WOMEN THE TOPIC OF CONVERSATION IN NSW

Women’s participation in the workforce is at an all-time high in NSW but there is still much work to be done on gender equality according to the findings of a new report launched last night by the Minister for Women Pru Goward.

Ms Goward said Women in NSW 2015 is an evidence based report that provides a snapshot of how women in NSW are tracking across a number of indicators including health and wellbeing, work and financial security, leadership, education and training and safety and justice.

“Now in its fourth year, the report looks at how NSW women are faring, and identifies where there is still work to be done to address inequality for women,” Ms Goward said.

“It is only through quality research, data and analysis that governments can formulate policies and programs that will bring about change and make women’s lives better.”

Encouragingly, the report shows women in NSW have many favourable health outcomes including a longer life expectancy, less obesity and lower smoking and drinking rates than men.

However, the report also shows that young women are 2.8 times more likely than young men to be hospitalised for self-harm.

Other notable findings of the report include:

• Women’s participation in the paid workforce is at the highest point since 1978, but remains 12 percentage points lower than men’s.
• The proportion of women in the workforce who want more hours of work is growing.
• Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects make up only one third of HSC subjects for girls compared to half of all HSC subjects for boys.
• Only 15.5 percent of undergraduate Information and Technology and Engineering students are women.