Marking International Women’s Day, the Albanese Government has released Australia’s first Status of Women Report Card to highlight where progress on gender equality has stalled and more focus is needed.
Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, said the government is committed to making gender equality a national priority.
“The Albanese Labor Government wants to make International Women’s Day about more than just celebrating women’s successes,” said Gallagher. “And instead see the Commonwealth Government annually report on the challenges that continue to hold women and our country back, and use this to reflect on progress.”
The annual Report Card shows the challenges women and girls in Australia face through many phases of life– youth, young adulthood, careers, families, parenthood and later on in life.
“The reality is, while we are making some gains on gender equality, we are not there yet and, in some aspects of women’s lives, progress has stalled,” said Gallagher.
This year’s Report Card shows that one in two women have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime, compared to one in four men.
And 30 per cent of Australian men don’t believe that gender inequality exists, which is more than the global average of 21 per cent.
Women over 55 are also the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness.
And even when women are the primary breadwinners of a household, they do more unpaid housework than men (24.1 hours vs 19.1 hours).
While these statistics may be confronting, Gallagher said shining a light on them with the new Report Card is “crucial if we are to have an honest conversation about gender equality in this country.”
Inviting all Australians to join this conversation, Gallagher is asking everyone to share their experiences in a survey launched today.
The survey is part of the next phase of consultation for the Nation Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality, with the full strategy being due for release in the second half of this year.
The National Strategy is aiming to guide community action to make Australia one of the best countries in the world for equality.