Gender Analysis Toolkit
Gender Analysis Toolkit Part One: About this Toolkit Copyright This publication is copyright. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions prescribed under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of the publication may in any form or by any means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior written permission. Any person or organisation wanting to reproduce material from this publication should obtain written permission from the copyright holders at the following address: Office for Women GPO Box 806 BRISBANE QLD 4001 Disclaimer This publication is designed to provide general unbiased information. Every care has been taken to ensure the correctness of the information in the publication as at 1 July 2009. No responsibility is accepted for any loss, damage or injury, financial or otherwise, suffered by any person acting or relying on information contained in the program or omitted from it. Gender Analysis Toolkit was prepared by the Office for Women. Enquiries Telephone: Email: Web: Women’s Infolink 1800 177 577 [email protected] www.women.qld.gov.au 2 CONTENTS PART ONE – ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT 1. Introduction 5 2. Overview of the Toolkit 8 3. What is gender analysis? 9 4. Why is gender analysis necessary? 10 5. What are the benefits of gender analysis? 12 Exercise 1: Policy development process in your organisation 15 Exercise 2: Gender awareness/ sensitivity in policy development 16 PART TWO – THE TOOLKIT 6. How to conduct a gender analysis 21 7. Case study 24 Results of not using gender analysis 26 Exercise 3: Practising the gender analysis framework 30 Advocacy and overcoming resistance 39 Exercise 4: Dealing with gender values, attitudes and practices 41 Gender analysis checklist 46 8. 9. PART THREE – FURTHER INFORMATION 10. Links and resources 47 11. Office for Women 50 12. Glossary 52 Appendix 1: Legislated basis for gender analysis 53 Appendix 2: International obligations 57 Appendix 3: Policy Development 59 Appendix 4: Gender Analysis Toolkit evaluation and comments 60 3 4 PART ONE 1. INTRODUCTION Gender mainstreaming is an international strategy to achieve gender equality in all aspects of society that has been gradually adopted since 1995 by many governments in developing and developed countries, including Australia. Gender analysis is widely recognised as an essential part of high quality policy advice. Gender mainstreaming was defined by the United Nation’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in 1997 as follows: 1 Mainstreaming a gender perspective is the process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programs in all areas and at all levels. It is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programs in all political, economic and societal spheres so that women and men benefit equally and inequality is not perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. Gender awareness/analysis programs provide a practical, systematic method for ensuring that gender considerations form part of the development of policy, program and service design. This is especially important in areas that women are still disadvantaged such as health, economic security, work-life balance, safety and leadership. One area where gender differences are apparent is in the labour market. Women’s workforce participation has increased in the last few decades however women remain over-represented in the traditionally female-dominated and lower-paid industries such as care work or retail work. Additionally they comprise the majority of part time and casual workers. As a result, the gap between male and female pay is persistently wide. In 2007 Queensland women’s total earnings were 65.8% of Queensland men’s total earnings. Full time women’s weekly ordinary time earnings were 84.9% of those of men’s. 2 Women still make up the vast majority of carers, and many take on an unpaid caring role at the expense of paid work, to their financial detriment. However, use of flexible work arrangements has increased and underemployment has decreased. Employed mothers who used flexible work arrangements to meet family responsibilities rose to 73% in 2005 from 67.9% in 2002. Employed fathers who used flexible work arrangements to meet family responsibilities also increased to 33.0% in 2005 from 28.8% in 2002. Being aware of the diverse and different experiences of women and men will assist government agencies to develop more effective procedures and precise targeting for developing, implementing and evaluating workforce participation and work-life balance policies, programs and legislation. 1 2 ECOSOC, 2004, Issues Paper: Gender mainstreaming in the work of United Nations system intergovernmental bodies, www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/meetings/docs/22%20June%20issues%20paper.pdf Data used are from Queensland Government Office for Women, 2008, Profile: Queensland Women 2008 – a statistical snapshot published, Office for Women, Brisbane. 5 About the Gender Analysis Toolkit Queensland Government departments work to provide policies, programs and services relevant to all members of the community, reflecting their diverse needs and experiences. Government has a responsibility to ensure that these policies, programs and services are inclusive and support its commitment to gender equality already expressed by mechanisms such as the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 and the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women. In order to support the Queensland Government to fulfil these responsibilities the Office for Women developed this Gender Analysis Toolkit as a practical guide to build the public sector’s skills around gender mainstreaming. The Toolkit is targeted to all staff regardless of their seniority level and managerial responsibilities. The content is designed to provide staff with the necessary knowledge to integrate gender issues into their work. The Toolkit contains generic tools that can be adapted by different agencies and draws from experience of specialists in the field. The Office for Women initially conducted an environmental scan to identify priorities and trends in women’s policy development and program delivery both in Australia and overseas. Gender awareness/analysis programs were a key activity for many agencies and viewed as a strategic method for enhancing women’s economic and social position. The material contained in the Toolkit draws on the excellent gender analysis work already developed by Canada, The Netherlands, New Zealand and by our colleagues in New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia. See the Resources section in the Toolkit for references to work being undertaken in these jurisdictions. The objectives of this Gender Analysis Toolkit are to: ensure that staff, both in policy development and in policy implementation and program and service delivery, learn the benefits of gender analysis and how to apply it in their daily activities; help staff to integrate consideration of gender factors into each stage of policy and program development, making gender an integral component of all policy development and service delivery; and help staff to better interpret policy and outcomes of policy development and program and service delivery in regards to gender awareness in Queensland. The expected outcomes of the Toolkit for Queensland women and men and Queensland Government departments and their staff include: implementation of a structured approach (framework and methodology) to assist in analysing policies, programs and legislation ensuring that gender differences and inequalities are among the factors considered; development of a useful tool for policy development in general by integrating gender awareness into every aspect of public policy formulation; assistance to agencies to develop more effective procedures for developing, implementing and evaluating policies, programs and legislation; increase of competence of Queensland Government agencies and individual staff in understanding how gender perspectives are relevant to their responsibilities; enabling the implementation of sustainable outcomes for women in the delivery of policies and programs; reducing the risk of unintended outcomes; 6 improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of government business by ensuring that policies and programs are designed to meet the desired/anticipated outcomes; integration of awareness of gender issues into all aspects of public policy formulation and delivery; strengthening partnerships across government; and clear definition of issues and target groups so that the diverse and different experiences of women and men are taken into account. 7 2. OVERVIEW OF THE TOOLKIT This Gender Analysis Toolkit will assist you in the planning, delivery and review of policies, programs and services by explaining how to conduct a gender analysis. It also provides examples and links to other relevant tools. The Toolkit is complementary to other policy guides, and therefore does not address all issues to be considered in the formulation of policy advice or program and service delivery. Getting started: understanding and adapting the Toolkit process and method Part One presents the background to gender analysis — the context and benefits. This is an essential introduction to gender analysis. Part Two gives step-by-step guidance of gender analysis. Tasks set out in the exercises help you to reflect on policy, program and service development in your own context while applying your understanding of gender analysis. Part Two outlines the eight-stage gender analysis step-by-step and revisits the stages as required. Questions are suggested in each stage to check the quality and completeness of your work in the exercises. The gender analysis checklist in Part Two is for future use when undertaking gender analysis. Once you are familiar with this Toolkit’s gender analysis process and methods the Checklist can be used as a quick guide for developing gender sensitive policies, programs or services. Part Three and the appendices provide further information such as links and resources, glossary and an overview of Australia’s national and international obligations. You may wish to work with your colleagues when using this Toolkit so that your workplace has a consistent approach to gender analysis. Any questions or concerns about how to use the Gender Analysis Toolkit can be made to the Queensland Government’s Office for Women who can assist agencies with specific information or provide further direction. Please take the time to complete and return the Evaluation and Comments form at Appendix 3. It will be of great help to the ongoing monitoring and review of the Toolkit. 8 3. WHAT IS GENDER ANALYSIS? Gender analysis is a set of processes for assessing and deepening understanding about the differences in the lives of women and men, their participation in social and economic life, and the differential impacts on their lives of policies, programs and services. The aim of gender analysis is to redress inequalities and inequities. In general, women and girls have different experiences in many areas of life and are often treated differently to men and boys. This can be a source of inequality. Gender analysis involves acknowledging the historical and social disadvantages that women face, and designing policies and programs to meet the differences in women’s and men’s lives. This includes considering women’s particular experiences and responsibilities, and taking into account their generally lower level of access to resources and decisionmaking processes. Gender analysis aims to address inequalities for women by: acknowledging that issues can affect women differently to men; acknowledging that the differences in women’s and men’s lives mean that women’s needs are often different to men’s; investigating the specific needs of women and the likely impact on women of policies, programs and services; seeking and articulating the viewpoints of women and making their input a critical part of developing policies, programs and services ensuring that they will have intended and effective processes and outcomes; recognising that policies, programs and services can have a differential impact on women and men and promoting gender sensitive practices in policies, program and service delivery; ensuring that the needs and issues of women are clearly identified and addressed through each step of the process of planning, implementing and evaluating policies, programs and services; promoting women and girls’ equitable engagement in community and economic life, which will benefit the community at large – women and men, girls and boys; promoting understanding that while treating everyone in the same way may help make some things more equal, this is not sufficient to meet the specific needs of women across race, ethnicity, age, disability, income level, marital status, sexual orientation, region and employment status; and promoting more informed, equitable and effective responses. 9 4. WHY IS GENDER ANALYSIS NECESSARY? The Queensland Government is committed to equality The Queensland Government is strongly committed to removing barriers to women’s full participation in society. It has a vision where all Queenslanders are able to balance work, family and lifestyle, and women and men share caring roles in their families and communities. It is a place where the diversity of our society is celebrated. We will see women’s rights, interests and wellbeing promoted and protected and women and men enjoying equal opportunity and participation. The vision of a fairer Queensland is also articulated under the Bligh Government’s Toward Q2: Tomorrow’s Queensland strategy. Australia has domestic laws relating to gender discrimination These laws cover reporting against achievement targets for women and providing avenues of redress for affected women and girls. See Appendix 1 for details. Federal Anti-discrimination legislation This legislation: ― ― ― applies to all states; is enacted on the basis of gender, disability, and race; and is actioned via the Australian Human Rights Commission (formerly the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission). Federal employment provisions This legislation requires certain organisations to: ― ― make an action plan for addressing equal employment opportunity for women; and report against it annually to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency located within the portfolio of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA). State Anti-discrimination legislation This legislation makes it illegal to discriminate against, ask unnecessary questions of, sexually harass, publicly vilify and victimise people in certain circumstances. Complaints are processed by the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland. Key international conventions and agreements on equality for women Australia has endorsed key international conventions and agreements on equality for women. See Appendix 2 for full details. Australia ratified the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1983. The Convention commits Australia to taking specific steps to eliminate discrimination against women and work towards equality for women in all areas of social, economic and political life. Australia became a party to the Optional Protocol to CEDAW in November 2008. Where domestic remedies have been exhausted, the Optional Protocol will enable Australian women to make a complaint to the international committee responsible for monitoring Australia's compliance with its obligations under CEDAW. The Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), developed at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, provides strategic objectives to promote better achievement of the CEDAW. 10 Gender analysis integrates gender issues into mainstream activities 3 Gender analysis, as part of mainstream government activity, can change the way organisations operate, so they become more gender sensitive and generate the mix of gender specific and gender inclusive approaches women and men need. While equality policies and activities address specific problems for women they often remain a discrete part of government activity and tend to be small-scale relative to mainstream programs. Gender analysis underlines the need to consider all policies and programs according to their gender impact. Gender analysis is good practice Programs and policies for people work best when the characteristics and needs of those who will be affected by them are most fully taken into account. While it is not practical (or desirable) for many policies and programs to be designed on the basis of all of the characteristics of each person, some social attributes are associated with characteristic experiences and needs – for example sex, race, ethnicity, disability, geographic location, age, among others. By placing a spotlight on the situations and needs of women, gender analysis gives a clear idea of the consequences and impact of initiatives. It uncovers important and policy-relevant considerations that have been there, but have not been seen. It helps uncover hidden assumptions and values which may sustain inequality and leads to better targeted service delivery. Gender analysis takes into account the diversity of women In looking at the likely impact on women of a particular policy or program, gender analysis acknowledges that women are diverse, with different social and cultural experiences. It directs attention to the needs of specific groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and women with disabilities. 3 This section draws on information from the Department for Women, New South Wales, 2003, Applying a Gender Lens: A practical guide to gender analysis for NSW government agencies, www.women.nsw.gov.au/PDF/Archived/Applying_a_gender_lens.pdf 11 5. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF GENDER ANALYSIS? Economic and social benefits Women make significant economic and social contributions to Queensland, in paid and unpaid work, in the family, community and workforce. For example 4 , 60.6% of Queensland women were in the workforce in 2007. In terms of leadership positions, Queensland women made up 34.8% of the Queensland Legislative Assembly in 2007 and 33.97% of Queensland Government boards. Effective public policy, programs and services need to acknowledge this contribution. The Queensland Government has recognised the contribution the women can make to Queensland Government boards and in 2006 actively began to implement a Women on Boards strategy to promote gender equality in new appointments to government boards. Gender analysis: 4 5 assists in ensuring maximum participation by women and this increases benefits to society from women's skills. These benefits include increased tax revenue, reduced demand for welfare assistance and improved health status for women and children, which lowers demand on the health system; ensures better targeting of policies programs and services. For example, to enable women to take full advantage of employment training programs, assistance with childcare and transport may be necessary. Such programs increase women's potential and in the long term help them to move off welfare benefits; supports gender diversity. A strong positive association between women leaders and economic and social performance has been shown in several recent national and international studies. Business outcomes include improved marketing strategies, new product development and a broader clientele; 5 broadens the focus of economic analysis to inspire different questions to be asked and issues raised. For example, the issue of more women than men being in lower paid or unpaid work can be examined in terms of structural barriers that may limit women’s opportunities for participation in the labour market, rather than women’s choices; and enables agencies to analyse systematically whether the outcomes of policies, programs and services are equitable. Queensland Government Office for Women, 2008, Profile: Queensland Women 2008 – a statistical snapshot, Office for Women, Brisbane. A 2009 study by University of Queensland Business School’s researchers, Adams and Ferreira, has found women significantly enhance the monitoring capacity of the boards they join (www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=17298). A 2008 study by Curtin University of Technology Business School’s Research Fellow, Jeremy Galbreath, demonstrated that having women directors not only benefits financial performance, but women possess critical skills and attributes that are beneficial in developing a balance across financial, social and environmental business outcomes (www.cbs.curtin.edu.au/index.cfm?objectID=8A1BEA2A-9BED-7B9B8A3DA3B103AC224F). A 2008 McKinsey & Company study, Women Matter, found that companies with the most gender diverse board members have an average EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) 48% higher than their industry norms (www.mckinsey.com/careers/women/making_a_difference/social_sector_impact/~/media/Reports/Women/Mckinsey _women_matter.ashx). 12 Quality of advice The incorporation of gender analysis assists in ensuring quality advice by: generating data disaggregated by gender, ethnicity, and other factors relevant to the particular policy issue; identifying where more detailed data is needed in order to have quality information on which to base policy decisions and program and service delivery; examining the underlying issues. For example, it is simplistic to view domestic violence as a problem solved solely by the provision of women's refuges. Refuges assist women and children directly and raise community awareness of the issue. However, they cannot stop the violence. The cause of the problem needs to be recognised and addressed. Until policy responses address the causes, women's needs will not be met; revealing and examining the differences in women's and men's lives. If this does not happen, 'unexpected' consequences of policy, programs and services can arise, which may contribute to policy or program and service delivery failure, or unintended discrimination; ensuring that opportunities are not missed. For example, if career guidance information presented only a limited range of jobs or careers for young women, it would contribute to decisions which have long-term and significant consequences for a woman's earning capacity and future choices in life, and this impacts negatively on the economy; and ensuring that sound and credible advice is provided. Policy, programs and services developed on the basis of gender analysis will have greater credibility and validity among those affected by them. 13 BENEFITS OF GENDER ANALYSIS Gender analysis brings the following benefits to enhance policy and program development and delivery: Identification Gender analysis identifies and fosters understanding of women and girls as clients/customers of government departments and agencies. Evidence Gender analysis gathers evidence on the relevance to and the impacts on women and girls of issues and policies, programs and services. Efficiency Gender analysis tools enable the improvement of predictability and minimise unintended consequences. Action Gender analysis provides tools to understand clients and make effective and equitable decisions. Engagement Gender analysis engages women and girls in setting relevant and realistic directions. Systems Gender analysis enhances planning, implementing monitoring, evaluating and reporting. Innovation Gender analysis challenges old ways of thinking and prompts new responses. Quality of life Gender analysis ultimately improves the quality of life of women and girls and advances their engagement in Queensland life. 14 EXERCISE 1: POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESSES IN YOUR ORGANISATION Exercise 1 provides you with an opportunity to reflect on policy processes in your own work context. Individuals involved in policy development and program and service delivery processes have expressed that attempts to introduce gender analysis ‘down the track’ will not be able to reshape policies, programs or services that inherently already have a gendered character. 6 Individuals can add a balanced and comprehensive quality to their analysis or delivery and propose options that will result in equitable outcomes. This is achieved through awareness of their own values and those of the environment as well as understanding how these influence their decision-making and sensitivity to gender issues in general. 7 This Toolkit aims to help individual members of public sector agencies to find spaces to intervene and reshape, to an extent, the interpretation and implementation of policies, programs and services. Task 1: Gender-responsive policy, programs or services Explain how gender is currently addressed in policy development and program and service delivery in your organisation. __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ Task 2: List examples of policies, programs or services where gender has been successfully addressed in your organisation ________________________________________________________ ______________ _______________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ______________ ________________________________________________________ ______________ _______________ ________________________________________________________ 6 7 Bacchi, C., Eveline, J., Binns, J., Mackenzie, C. & Harwood, S., 2005, Policy and Society, 24, 4, 42-68. Status of Women Canada, Gender-based analysis: A guide for policy-making, www.swccfc.gc.ca/pubs/gbaguide/gbaguide_e.html#2_1 15 EXERCISE 2: GENDER AWARENESS/SENSITIVITY IN POLICY DEVELOPMENT Exercise 2 helps you to think about the gendered nature of the policy, program or service initiatives that government departments engage with and/or are expected to implement. In some cases gender issues are central to the policy, program or service in question and play a major, determining role in its evolution. Other policies, programs or services at first glance may appear to be devoid of gender implications. It may be tempting to simply state that a policy, program or service is not likely to have different gender effects. While its gender implications may not be immediately obvious, they may emerge later. 8 Task 1: Choose two of the following example initiatives and list any gendersensitive issues that you think need to be incorporated into the policy, program or service development Income support (age pension and carers’ payments) Good diet in Indigenous communities Freedom of information Planning schemes Homelessness Public housing Transport Initiative: __________________________ Initiative: __________________________ 8 Status of Women Canada, Gender-based analysis: A guide for policy-making, www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/pubs/gbaguide/gbaguide_e.html#2_1 16 Possible responses to Task 1: Following are possible responses which identify gender sensitive issues in each of the policy areas. The responses are not exhaustive but illustrate some facts that would be vital to consider when drafting policy, program or service delivery responses in these areas. Income support (Age Pension and Carers’ Payments) Women make up the majority of Age Pension recipients due to their greater longevity and comparatively low superannuation levels. Women also make up the majority of carers of disabled children and ageing parents. As they age, they frequently become the primary carers for frail or ill partners. There are several factors that can make female income support recipients or age pension or carers’ payments more vulnerable to poverty and social isolation: • low superannuation levels due to lower average incomes, interrupted and lower rates of workforce participation; • surviving without a partner for many years due to greater longevity and possible implications such as lack of financial literacy after partner dies; • safety fears within their own homes or when leaving the home; • lack of own transport and safety fear when using public transport; • vulnerability to chronic illnesses for prolonged periods of time due to greater longevity; and • additional physical and mental health issues of carers due to caring responsibilities. These issues need to be considered in any income support policies, programs or services and calculations. Transport Policy, program or service initiatives on transport planning, infrastructure and services should be exploring the gender impact and safety elements associated with any proposed initiatives. When proposing initiatives that encourage people to replace some of their car journeys with walking, cycling or public transport, the relative ‘safety’ of these alternative forms of transport should be considered. Policy makers and program and service implementers need to consider strategies to ensure that public transport options are safe for women and girls, especially at night. This extends to frequency and accessibility, safety features, design and lighting, monitoring and availability of assistance. Sufficient taxi services may reduce the risk of harm to women by quickly dispersing male patrons from licensed premises. There is evidence of serious and pervasive threats to women’s safety due to male intoxication, including the prevalence of alcohol-related sexual assault and violence. 17 The need for alternative and flexible public transport options for people who are less mobile, such as older women. Women may survive without partner for many years due to greater longevity and this may have implications for transport availability such as lack of driving skills in the household after the partner dies. Freedom of information Women may be affected differently to men by changes to laws and practice concerning access to information and privacy. Women constitute the majority of victims of sexual offences and domestic violence. Privacy laws and provisions that protect information about victims may have a direct bearing on their personal safety. Homelessness In considering strategies to address homelessness, it is important to recognise that women may become homeless for different reasons from men and may seek different remedies to their situation than men. There are fewer homeless women than men, but more women than men seek emergency accommodation. Domestic and family violence are predominately the reasons many women become homeless. In most domestic and family violence situations, the male partner is the perpetrator of the violence. Women may face the choice of remaining in a violent situation or becoming homeless. They may make several attempts at leaving a violent situation. Among the Indigenous population, domestic and family violence and resultant homelessness for women is more prevalent. Homeless women are also much more likely to be accompanied by children. Women with children are likely to seek crisis accommodation when homeless, rather than sleep on the streets. Because domestic and family violence is often a reason for homelessness among women and their children – and has therefore become the focus for service delivery in the sector – there may be gaps in the service system for assisting women who do not fall into these groups, including older women and single women. Housing affordability, including the current under-supply of affordable housing for purchase or private rental, may be another cause of homelessness for women. The limited housing options for low income earners are likely to affect women more than men due to lower average incomes, longer average life spans, overrepresentation in the part time and casual workforce and women carrying the major part of caring responsibilities. 18 Good diet in Indigenous communities Indigenous Australians suffer lower rates of health and well-being, shorter life expectancy and higher rates of preventable disease than non-Indigenous Australians. In 2005-06 Indigenous people were hospitalised at 14 times the rate of non-Indigenous people for care involving dialysis, and three times the rate for endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (including diabetes). A good diet is an essential element to preventing many of these long-term illnesses. Indigenous women play a central role in domestic responsibilities including food preparation and the feeding of children and extended family members. Additionally, Indigenous women have higher fertility rates than non-Indigenous women (estimated in 2006 to be 2.1 babies compared with 1.8 babies for all Australian females). Indigenous mothers tend to be younger than non-Indigenous mothers, with teenage birth rates more than five times higher than for nonIndigenous females. Because of the prevalence of diabetes, there will be particular needs related to managing diabetes during pregnancy (including gestational diabetes) to ensure healthy babies and to reduce the risk of these children developing diabetes later in life. Accessibility to fresh fruit and vegetables both in terms of cost and availability needs to be considered, particularly for remote Indigenous communities. Public housing Women are often overrepresented in public housing for a range of economic and social factors. This includes women living alone and women as heads of single parent families. The proportion of older single women seeking public housing is likely to increase due to the ageing of the large ‘baby-boom’ generation and women’s longer life expectancy, an increase in family breakdown, and women’s general greater financial disadvantage. Specific characteristics of female public housing clients that policy, program or service initiatives need to consider are: • greater vulnerability to poverty and social exclusion; • lack of own transport; • single parents with children needing to be close to schools and child care; • easy access to medical and other services for older single women; • small, easy to maintain dwellings for older single women; and • safe dwellings in well-lit and well-patrolled neighbourhoods. 19 Planning schemes Local government planning schemes need to consider the particular needs of women. Planning for housing and residential developments need to take account of issues such as the needs of sole parent mothers, an ageing demographic and declining housing affordability within a casualised workforce structure. Single parent families – of which single mother families are the vast majority – have particular needs, including accessible local child-friendly spaces, housing and childcare options. These should factor into assessments of current and future planning. Women represent the largest cohort of the ageing population. Older women are more likely to have lower superannuation balances and buying power due to lower average incomes, interrupted and lower rates of workforce participation. As a result they will have greater need for affordable housing and accessible transport options. Declining housing affordability in the face of an increasingly casualised workforce is particularly pronounced for women. Female workforce participation continues to be concentrated in casual and less secure areas. Planning schemes should have regard to transport infrastructure to ensure accessibility to local services which women and their children frequent such as shopping centres, parks, libraries and medical services. 20
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