Australian Labour Party’s Gender Equality Policy (Essay Sample)

Australian Labour Party’s Gender Equality Policy

The chosen policy of discussion is Australian Labour Party’s Gender Equality Policy. Gender equality is among the most discussed social issues globally in mainstream and social media debates (Vijeyarasa, 2022). As a social issue, gender inequality is the systematic inequalities related to social norms and unequal treatment of women and men as a group (Whiting, 2022). Elements of gender inequality include the underrepresentation of women in private and public leadership positions, unequal wage pay between men and women for the same roles, gender stereotypes against all genders, and gender-based violence (Ingold & Etherington, 2013). Statistics in Australia show that women’s earnings still lag behind men’s. The wage gap remains a severe issue, with an estimated $25,000 difference between the average pay for men and women annually (Australian Labour Party, 2016). This paper discusses the major themes and language used in Labour’s gender equality strategy.
Themes
The major themes covered in the policy are central to gender inequality. The Party pays particular attention to gender pay gaps and violence against women as the main drivers of establishing a gender equality policy (Australian Labour Party, 2016). As one reads through, they encounter governance and economic policy themes consistent with political documents. The document is strategic in providing evidence for these themes by backing them up using citations. Ultimately, the Party chats out a strategy that it believes will help Australians achieve the gender equality mark, which are commitment strategies to the course.
Violence against women
Gender-based violence, especially against women, is among the central themes in the policy document. This issue reflects in the Labour’s commitment to preventing violence against women. The Party mentions that a third of women face some form of violence from age 15 and further reports the 13 per cent increase in partner violence in the country since 2012 (Australian Labour Party, 2016). Similarly, Labour says it would also act to stop violence against the LGBTQI community and older women. It reports that violence against women has been a significant concern for the Party, especially at a domestic level. Rees et al. (2011) describe that in an Australian Parliamentary Library publication, Commonwealth of Australia, two out of three victims of physical assault are female, and half of all women have been sexually harassed.
The Party then forms a set of collective measures to help avert the violence meted on women. It proposes the inclusion of prevention agencies such as OurWatch and working with the community to build new attitudes toward gender identities and inclusion (Hegarty et al., 2022). Accordingly, there will be community centres that will host specialists who will refuge women escaping violence, as the focus remains on changing community attitudes. It also proposes a national plan that prevents sexual harassment in workplaces and university campuses. According to Wall (2014), judicial and political reforms should complement these measures as they introduce policy and programs addressing the issue.
Pay Inequity
The gender pay gap is a central social issue in Australia, defined as the difference between what men and women earn to perform the same jobs (Chamberlain, 2016). According to Labour, there is clear evidence that the average Australian woman earns $25,000 (AUD) less than the average person (Australian Labour Party, 2016). The gender pay gap affects women across the country in all industries, even concerning regional disparities. Generally, this pay gap in the private sector increases as girls grow old. Hicks et al. (2021) explain that closely tied to this theme is the subject of gender roles, where many women spend their youthful days doing unpaid house chores or into less-paying jobs due to gender dominance in some industries.
The Labour Party describes that the lack of equal employment opportunities coupled with the gender-pay gap forces about 50,000 women, many of whom are over 55 years, into homelessness (Australian Labour Party, 2016). The Party also mentions the underrepresentation of women in agriculture, with only 14 per cent in managerial roles and a subsequent pay gap of 25 per cent less than men (Australian Labour Party, 2016). It reports that women taking time out of work to take responsibility for their families contributes to pay inequality—these breaks, accompanied by maternal leaves, dent women’s retirement packages. The Party mentions that, although not directly, these also contribute to the number of older single women falling into homelessness.
Labour highlights that it will set up a comprehensive approach to address economic inequalities and independence. It proposes to support women in the informal sector while addressing the undervaluation of Labour in industries where females dominate (Australian Labour Party, 2016). It also extends this plan by encouraging industry leaders to proactively address inequality issues while working with employers to end discrimination. While it fails to mention the specific activity, the Party promises to tackle the problem of homelessness among older women, possibly through gender pay policies that will reduce pay gaps. In addition, it will roll out education and training to improve financial literacy to curb financial abuse.