16 Nov WAVE Calls for Comprehensive Action on Gender Equality in Skills and Training

Posted at 12:25h in Home Page News, Publications by

Women in Adult and Vocational Education (WAVE), as a contributor to the 2024 Beijing +30 NGO Report, fully supports the report, which highlights the importance of skills development, adult education, and vocational training in advancing gender equality in Australia. Amongst a range of recommendations, the report emphasises that equitable access to education and training is crucial for women of all backgrounds, enabling them to thrive in a rapidly changing economy. Education is the foundation of empowerment, and it is imperative that no woman is left behind as we work towards building a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Kit McMahon, National Convenor of WAVE, described the need for skills policy, practice, and gender-responsive learning environments: “Achieving gender equality in skills and vocational education requires transformative changes to the systems and structures that underpin VET and skills policy. Instead of focusing solely on fixing women through mentorships or other support programs, we must prioritise institutional reforms that address systemic barriers, gender biases, and structural inequities. By transforming VET systems and ensuring that gender equality is embedded in policies, practices, and institutional cultures, we can create an environment where women have genuine opportunities to succeed in all sectors, especially those where they have been historically underrepresented.”

Key Areas for Urgent Improvement

  • Breaking Down Barriers in VET: Women continue to face significant barriers in accessing VET programs, particularly in traditionally male-dominated fields such as construction, engineering, and technology. The report calls for targeted initiatives designed to encourage women into these fields, coupled with support structures that help them succeed. This includes financial assistance, peer support networks, and efforts to challenge and change stereotypes that discourage women from pursuing these careers. Ensuring these environments are welcoming and supportive is essential to their success.
  • Investment in the Care Economy: The care sector, a major employer of women, remains significantly undervalued and underfunded. WAVE supports the report’s call for increased investment in training and skills development within the care economy, recognising its critical role in both economic growth and gender equality. Investing in this sector means recognising the immense value of the work carried out and ensuring adequate pay and training opportunities are available.
  • Gender-Responsive Training Programs: Training programs must be flexible, accessible, and culturally sensitive, meeting the diverse needs of women across Australia, including those from culturally diverse backgrounds, women with disabilities, and those living in rural and remote areas. Programs must be adaptable to accommodate the unique challenges faced by these groups, ensuring that all women have equal opportunities to advance their skills and careers.
  • Addressing Systemic Inequities: The report points to systemic inequities within the VET sector, such as the lack of gender-sensitive data collection and analysis. WAVE urges the government to prioritise the collection of disaggregated data to better understand and address the challenges faced by women in vocational education. Comprehensive data is essential for crafting effective policies that target the real issues affecting women's access to and success in vocational education and training. Without a solid understanding of the barriers women face, efforts to improve gender equality will fall short.

Challenges and Disparities in Education

As a contributor to the writing of the report, WAVE notes that Australia’s own National Review for the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (2024) states that “Australia rates 4th highest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for the level of tertiary education among women.” However, a review of the OECD’s Adult Education level for women shows that Australia is not in the top 17 countries in the indicator for 2022. Moreover, even though across Australia 16.4% of women are in education compared to 15.1% of males (ABS, all persons aged 15-74), when it comes to being fully engaged in work and/or study, 71.1% of males are fully engaged compared to 51.2% of females, highlighting the clear inequity between study and work—an essential goal for gender equality.

Kit McMahon stated, “Achieving gender equality in vocational and adult education requires a long-term view, applying a gender lens on budget measures and investments, equitable policies, and collaboration across all sectors based on genuine partnership. Only by working together can we ensure women have the skills and opportunities to succeed.”

WAVE is calling on all stakeholders—including governments, training organisations, businesses, and civil society groups—to come together to create a more inclusive and equitable VET system. This collaboration is essential to ensure that every woman, regardless of her background or circumstances, has the chance to develop the skills needed to succeed. By investing in gender-responsive education and training today, we can build a more equitable and prosperous future for all Australians.

WAVE is focused on transformative action that creates sustainable impact. This means addressing the systems and structures within VET and skills policy that perpetuate gender inequalities. We recognise that supporting all women to achieve their goals will require direct tailored support and strategic action to transform the conditions that limit participation and success.

Further Information:
The full report can be downloaded here.

Kit McMahon
National Convenor WAVE
wave@wave.org.au



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