Early Childhood Education and Care Workers and Wellbeing in a Continuous Caring Regime

The childcare sector in Australia is large and growing, and is an important institutional support for women to participate in the workforce. The sector is highly feminised, professionalised and accredited, and low paid. This article reports on the time pressures, that is the pressure of competing demands on the time of workers, and how these link to the wellbeing of workers in the sector. The study interviewed business owners, child care service managers and child care service providers to highlight management of the squeeze on time through continuous caring. It then investigates the implications for health and eating behaviours that are associated with the squeeze on time.