Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Economic equality for Australian women is a matter close to my heart. In many ways, I've been extremely fortunate—I had a good education, I have a supportive husband and I was able to work part time for 16 years while my kids were young. I'm also lucky enough to have two parents who are still healthy. But even with a relatively fortunate parenting and career journey, I'm aware of the subtle differences in expectations and structures that drive significantly different economic outcomes for women. When I had my first child, it made sense for me to take time off because I earned slightly less than my husband, who was a few years further into his career than me. I took 18 months off after each of my three children, which put me 4½ years behind my husband in terms of superannuation contributions. We endeavoured to share the parenting joys and burdens, but like so many other mums I ended up carrying much of the mental load. I was the one who thought ahead to the school holidays, organised the costumes, the play dates and the extracurricular activities, and constantly cleaned up after them. There's also the discretionary caring—supporting other family members or friends when they need it. We just expect women to take on these tasks, and it has an impact. The reality is that despite decades of progress women in Australia continue to face systemic barriers that limit their economic security, independence and opportunity.

This government has taken some steps towards addressing economic inequality. Expanding paid parental leave to 24 weeks and paying superannuation on it is a step in the right direction—so is increasing wages in feminised professions. But there's more to be done. I want to talk about four things: the rising 'sandwich generation', the gender pay gap, superannuation and cultural norms.

I recently met with constituent Josephine Muir, who is part of the 1.5-million-strong 'sandwich generation', which is largely made up of mothers, daughters and professionals who are simultaneously raising children and caring for ageing parents. They are the backbones of our families, yet too often they are invisible in our policy conversations. Jo told me about the impracticality of the aged-care system. Her mother, who has vascular dementia, has just moved in with Jo and her family, and Jo says it's a privilege to care for her mother but points out that even with a level 4 package the hours of support will go nowhere near covering her work hours. Jo's start-up health business is exactly the sort of thing that the recent productivity roundtable wants to encourage.

Women make up 91 per cent of 'sandwich' carers, and nearly half of them also hold jobs, like Jo. They are stretched thin—financially, emotionally and physically. Many are forced to choose between their careers and caregiving, sacrificing superannuation, promotions and personal wellbeing. We must remove structural disincentives to women's workforce participation and ensure our caring structures are suitable for women playing multiple caring roles.

Then there's the gender pay gap. The WGEA shows that, when you look at total renumeration, women earn nearly 22 per cent less than men. Over the course of the year, that difference adds up to more than $28,000. This includes the annualised full-time equivalent salaries of casual and part-time workers, so it's not explained by women working fewer hours. It's largely driven by subconscious biases, including how we value different types of work. We must appropriately value feminised industries like child care, health care, education and social assistance. These sectors are critical to our society and economy, yet they remain underpaid and undervalued.

Third is superannuation. Women retire with significantly less super than men. At retirement age, nearly one in four women have no superannuation at all. This is the result of lower pay, interrupted careers, unpaid care work and undervalued professions—economic inequality that compounds over a woman's lifetime. Aware Super shows that women aged 45-59 have a median super balance that's $46,000 lower than men's. It's a gap that leaves older women vulnerable to poverty, housing insecurity and homelessness. In fact, older women are the fastest-growing group of people experiencing homelessness in Australia.

Lastly, we all have a role to play in how we think about gender. Gender norms are internalised from childhood and reinforced through media, education and workplace culture. We all bear responsibility for this, and it's often so ingrained that we don't even realise it. A few months ago, I was fairly criticised by Gruen on ABC for doing a social media post while washing the dishes. We can all do more to be aware of how we're reinforcing stereotypes and to promote role models who challenge those stereotypes. Economic equality for women is not a niche issue, and I urge the government to keep this in mind in all policy development.

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