When journalist Virginia Tapscott became a mum, she thought she’d be back at work within six months. But motherhood had other plans. Raised on a cattle and cropping farm near Narrabri, Virginia had built a career telling stories that mattered, first in the city and later back in the bush she loved. But once she became a mother, life on the farm with young children gave her a front-row seat to the invisible labour of care. Balancing paid work with childcare drop-offs, she realised what society calls “work” often overlooks the unseen labour mothers do at home — the sleepless nights, the meals, the emotional load. That realisation fuelled her advocacy. Through the Parents Work Collective and her new book All Mothers Work, Virginia is challenging how our systems undervalue the job of raising children. This is her story. 

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