Australian women and the gender divide

Australian women and the gender dividePresentation to the China Australia Governance Program

Rebecca CassellsActing Senior Research Fellow

21 May 2009

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The Generations

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Background

● Economic and social status of Australian women

● Changes over time

● Comparison between men and women

● Employment, educational attainment, income, wealth and lifetime earnings.

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Background

● Essentially, we seek to answer the question:

“Have women gained equal standing in Australian society today?”

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Social and economic changes – a brief history

● Right to vote – 1902

● Legislation – 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s

● Contraceptive pill – 1961

● Abolished university fees – 1974

● Booming economy – 1990s

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Women ≠ Babies

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Changing age-specific fertility,1927-2007

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Educational Attainment

● 53% of women have a post-school qualification, 55% of men

● Generation Y (those aged in 20s), 46% women, 42% men

● Currently there are almost 80,000 more women than men enrolled in University

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Labour force participation

● Increased from 48% in1986 to 58% in 2008.

● Increasing for women with young children

● Increased pressure to “balance” work and family

● 70 per cent of part-time jobs are held by women

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How are women working?

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Men still dominate senior leadership positions

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Division in wages, wealth and retirement

● Gender Wage Gap

● Retirement incomes

● Superannuation

● Lifetime earnings

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Gender Wage Gaps

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Disposable income of retirees, 2006

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Principal source of income of retirees, 2007

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Superannuation balances by age group and gender, 2007

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Gaps in expected lifetime earnings, with and without children, 2006

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Gaps in expected lifetime earnings, children and educational attainment, 2006

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Conclusion and discussion

● Women are now engaged more in the workforce

● Delaying and having fewer children

● Highly educated, especially the younger generations

● Struggle to balance work and family

● Gender Wage gaps are closing

● Large gaps in retirement incomes, superannuation and life-time earnings.

● Paid parental leave

www.natsem.canberra.edu.au