Between the 2011 and 2016 Census, the numbers of women aged 55+ experiencing homelessness rose by 31%. Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare indicate a 10.8% annual average increase of women aged 55+ assisted by specialist homelessness services between 2011-12 and 2017-18.
Prior to retirement women face a gender pay gap, broken work histories, have lower superannuation, have a greater incidence of single person households and an increasing incidence of homelessness.
The housing market is distorted by tax concessions for landlords that drive up house prices for first home buyers and renters. Commodifying residential property can limit the availability of housing, which is a basic human need. The current concessions in the tax system have commodified the provision of housing, creating a speculative market from a basic human need for shelter.
A lack of policies that promote equality and inclusion of migrant and refugee women in Australia’s economic, social, cultural, civil and political life significantly reduces these women’s capacity to participate and contribute, and leaves them and their families vulnerable to short term shocks that could leave them further dependent on assistance in the long-run.
When Government policies and programs are developed and managed in the absence of an informed and evidence-based gender analysis, they are at risk of delivering poor service, as is the case with effective marginal tax rates, or actual harm as is the case with ParentsNext.
There has been a strong focus on supporting women into the workforce, particularly single mothers. Their primary method for doing so has been to keep the Newstart payment artificially low (currently below the poverty line), increase compliance requirements for receiving income support, and take a punitive approach to people who receive income support payments.
A feminist foreign policy calls into question the budget priorities that mean that by 2021, for every dollar spent on Official Development Assistance (ODA), Australia will spend $11 on defence and divert an additional $3.8 billion (the equivalent of the annual aid budget) towards arms manufacturers (ACFID, IWDA & CARE, 2018).
Women are more reliant on housing assistance and services because of violence, economic disadvantage and caring responsibilities. Shortcomings, gaps and failings in these systems disproportionately impact on women. For example, women make up 62.2% of the 416,640 single people who remain in housing stress after receipt of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA).
In 2017, 55.5% of all university students were women. Changes to the loan repayment scheme included in the 2017 Budget affect women disproportionately. On average, women graduates earn less over a lifetime of employment, particularly so in the first ten years after they leave university.
