Gender Impact Assessments

Women are disproportionately expected to provide unpaid care for children and other family members. This can prevent women from increasing hours or even pursuing work or study. Women spend almost an hour a day more on unpaid work than men, and women with children under 15 spent an average of 7 hours 29 minutes a day on unpaid work, compared to 5 hours and 2 minutes for men.

In the first five years of parenting their first child, women’s earnings are reduced by 55% on average, while men’s earnings remain unaffected during that same time. One-parent families are overwhelmingly headed by single mothers, at 77%.  Women also disproportionately take on caring responsibilities beyond children, to care for parents and other family members. Middle-aged women are also more likely to be part of the ‘sandwich generation’, caring for older parents as well as their own children.

What to consider

• Gender roles or stereotypes that may reinforce roles and expectations around care responsibilities and unpaid work.
• Any gaps in access to a program or service due to caring responsibilities (such as opening times, accessibility of location or building, requirements to attend on-site).
• Targeted measures such as gender-neutral child toileting facilities, universal access to parenting leave / workplace flexibility.
• Opening and closing times of services and flexibility of after-hours support.
• Availability of toileting facilities, including parent rooms, and placement. For example, are they only available in women’s toilets?

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics, How Australians use their time 2024

Centre for Economic Development of Australia, Occupational gender segregation 2023

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Status of Families, June 2025

Economic inequality remains a significant issue, with women often earning less over their lifetime due to part-time work, caregiving responsibilities, and the gender pay gap. These financial disparities impact women’s independence and ability to secure housing and essential services. Women’s economic wellbeing and participation is vital for women’s security and improves the state and national economy.

The gender pay gap in South Australia (at November 2025) was 7.3%, below the national average of 11.5%.

Women also carry most of the caring load, with 92% of care and support workers being women.  Women providing unpaid care of children in Australia spend 1 hour 15 minutes more than men each day on this unpaid work. Unpaid caring often prevents women from increasing their working hours, which contributes to lower earnings.

What to consider

• Any financial or economic outcomes and whether they will impact different genders in different ways. Consider whether certain gender may be better or worse off financially.
• Whether policies or programs provide equitable access to financial resources or support systems.
• Any gaps or disproportional impact regarding financial resources or support.
• Targeted measures like affordable childcare, parental leave, and wage equity policies to alleviate economic barriers.
• Whether it increases economic security of women, men or gender diverse people by promoting equal access to employment and career advancement.
• Whether it reduces the gender pay gap, engaging businesses that demonstrate gender equality in their workplace.

References

Workplace Gender Equality Agency, The ABS data gender pay gap

Commonwealth of Australia, ‘Budget 2024-25: Women’s Budget Statement’

Australian Bureau of Statistics, How Australians Use Their Time 2020–21 financial year

Historically, women have had fewer opportunities to pursue technical trades, with most apprenticeships offered only to boys and men until the 1970s.  Women continue to be employed at a lower rate than men and experience higher levels of underemployment (wanting to work more hours but being unable to). Women are also underrepresented in skilled, technical and leadership roles, particularly in industries such as construction, mining, and manufacturing, which are heavily male dominated.

What to consider

• Opportunities for skills and training for women and girls, particularly in skilled and technical roles, and in industries traditionally dominated by men.
• Gaps in different genders undertaking and finishing education and training (such as affordability, caring responsibilities, perception of sector).
• Targeted responses including financial supports, flexibility in education programs, marketing encouraging diversity.
• Requirements for onsite learning and flexibility in timing of classes.
• Opportunities for flexible working arrangements and offsite working such as working from home.

References

TAFE SA Roadmap for the Future

Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Gender segregation in Australia’s workforce 17 April 2019

Gender-specific health needs and systemic barriers can limit access to quality healthcare. Women have a longer life expectancy than men but lose more years to ill health.  Women are also at a greater risk than men of developing a mental illness.  The leading causes of loss of a healthy life for women are dementia, anxiety disorders, and back pain.

Women also experience considerable barriers to health support, with 26% of women waiting longer than they felt was acceptable to get a GP appointment, and 4.3% of women delaying seeing a GP due to the cost. Women also require support for reproductive and menstrual health, while gender diverse people often face discrimination in healthcare settings, affecting their overall wellbeing. Women spend around $373 million more per year than men on GP services.

Achieving gender equality involves providing men and women with universal access to health services and the necessary supports to maintain a healthy life. For women, this includes being able to access support for health issues they may encounter over their lifetime including reproductive health, menstruation and menopause.

What to consider

• Gaps in healthcare services, such as a lack of reproductive health programs or inadequate training for healthcare providers in gender sensitivity.
• Barriers for people of different genders to using a health product or service (such as shame and stigma, cost and location, lack of awareness).
• Targeted interventions, like expanding community health services or creating inclusive healthcare policies.
• Differences in presentation of health conditions between sexes and awareness and identification of differences in the community and for health providers.
• Impact of unconscious bias and discrimination in healthcare settings.

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, The health of Australia’s females 2023

Oxford University Press 'The stressed sex: Uncovering the truth about men, women, and mental health’ Freeman, D., & Freeman, J. (2013)

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australian Burden of Disease Study 2024

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, How do Australia’s females access health care, 2023

Australian Government, 2026 Status of Women Report Card

Housing is foundational to everyone’s safety and security, and ability to engage in employment, community, and recreation. Women are disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity. Due to the gender pay gap, women are less likely to be able to afford to save for a deposit for a house and are less likely to own a home at retirement.  Women are also disproportionately impacted by rental stress. Domestic, family and sexual violence is also the leading cause of homelessness for women. Nationally, 45% of women and girls seeking homelessness assistance identify domestic and family violence as a cause.  Stable, secure and affordable housing is fundamental to women’s ability to participate in society.

What to consider

• Opportunities to provide safe, secure housing for vulnerable groups.
• Housing needs and preferences of different genders. For example, working from home, proximity to schooling, need for public transport, size and accessibility of housing.
• Whether different genders face different barriers to housing (such as affordability and gender pay gap, accessibility of location, neighbourhood safety).
• Disparities in income that effect ability of different genders to afford rental and purchased housing.
• Amenities available in new neighbourhoods, including schools and public transport.

References

Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, What are the real costs of Australia’s housing crisis for women?

Homelessness Australia, Homelessness and domestic and family violence – state of response report

Gender disparities persist in leadership, business, and overall workforce participation. Structural barriers, such as caregiving responsibilities and limited access to flexible work arrangements, further hinder participation. Colonisation continues to impact Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women in workplaces as well, where whiteness is privileged and there is an intersection of racism and sexism.

Women are less likely to be in leadership positions, with women representing just 33% of governing bodies, 21% of board chairs and 35% of board members (for private sector employers over 100 employees).

In South Australia, 40% of all small business owners are women. However, women in business identify a range of factors, including caring for others, as barriers to growth, alongside accessing capital and assumptions about what a 'typical' business should look like.

What to consider

• Whether the policy or program provides opportunities to people of different genders and any ways in which different genders are more or less able to take up those opportunities.
• Whether policies promote equitable access to leadership roles and participation in the workforce and in business.
• Barriers, such as insufficient mentoring programs, unconscious bias in recruitment (including how unconscious gender bias intersects with other types of bias), and a lack of inclusive workplace policies.
• Targeted responses including mentoring opportunities, unconscious bias training, marketing that encourages diversity, or upgraded facilities.
• Opportunities that align to male or female dominated industries or business areas.

References

Workplace Gender Equality Agency, National Data Explorer – Snapshot, Australian Private Sector 2024–25

Office for Small and Family Business, Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024

Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Recognise enterprising women in small and family business by removing bias and barriers

Women and girls’ participation in sport and recreation is crucial for all facets of their wellbeing and contributes to positive economic and health outcomes. Women aged 15 years and over participate in sports-related activities at least once per week at substantially lower rates than men.  There are multiple barriers to women and girls getting involved in sport including the cost and time to participate, fear or experience of harassment and judgement, the absence of visible role models and a lack of programs and facilities. These barriers have historically disincentivised women to participate in sport as a player, volunteer, or leader.

What to consider

• Whether policies promote equitable access to leadership roles and participation in sport.
• Barriers to participation in sport and recreation including safety, availability and appropriateness of uniforms and equipment, availability of facilities for all genders.
• Safety concerns, including harassment and threatening behaviours.
• Targeting of support for male and female dominated sports or recreation activities and equality across female and male teams.

References

Clearing House for Sport, ‘Women in Sport: Factors Influencing Participation’

People of different genders experience varying levels and types of safety risks. Women and gender diverse people are at a higher risk of violence which can impact their sense of security in public and private spaces. Almost 39% of women aged 15 and over have experienced physical or sexual violence. Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women are three times more likely to experience sexual violence and 34 times more likely to be hospitalised due to violence than other women. Domestic and family violence is also the leading cause of homelessness for women, accounting for 45% of women accessing homelessness services nationally in 2022–2023.

Women’s safety is essential to achieving gender equality. Women have a right to feel and be safe in their homes and in the community and be empowered to thrive in all aspects of their lives. The consequences of violence against women are personal, societal and economic, and are far-reaching.

Women and girls experience a ‘personal safety burden’ on public transport, including emotional, cognitive, and financial costs of avoiding harassment.  Women are also disproportionately reliant on public transport, including using it at different times due to caregiving responsibilities and part-time work.

Women are also disproportionately impacted by domestic and family violence, as well as being impacted by community attitudes. The National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey found that more than a third of respondents incorrectly believed women use false domestic violence claims in custody cases.

While women’s safety is everyone’s responsibility, governments have a key role to play in prevention, early intervention, response, recovery, and healing.

What to consider

• Different ways in which different genders engage with key activities under your policy or program, and whether there is a difference in safety or risk between them.
• Gaps in policies that may exacerbate safety risks, such as insufficient lighting or placement of amenities.
• Gaps in reporting or support procedures for services that may discourage people from raising concerns.
• Placement and safety of public transport, and other public spaces that are inherently less safe for certain genders.
• Placement and safety of public amenities, such as toilets, walking and bike trails, car parks.
• Availability of emergency support and services where violence or risk is identified. For example,  for people accessing other services.
• Whether the initiative reduces or increases safety risks for people of different genders.
• Whether the initiative takes into account differences in real and perceived safety of different genders.

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), 2021–22 Personal Safety Survey

Australian Government, Department of Social Services, National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children

Homelessness Australia, Homelessness and domestic and family violence, State of Response Report 2024

City of Sydney, On the go: how women travel around our city

Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety, Attitudes Matter: Summary NCAS, the 2021 National Community Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women Survey

Australian Government, Department of Social Services, Our Ways - Strong Ways - Our Voices: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan to End Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence 2026–2036