Although there has been significant progress towards gender equality, women continue to experience barriers and inequalities in the home, workplace and the community. For example:
- Women experience family and domestic violence, as well as sexual violence and assault, at significantly higher rates than men.
- There is a gap of 21.4 per cent between the average full-time weekly earnings of Western Australian men and women, compared to the national average of 13.0 per cent.
- Women perform more unpaid domestic and caring duties than men, even when they work full-time.
- Women’s career progression to leadership roles can be adversely affected by workplace practices and attitudes that are biased towards traditional gender roles in families where one parent, usually the mother, provides primary care to children.
Communities partners with Government, business, industry and community sector organisations to deliver initiatives and programs that contribute to achieving gender equality in Western Australia.
Our work is underpinned by Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality, which provides a framework with practical steps for a whole-of-community approach to advancing gender equality over the next 10-years.
Other initiatives
Communities supports a range of initiatives that seek to improve social and economic outcomes for women across the State, including:
- Gender equality in procurement pilot
- International Women's Day
- Implementing Respect@Work: WA State Government Progress Report 2022
- Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Program
- Implementing Enough is Enough Recommendations: WA State Government Progress Report 2022
- Supporting development of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Strategy
- The WA Women's Hall of Fame
Announcements
Gender Equality in Procurement Pilot a success
The final data has been received from the pilot phase of our Gender Equality in Procurement Pilot project which leverages public sector procurement processes to tackle gender inequality in WA workplaces.
Milestones achieved in creating safe and equal workplaces
The WA Government is continuing to make significant progress in creating safer, more inclusive workplaces for Western Australian women.
2024-25 Women’s Grants for a Stronger Future recipients announced
48 organisations have received a share of a record $1.085 million in funding to deliver projects to tackle gender inequality across Western Australia through the Women’s Grants for a Stronger Future program.
