Aboriginal women need more than a token voiceKey statistics on...

Aboriginal women need more than a token voice

1. Key statistics on violence against women in Australia

   Violence against women is experienced across all communities and cultures. However, its nature, prevalence and risk factors differ within population groups. Below are some key statistics related to the Australian population:

   • 2 in 5 women (39%) have experienced violence since the age of 15.⁴
   • Men are more commonly the perpetrators of physical violence, sexual harassment and sexual violence.⁵
   • Women are more likely to experience violence from someone they know than by a stranger (35% vs 11%).⁶
   • On average, one woman is killed every nine days by a current or former partner.⁷
   • In the year 2021/22, 4,620 women aged 15 years and over (average of 13 women/day) were hospitalised due to family and domestic violence.⁸
   • 1 in 4 women (27%) has experienced violence, emotional abuse, or economic abuse by a cohabitating partner since the age of 15.⁹
   • 1 in 3 women (31%) has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.¹⁰
   • 1 in 5 women (22%) has experienced sexual violence since the age of 15.¹¹
   • 1 in 2 women (53%) has experienced sexual harassment in their lifetime.¹² In most incidents of workplace sexual harassment, the harasser was male.¹³
   • Women are at increased risk of experiencing violence from an intimate partner during pregnancy.¹⁴
   • Women who have experienced violence are more likely to experience multiple incidents of violence.¹⁵

   Certain people, identities and communities within Australia are at greater risk than others and experience violence that intersects with other forms of discrimination and disadvantage. For example:

   • Women with disability in Australia are twice as likely to have experienced sexual violence since the age of 15 years than women without disabilities. The type of disability can intersect with gender and different forms of violence for example, 1 in 2 women with psychological and/or cognitive impairment has experienced sexual violence.¹⁶
   • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience disproportionally high rates of violence, and are 31 timesmore likely to be hospitalised due to family violence-related assaults.¹⁷ Anecdotal evidence suggests that non-Indigenous men make up a significant proportion of perpetrators.¹⁸
   • Lesbian, bisexual and queer women experience higher rates of sexual violence than heterosexual women in Australia.¹⁹ Transgender and gender diverse people also experience very high rates of family, domestic and sexual violence.²⁰
   • Elder abuse often occurs in relationships where there is an expectation of trust such as with family, friends and carers. In 2017-2018, the number of women making calls to elder abuse helplines across Australia exceeded the number of men in every state, with emotional and financial abuse most commonly reported.²¹
   • Young women (18–34 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age groups.²²
   • In addition to physical and sexual violence, women from migrant and refugee backgrounds are particularly vulnerable to financial abuse, reproductive coercion and immigration related violence, for example withholding documents, threats of visa cancellations or deportation.²³

   The impact and cost of violence against women

   Violence against women takes a profound and long-term toll on women’s health and wellbeing, on families and communities, and on society as a whole.

   • In Australia, intimate partner violence contributes to more death, disability and illness in women aged 25 to 44 than any other preventable risk factor.²⁴
   • Domestic or family violence is a leading driver of homelessness for women.²⁵
   • Based on 2015 analysis, violence against women in Australia is costing Australia $21.7 billion each year.²⁶
   • The impact of violence against women is seen in workplaces as it affects staff retention, presenteeism, absenteeism and morale, while undermining productivity.²⁷
   • Students who had experienced sexual harassment and/or sexual assault within a university context described detrimental impacts of this violence on their mental health, forming and maintaining meaningful relationships, as well as university attendance, performance, and participation.²⁸

   Gender inequality and discrimination

   Gender inequality must be addressed if we are going to prevent violence against women. Gender inequality exists in many forms in Australia. Here are some examples:

   • Australia’s gender pay gap is 21.7%. On average, women are paid $26,400 less than men a year.²⁹
   • While women comprise half (51.1%) of all employed persons in the labour force, women continue to be under-represented in managerial positions across all industries, including female dominated industries. Women hold 19% of chair positions and 34% of board memberships and represent 22% of CEOs and 37% of key management personnel.³⁰
   • Women of all ages spend over 9 hours a week more than men on unpaid work and care (31.6 hours for women compared to 22.4 hours for men).³¹
   • Australian’s attitudinal rejection of gender inequality continues to improve. However, there are still concerning proportions of people whose attitudes undermine women’s leadership, reinforce rigid gender roles, limit women’s personal autonomy, normalise sexism and deny gender inequality is a problem.³²