Are there any flexible work places?

Hasn't the world moved on? 20 years ago it was very odd to have dad stay home with the kids, cook, clean or do the weekly shop, now it's almost the norm.  Rarely would mum trundle off to work when bub turns 3 or 6 months, she was home for the family.  Workplaces of course are becoming more accommodating to mothers and moving with the times, maternity leave policies are changing, the government is chipping in to get us mum's back to work sooner and part time options are offered in every other classified advert on SEEK.  Roll back. hang on, no I don't think they are.  I don't think that many organisations are actually wanting to "put up" with  part timers, and to be honest I don't think it's just mums that are looking to work school hours, there are possibly lots of Gen Y's who don't really "strive" to work 50 hour weeks while they climb the corporate ladder, so to older employees who may want to "wind down", but not be forced to retire.

We hear about fantastic options for workers, job share, part time, work from home, but is it a fantasy and what's in it for employers anyway? 

Advertising for a part time position or two, when there is a full time position to be filled is not exactly going to excite any organisation, the costs involved in induction, insurance, safety and admin per head doesn't go down if a person is part time. But can those costs be offset with any benefits, I believe they can (disclaimer that I haven't studied HR, nor do I know the intimate workings of the company GL when it comes to personnel costs)?

On the whole, part time workers have the flexibility to fit the rest of their life into the days they are not working, so ongoing medical appointments, home repairs or waiting for the telstra guy can all be scheduled on non working days, the extra hours employers pay for this time to the full timer can add up.  Sick days and illness rates tend to be less pro rata, because the part timer has more opportunity to be ambulant and get more fresh air and vitamin D, and important mental health benefits that ultimately translate to reduced sick days. Part timers in general are appreciative of the compromise a company makes and in turn often more committed to the business they work for.  And the part timer often spends non working days addressing an office issue, whether on the phone or online, they are not usually going to ignore an urgent question or call out. All these thoughts point to a much improved productivity pro rata by the part timer. So why are more businesses not offering this flexibility, why are even the most obvious places like child care centres, nursing roles and retail shops still making it difficult for mothers to work a school day if they want to?

What can we do to live these changing values and not just acknowledge them? Any wisdom?