Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher

To mark International Women’s Day, the Albanese Government has released Australia’s first Status of Women Report Card to shine a light on where progress on gender equality has stalled and more focus is needed.

The Report Card shows the challenges women and girls in Australia face through youth and young adulthood, in careers and working life, through parenthood and families, and in later life. This includes:

• One in two women have experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime, compared to one in four men.
• Women over 55 are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness.
• Women do more unpaid housework than men, even when they are the primary breadwinners (24.1 hours vs 19.1 hours).
• 30% of Australian men don’t believe that gender inequality exists – that’s more than the global average (21%).

The Minister for Women, Senator Katy Gallagher, said the Government is committed to making gender equality a national priority and has invited all Australians to join the conversation about how we can progress gender equality as a nation.

“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.”

“The Albanese Labor Government wants to make International Women’s Day about more than just celebrating women’s successes 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.”

“Shining a light on these statistics may be confronting but it is crucial if we are to have an honest conversation about gender equality in this country.”

“It’s a conversation I’d like to see all Australians take part in and I’d encourage everyone to share their experiences through the survey launched today, as part of the next phase of consultation for the National Strategy to Achieve Gender Equality.”

The National Strategy, which is due to be released in the second half of this year, will guide whole of community action to make Australia one of the best countries in the world for equality.

The Albanese Labor Government is ready to listen to all Australians who can add their voice to the conversation through the survey on the Office for Women’s website.

The full Status of Women Report Card can also be accessed through the Office for Women.