Staff Profile

Jennifer Renda
Senior Research Officer

BA(Hons) (Monash)

Biography

Jennifer Renda joined the Australian Institute of Family Studies as a Research Officer in 2002 after completing her BA with Honours in Professional Social Research at Monash University.

During her first few years at AIFS, Jennifer’s research activities primarily focused on issues relating to families and employment, with particular interest in patterns of employment for lone and couple mothers and the interaction between paid employment and income support. She also spent a brief period working with the AIFS team evaluating the reforms to the family law system. More recently Jennifer has worked as a Senior research Officer on two longitudinal studies housed at AIFS. In 2010-11 she played a key role in the 15th Wave data collection for the Australian Temperament Project and was involved in and analysis of previous waves of data on bullying. In her current role, Jennifer is part of the design team for the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.

Selected recent publications

• 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.
• Renda, J., Vassallo, S., & Edwards, B. (2011). Bullying in early adolescence and its association with anti-social behaviour, criminality and violence 6 and 10 years later. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 21, 117-127.
• 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.
• Kaspiew, R., Gray, M., Weston, R., Moloney, L., Hand, K., Qu, L. and the Family Law Evaluation Team (2009). Evaluation of the 2006 family law reforms . 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.
• Renda, J. (2007). Employment aspirations of non-working mothers with long-term health problems (Research paper no.40). Melbourne, Vic: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Gray, M. Qu, L., Renda, J., & de Vaus D. (2006). Changes in the Labour Force Status of Lone and Couple Australian Mothers, 1983-2005. Australian Journal of Labour Economics, 9(4), 395-416.
• Gray, M., & Renda, J. (2006). Reservation wages and the earnings capacity of lone and couple mothers: Are wage expectations too high? (Research Paper No. 37). Melbourne, Vic: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Alexander, M., Baxter, J., Hughes, J. & Renda, J. (2005), Evaluation of the impact of activity requirements for parenting payment customers on their children aged 13-15 years. The final report to the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, June 2005.
• Renda, J., & Gray, M. (2004). The Value Mothers Place on paid work and their feelings of life control. Family Matters, 68, 76-83.
• Gray, M., Qu, L., Renda, J., & de Vaus, D. (2003). Changes in the labour force status of lone and couple Australian mothers, 1983-2002 (Research paper no.33). Melbourne, Vic: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
• Renda, J. (2003). Polarisation of families according to work status. Where does part-time employment fit in? Family Matters, 64, 17-21.