use of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) to explore these areas of research.

Jennifer completed a PhD in the Demography and Sociology Program of the ANU, titled The Changing Employment of Partnered Mothers in Australia, 1981 to 2001. Her work experience includes more than fifteen years in the public sector, having worked in a number of statistical and research positions in government departments.

Specialist areas

• Statistical analysis on issues relating to parental employment (including changes over time, within-family decision-making, the role of income support and child care and employment transitions)
• Analyses of time use

Current research activities

• Financial wellbeing, social inclusion and parental employment
• Fathering and family and child wellbeing
• Children's attendance in preschool and childcare

Selected recent publications

• Baxter, J. (2013). Families working together: Getting the balance right. Australian Family Trends No. 2. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. (2013). Parents working out work. Australian Family Trends No. 1. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J., & Hand, K. (2013). Access to early childhood education in Australia. Research report No. 24. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Huerta, M., Adema, W., Baxter, J., Han, W., Lausten, M., Lee, R., & Waldfogel, J. (2013). Fathers' Leave, Fathers' Involvement and Child Development: Are They Related? Evidence from Four OECD Countries. OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers, No. 140, OECD Publishing.
• Baxter, J. (2012). Fathering across families: How father involvement varies for children when their father has children living elsewhere. Journal of Family Studies, (18: 2-3)
• Baxter, J. (2012). Employment and the Life Course: Analyses of Birth Cohort Differences of Young Australian Women. In A. B. Evans, Janeen (Ed.), Negotiating the Life Course. Stability and Change in Life Pathways.
• Baxter, J., Edwards, B., & Maguire, B. (2012). New father figures and fathers who live elsewhere. FaHCSIA Occasional Paper No. 42. Canberra: FaHCSIA
• Baxter, J., Qu, L., Weston, R., Moloney, L., & Hayes, A. (2012). Experiences and effects of life events : evidence from two Australian longitudinal studies. Family Matters 90. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Qu, L., Baxter, J., Weston, R., Moloney, L., & Hayes, A. (2012). Family-related life events: Insights from two Australian longitudinal studies. Research report No. 22. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Smyth, B., Baxter, J., Fletcher, R., Moloney, L. (2012). Fathers in Australia: A Contemporary Snapshot. In David W. Shwalb, Barbara J. Shwalb, Michael E. Lamb (Eds.), Fathers in Cultural Context. Routledge
• Baxter, J. (2012). Fathers' involvement in children's personal care activities. In Australian Institute of Family Studies, LSAC Annual statistical report 2011. Melbourne: AIFS
• Baxter, J. & Smart, D. (2012). La paternité au sein des couples australiens avec de jeunes enfants (In French. Translation: An overview of fathering in Australia among couple families with young children). Information Sociales, vol 2012/3 No. 171, 118-126
• Gray, M., & Baxter, J. (2012). Family joblessness and child well-being in Australia. In, Kalil, Ariel, ed. Haskins, Ron, ed. Chesters, Jenny, ed. Investing in children : work, education, and social policy in two rich countries. USA : Brookings Institution Press. 48-78
• Baxter, J., Higgins, D., & Hayes, A. (2012). Families make all the difference: Helping kids to grow and learn. Facts Sheet. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Priest, N., Baxter, J. A., & Hayes, L. (2012). Social and emotional outcomes of young Australian children from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Health. 26(2), 183–190.
• Baxter, J. A. (2011). An examination of the characteristics and time use of those who have unfilled spare time (PDF 1.1 MB). electronic International Journal of Time Use Research, 8(1), 33-64.
• Baxter, J., & Renda, J. (2011). Lone and couple mothers in the Australian labour market: Differences in employment transitions. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol 14, No. 2, 103-122.
• Baxter, J., Weston, R., & Qu, L. (2011). Family structure, co-parental relationship quality, post-separation paternal involvement and children's emotional wellbeing. Journal of Family Studies, 17(2).
• Huerta, M., Adema, W., Baxter, J., Corak, M., Deding, M., Gray, M. C., Han, W., & Waldfogel, J. (2011). Early Maternal Employment and Child Development in Five OECD Countries (OECD Social, Employment and Migration Working Papers No. 118).
• Gray, M., & Baxter, J. (2011). Parents and the labour market. In Australian Institute of Family Studies, LSAC Annual Statistical Report. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Hayes, A, Qu, L., Weston, R., & Baxter, J. (2011) Families in Australia 2011: Sticking together in good and tough times. (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2011). Families in regional, rural and remote Australia (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. & Smart, D. (2011). Fathering in Australia among couple families with young children. (Occasional paper No. 37). Canberra: Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) .
• Baxter, J. & Renda, J. (2011). Lone and couple mothers in the Australian labour market: Exploring differences in employment transitions. (Research paper No. 48)
  Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. (2010). Flexible Work Hours and Other Job Factors in Parental Time with Children. Social Indicators Research, Vol 101, No. 2, 239-242.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., & Hayes, A. (2010). The best start: Supporting happy, healthy childhoods (Facts Sheet). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. (2010). An exploration of the timing and nature of parental time with 4-5 year olds using Australian children's time use data. (Research Paper No. 45). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Gray, M., Edwards, B., Hayes, A., and Baxter, J. (2009). The impacts of recessions on families. Family Matters, 83, 7-14.
• Edwards, B., Baxter, J., Smart, D., Sanson, A., and Hayes, A. (2009). Financial disadvantage and children's school readiness. Family Matters, 83, 23-31.
• Edwards, B., Gray M., Baxter, J., and Hunter, B. (2009). The tyranny of distance? Carers in regional and remote areas of Australia, Commissioned report, Carers Australia.
• Baxter, J. (2009). Parental time with children: Do job characteristics make a difference? (Research Paper No. 44). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. , Cooklin, A.R., & Smith, J. (2009). Which mothers wean their babies prematurely from full breastfeeding? An Australian cohort study. Acta Paediatrica, 98(8), 1274-1277.
  
• Baxter, J., & Smith, J. (2009). Breastfeeding and infants' time use (Research Paper No. 43). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Renda, J., Baxter, J., & Alexander, M. (2009). Exploring the work-family policies mothers say would help after the birth of a child. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol 12, No. 1 2009, pp 65-87.
• Baxter, J. (2009). Mothers' timing of return to work by leave use and pre-birth job characteristics. Journal of Family Studies, 15(2) 153-166 .
• Baxter, J., Gray, M & Hayes, A. (2009). Diverse families making a difference. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies
• Baxter, J. (2008). Is money the main reason mothers return to work after childbearing? A quantitative analysis of reasons for return to work. Journal of Population Research, 25(2), 141-160.
• Smart, D., Sanson, A., Baxter, J., Edwards, B., & Hayes., A. (2008). Home-to-school transitions for financially disadvantaged children (PDF 623 KB), Commissioned report, The Smith Family.
• Baxter, J. (2008). Timing of mothers' return to work after childbearing: Variations by job characteristics and leave use (PDF 414 KB) (Research Paper No. 42). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. & Alexander, M. (2008). Mother's work-family strain in single and couple parent families: The role of job characteristics and supports. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 43(2), 195-214.
• Gray, M., Baxter, J. & Alexander, M. (2008). Parent-only care: a child care choice for working couple families? Family Matters, 79, 42-49.
• Baxter, J. & Gray, M. (2008). Work and family responsibilities through life (PDF 736 KB). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. (2008). When Dad works long hours: How work hours are associated with fathering 4-5-year-old children. Family Matters, 77, 60-69.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M., Alexander, M., Strazdins, L. & Bittman, M. (2007). Mothers and fathers with young children: Paid employment, caring and wellbeing (PDF 858 KB) (Social Policy Research Paper No. 30). Canberra: Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
• Baxter, J. (2007). Children's time use in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children: Data quality and analytical issues in the 4-year cohort. (LSAC Technical Paper No. 4). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J., Gray, M. & Hayes, A. (2007). A snapshot of how Australian families spend their time. Melbourne, Vic.: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Baxter, J. & Hayes, A. (2007). How four year olds spend their day: Insights into the caring contexts of young children. Family Matters, 76, 34-43.
• Baxter, J., & Gray, M. (2006). Paid work characteristics or mothers with infants. Family Matters, 74, 34-41.
• Baxter, J. (2005). Women's work transitions around childbearing (PDF 1.1 MB) (Negotiating the Life Course discussion paper DP-021). Canberra, ACT: Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University.
• Baxter, J. (2005). The employment of partnered mothers in Australia, 1981 to 2001 (PDF 2.58 MB). Unpublished PhD thesis, Australian National University.
• Baxter, J. (2005), Mothers' employment transitions following childbirth. Family Matters, 71, 11-17.
• Baxter, J., & McDonald, P. (2005). Why is the rate of home ownership falling in Australia? (PDF 147 KB) AHURI Research and Policy Bulletin, 52, 1-4.
• Baxter, J., & McDonald, P. (2004). Trends in home ownership rates in Australia: The relative importance of affordability trends and changes in population composition. Final report (PDF 3.0 MB). Melbourne, Vic: Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, 31p.

Submissions

• Inquiry into implications of the proposed National Broadband Network. Parliament of Australia. Senate Select Committee on the National Broadband Network.
• Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave (PDF 597 KB). Productivity Commission.