Young Women's Alliance | gender justice

Young Women's Policy Submission

Young Women's Policy Submission (YWPS) was YWA's core 2024 initiative.

It was the culmination of a 2-year nationally representative research project on young Australian's life experiences and outcomes across 10 areas (education, health, career, violence, sex, relationships, family/friends, political agency, society, financial security). We addressed key research gaps and formulated evidence-based policy recommendations for improving young Australians' lives.

YWPS was delivered in August 2024 to state and federal governments.

It received coverage in national, Tier 1 publications and was launched at parliamentary events featuring Federal & State Ministers for Women.

YWPS Launch Events

Parliament of Australia

ft. Sen the Hon Katy Gallagher, Minister for Women, Finance, and the Public Service

Parliament of NSW

ft. the Hon Jodie Harrison, Minister for Women, Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and Seniors

YWPS Steps

Centralise Consultation

National Listening Tour

Strategic Partnerships

National Research Project

Policy Submission

Evaluation Tool

YWPS Focus

Targeted research & data gaps

Across Australia’s gender landscape as identified by UN Women Data Hub, ANROWS’ ANRA, AIHW, Per Capita, and YWPS’ own analysis of state and national gender strategies

Understandood optimal interventions & intervention points in young people’s lives

To prevent gender from creating an inescapable and compounding cycle of disadvantage

To prevent gender from creating a cycle of perpetration - of bias, discrimination, and/or violence

Identified specific, detailed policy & systems solutions

Asked young people which specific solutions, implemented in which specific ways would tangibly improve their lives

Extended others’ consultations and research to contribute to whole-of-community coordination

YWPS
Original
Research

Listening Tour

Through our National Listening Tour we collected qualitative data about young women across Australia, with a focus on understanding how geography and gender impact life experiences and outcomes.

Gender Survey

Through our National Gender Survey (NGS) we collected quantitative and qualitative data understanding young women and men’s lives across multiple areas (education, career, health, sex, relationships, family/friends, Australian society, political agency, etc.), painting a whole-of-life picture with a nationally representative sample. Our sample focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons. The survey also aimed to understand which specific policy solutions would improve young people’s lives, and how young people view their futures as well as that of Australia.

Literature Review

Literature review of existing gender and youth research and reports, with the goal of understanding the Australian gender landscape, identifying research and data gaps, and creating whole-of-community coordination.

Literature review of existing Australian state and federal government programs and policies aiming to improve young women's life experiences and outcomes; Literature review of internationally effective programs and policies improving young women's life experiences and outcomes.

Interviews

Through our long-form interviews with a nationally representative sample of young women and men (focused on CALD, low-income, and rural/regional persons), we understood optimal interventions and points of intervention in young people’s lives to reduce gender disadvantage and/or perpetration of gender discrimination.

We also conducted interviews with young women experiencing intersectional disadvantage. These interviews provided considerable insight into the inescapability of disadvantage, how systems can help mitigate disadvantage, and what needs to be done to support some of our most vulnerable Australians.

Academics

Through our review with academics, we dissected how systems perpetuate and/or stymy gender issues. Academics were integral to our research design and provided constructive feedback on our policy recommendations.

Practioners

Through our collaboration with MBCP (Men’s Behavioural Change Program) practitioners, we dissected factors leading to and deterring young men from engaging in DFSV, clearly identifying entry and exit points in these cycles.

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Research Supported By People From

YWPS Objectives

Contribute to closing Australia’s 51.6% gender data gap, as identified by UN Women, as well as broader gender research and data gaps.

Recommend and seek to implement evidence-based policies and system changes that improve young women’s life outcomes and eliminate gender injustice in our generation.

Segment young women as a distinct group requiring special attention. Deploy a model for effective consultation of young women.

Present original, detailed research and findings on young women’s life experiences and outcomes.

Government Strategies YWPS Complements

A motion endorsing our Sydney event and the report ‘Young Minds, Old Biases: The Gender-Based Violence Crisis’ was unanimously passed in the NSW Legislative Council on Thursday, 26th September 2024! ⭐️ ⭐️ It encourages the NSW Government to carefully consider our research findings and policy recommendations. Thank you, Dr. Amanda Cohn! 🥰 #impact #progress

See some media mentions from the National Launch of ‘Young Women’s Policy Submission.’ Launched on 21st August 2024 at Parliament of Australia by Young Women’s Alliance.
#Ywa #ywps

See some media mentions from the Sydney Launch of ‘Young Minds, Old Biases: The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Crisis.’ Launched on 14th August 2024 at NSW Parliament by Young Women’s Alliance.
#ywa #ywps

We launched the first of our Young Women's Policy Submission reports, ‘Young Minds, Old Biases, the Gender-Based Violence Crisis.’ Thank you, SBS! Join the conversation! #ywps #youngwomen #genderbasedviolence

Young Women's Alliance unveils the landmark Young Women’s Policy Submission (YWPS). In Sydney- the first of two launch events - we release our gender-based violence findings and recommendations.
#ywps #ywa #sydney

RSVP for the YWPS Sydney Launch at the link in our bio! 🔗 😍 Young Women's Alliance unveils the landmark Young Women’s Policy Submission. In Sydney - the first of two launch events - we release our gender-based violence findings and recommendations. #ywps #ywa #sydney
@jodieharrisonmp @cheekmedia.co

YWPS Young women's policy submission is social impact initiative aimed at improving life outcomes through data and consultation driven policies and programs focusing on the critical and tumultuous decade of 18 to 28. #ywps #DataDrivenChange

As inspiration for writing our policy submission, YWPS has been looking at what other countries do in the realm of gender policy.

In Canada 🇨🇦 The Canadian Action Plan on Violence Against Women and Gender-Based Violence serves as a benchmark for effective policy evaluation and monitoring. The policy’s evaluation and monitoring system stands as an ideal example for how one should be. The Canadian government releases an evaluation report every year to provide a year in review and key achivements laying out progress along each action including amount invested, number of projects in action and progress happening due to each project.

In Ireland 🇮🇪 One of the significant strengths of Ireland’s National Strategy for Women and Girls 2017-2020 is its holistic integration of gender equality across various sectors, which is not as evident in Australian gender equality policies. Ireland’s strategy effectively embeds gender equality initiatives within broader national policies, addressing health, education, employment and safety in a cohesive manner. This approach ensures that gender equality is not treated in isolation but as a fundamental component of all policy areas.

In Germany 🇩🇪 The German MINT (Mathematics, Informatics, Natural Sciences, and Technology) policy aims to foster interest and expertise in MINT fields from early childhood through adulthood. It involves a comprehensive and integrated strategic approach across various sectors including education, industry, and government. Key initiatives include promoting MINT education among children and youth, addressing the specific needs of women and girls in MINT, enhancing public awareness of MINT's importance, and ensuring a continuous supply of qualified MINT professionals.
#ywps #globalgender #Benchmarks #InclusivePolicy #researchers

YWPS has developed a new metric for evaluating whether government policies are designed with young women in mind.

It includes questions like -->

Are young women explicitly mentioned?

Measurement Method: Count the number of times young women are mentioned.

Are the unique challenges faced by young women discussed?

Measurement Method: Identify sections where these challenges are discussed.

Are any of the changes/proposals/funding specifically for young women?

Measurement Method: Identify specific clauses or sections dedicated to young women.

Does the policy/program provide long-term support and promote sustainability for the benefits it offers to young women?

Measurement Method: Look for any ongoing support mechanisms of the policy/program or a theory of change that connects the policy/program to long-term improvements.

Are there mechanisms for young women to provide feedback or report issues regarding the program?

Measurement Method: Look for feedback channels, surveys, reviews, or complaint systems.

In our policy submission, we'll share how various international, federal, and state policies performed on these metrics.

We think academics are under-utilised in policy creation. In YWPS' ideal world, academic and government would work collaboratively to identify problems, create solutions, and test and iterate their outcomes.

For that reason we've established a community of academics around our work. They critically examine our thinking, review our research findings, and give us new directions to explore.

Then, the YWPS team read and discussed --> "Why Activists Keep Failing the Causes That Fire Them Up" by Sarah Isgur.

She argues that activists often sabotage their efforts by opting for swift, executive actions over sustained legislative change. She highlights how activists played crucial roles in historic legislation, such as the Civil Rights Acts and the Voting Rights Act 📜. However, recent activism has favoured quick wins, like executive orders, which fail to create lasting impact.

Isgur cites the 2017 Las Vegas shooting 🎯, where activists pushed for a bump stock ban. Instead of passing legislation, the Trump administration used executive action to ban bump stocks. This ban was later overturned by the Supreme Court, demonstrating the fragility of executive orders compared to legislative measures.

The same pattern occurred with immigration reform during Obama's tenure and continues with Biden's administration. Isgur stresses that real change requires activists to apply consistent pressure on Congress to pass well-crafted, bipartisan legislation. She urges activists to master impulse control and focus on long-term goals to achieve enduring change 🏛️. Without this approach, activists risk short-lived victories and missed opportunities for substantial reform.
#ywps #PolicyOverImpulse #SustainedAdvocacy #strategicactivism #sarahisgur

As always at YWPS, we've been reading.

This time Alice Evans' recent essay "The Great Gender Divergence: Modern Threats and Religious Backlash" 📜 It examines the recent mandate in Louisiana requiring the display of the Ten Commandments 📝 in public school classrooms. This mandate, signed by Republican Governor Jeff Landry, is part of a broader conservative movement reacting to liberal modernity, drawing parallels to the global religious revival of the 1970s 🔄.

Evans discusses how progressive US laws 📜, such as the Equal Rights Amendment, triggered backlash, leading men to become more sexist and favour conservative politics. She draws comparisons to the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia 🌍, where modernisation and increased female participation in public life provoked defensive mobilisation among conservatives.

The essay highlights how cities 🏙️ can drive gender equality through diversity and job opportunities, yet the impact of urbanisation is deeply influenced by pre-existing cultural norms. Evans delves into the Middle East's response to female public participation, tracing the rise of Islamist movements 📣 and their use of new technologies for mass mobilisation.

Evans concludes that modernisation can trigger both moral threats and conservative mobilisations 🔄, evident in both historical and contemporary contexts.

Perhaps this explains global gender politics?
#ywps #UrbanEqualityDrivers #ModernizationBacklash #CulturalNormsDebate #aliceevans

YWPS is completing an extensive literature review for our submission. We're asking questions like:

How do early family and educational experiences influence financial independence, career success, and overall life outcomes for women?

What are effective models of consulting young people to inform government policy?

What labour market inefficiencies are there in developed countries like Australia and how can policy reduce these?

How effective is mental health support for children and young people as an early intervention mechanism in recognition of the mental health impacts of gender-based discrimination and gender-based violence on children?

What is common in effective telehealth programs for women’s reproductive health?

Are there structural inequities within systems (e.g. education, workplace, healthcare) that disadvantage women and perpetuate gender inequality?

What are the most effective policy reforms to improve access to affordable high-quality housing?

Has gender mainstreaming failed?

What else should we be asking?
#ywps #PolicyImpact #EquityInAction #healthaccess #HousingReform

Regulation of industries like gambling, alcohol, and social media has emerged in the latest discussions around driving gender justice. There is clear evidence illustrating the links between these industries and gender inequality and violence. But how well does regulation work and what are the components of effective regulation?

YWPS has been thinking about Australia's success in regulating the tobacco industry through:

Australia was the first country in the world to mandate plain packaging for tobacco products through the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act.

Cigarette packets in Australia have featured confronting graphic health warning labels.

Australia has progressively banned smoking in various public places, workplaces, and other settings through state and territory legislation.

Australia has continuously increased excise taxes on tobacco products to reduce affordability and discourage consumption, as outlined in the National Tobacco Strategy 2023-2030.

Its incredible, impressive work, and largely because of it, Australia boasts a low smoking rate, with only about 12% of the adult population partaking.

However, an aggressive and large tobacco black market has developed. Rohan Pike, a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Border Force (ABF) officer, said in an ABC news article: “We’re easily the most expensive country for tobacco in the world and it was natural that crime was going to follow.”

The article continues: "As criminologists James Martin and David Bright from Deakin University explain, regulations can be used effectively to limit access to harmful products and reduce harm — that’s the “sweet spot”. But as the history of prohibition has taught us, when restrictions become “onerous”, they can create black markets. “The violence unfolding on our streets suggests our current tobacco and vaping policies are failing to strike this balance,” they wrote in The Conversation.'

How can we ensure regulation of gambling, alcohol, and social media in the quest for gender justice, hits the enviable sweet spot?
#ywps #EffectiveRegulation #tobaccocontrol #publichealthpolicy #regulationbalance

Recently, YWPS analysed the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-32. From the 144 page document we've excerpted some important things:

The 2010–2022 National Plan did not succeed in its goal of reducing violence against women and children.

Young women aged 18 to 34 were almost three times as likely as those aged 35 and over to have experienced intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months.

In 2019–20, there were 4,706 hospitalisations of young people aged 15–24 due to assault.

2017 National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey found that as many as 4 in 10 Australians mistrust women’s reports of sexual violence.

In a focus group study where participants were asked to estimate the proportion of sexual allegations that are false, the average estimate was 21%.

Victimisation rates continue to rise, and are higher for younger women, women in financial hardship and women with disability.

Significantly, the 2018 National Survey of Sexual Harassment in Australia revealed almost 2 in 5 women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace in the previous 5 years.

However, out of those affected, fewer than one in 5 had lodged a formal report or complaint.

Its clear to us that a lot more needs to be done to ensure gender justice in Australia. More investment, better approaches, tangible improvements in women's lives, a stronger evidence-base.
#ywps #YouthInFocus #trustherstory

Economics and gender are inextricably intertwined. We enjoyed the following take by Jeremy Mohler in his Substack piece, 'The real reason the Republican Party cares so much about abortion.'

"Corporate leaders and corporate-backed politicians worry about low birth rates because more kids means more workers, which means more economic growth and more corporate profits. When there are more workers, unemployment goes up, which gives business owners more leverage to keep incomes down.

It wasn’t until the 1840s-1860s in England that women were forced to do unpaid labor at home to support their husbands working in factories or fields. This happened because business owners first tried to make all poor men, women, and children work long, grueling hours for little pay. But with no one to care for the home and raise young children, this new working class wasn’t able to produce enough workers for the fast-growing economy.

This is where our so-called “traditional” ideas about gender roles come from. Women aren’t “naturally” better at raising children. And men aren’t “naturally” less emotional or more suited for work outside the home. These ideas were invented to justify a particular arrangement of economic relationships—which we call capitalism—where business owners exploit men at work and women at home.

Again, follow the money. When women are providing free care work at home, that means the government doesn’t have to provide as much public support—which means less taxes on the rich.

Sociologist Jess Calarco has tweeted:

“The engineers and profiteers of the American economy want women trapped in marriage and motherhood, where they can be more easily forced to do the work of a social safety net.”

But it wasn’t until the 1970s, in the wake of the Civil Rights movement, that party leaders began using anti-abortion to organize and mobilize voters. Abortion up to the fourth or fifth month was even legal in the U.S. from the founding of the country until the 1860s.

Law professor Ian Haney López says, “The way concentrated wealth rules a democracy is by promoting social division … Money power dominates people power by making sure that people can’t come together.”

YWPS has been exploring life outcomes theories to further understand the importance of the 18-28 decade in determining and shaping life outcomes. This will help us design more effective interventions for young people:

Here's what we've been reading ↘️ ↘️ ↘️

Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory proposes that human development is influenced by various environmental systems, ranging from immediate settings like family and school to broader societal and cultural contexts. The period between 18-28 years is crucial as individuals transition from adolescence to adulthood, navigating changes in their microsystems (e.g., leaving home, starting work or college) and adapting to new mesosystems and exosystems. This theory highlights the importance of supportive environments during this critical transition for positive life outcomes.

Human capital theory, developed by Gary Becker, views education and training as investments that enhance an individual's productivity and earning potential. The ages 18-28 are pivotal for human capital accumulation through higher education, vocational training, or early career experiences, shaping future income trajectories and socioeconomic status. Interventions during this period, such as access to quality education or job training programs, can significantly impact long-term economic outcomes.

Scholars like Glen H. Elder Jr. have emphasised the role of critical transitions in shaping life trajectories. Their theories suggest that events or interventions during periods of significant change, like the transition to adulthood between 18-28 years, can alter an individual's life course in profound ways. Positive experiences or support during this crucial phase can lead to better educational attainment, employment prospects, and overall well-being, while negative experiences or lack of support can have lasting detrimental effects.
#ywps #YouthTransitions #SupportiveEnvironments

Looking at others' research!

The Man Box 2024 is an interesting study on Australian men aged 18-45 and their attitudes about masculinity and gender.

Here's an overview of Man Box's research methods and findings.

Sample Size: The study surveyed 3, 519 men aged 18-45, ensuring a representative sample of the Australian population. The survey included questions about societal messaging regarding Man Box rules and personal opinions about the rules, with the options of: strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree.

Key Findings: 37% of men aged 18-30 feel pressured to conform to traditional masculine norms, especially regarding acting tough and fighting back. Younger men feel more pressure than older men, with 26% of younger men agreeing with Man Box rules compared to 22% of older men. Significant pressure is felt regarding always acting strong (50% of younger men) and using violence to gain respect (34% of younger men vs. 24% of older men). Strong endorsement of Man Box rules correlates with a 17-fold increase in violence-supportive attitudes, including disbelief in gender inequality and coercive control in relationships. Men who strongly endorse the Man Box rules are significantly more likely to perpetrate violence than men who leads endorse them (8 times more likely for sexual violence against an intimate partner, 5 times more likely for physical violence against an intimate partner). Strong endorsement of Man Box norms is linked to poorer mental health, including higher rates of suicidal thoughts and depression.
#ywps #MasculinityStudy2024 #genderattitudes #AussieMenInsights

At the same time as our work on our Specialised Insights Report, YWPS has been exploring the 'Global Loss of the U-Shaped Happiness Curve.'

In the After Babel Substack, the authors write: ""Happiness used to be U-shaped by age, with middle age the least happy. Not anymore. Young people are now the least happy.

""In early April, the Dartmouth labor economist and adviser to the UN David Blanchflower... found that the classic “U-shaped curve of well-being” and the“hump-shaped curve of ill-being” have recently disappeared because young adults (18-25) have been doing so much worse since the mid-2010s (especially young women).""

It seems that the well-being of young adults (ages 18-25), especially young women, went into precipitous decline beginning around 2017 (with some evidence showing around 2014).""

We observed a rapid rise among college students from the Healthy Minds Surveys from 2007-2022 in the proportion saying they have been feeling down, depressed, or hopeless for more than half the days over the prior two weeks, up from 12% to 20% for males and from 14% to 28% for females, respectively.

The long-studied midlife crisis has now been replaced with a mental health crisis of the young… globally.""

This is fascinating and troubling research.

YWPS has a few theories about why young people, particularly young women, are reporting poor mental health. Rapid technology uptake, social media, the digital age, information and global devastattion influx, lack of life direction and moral instruction, formation of a normless society, old models of education, economic precariousness, low resilience, post-truth era, political devolution, questions about democracy, a global pandemic, climate existentialism, culture wars, awareness of oppression and subjugation...
#mentalhealthawareness #YouthWellbeing #happinesscurve #MentalHealthStats #ywps

Primary prevention of gender-based violence is crucial. We found the ideas in a May 3rd article in The Sydney Morning Herald particularly compelling. Excerpts:

The former Australian of the Year, Rosie Batty, addressed the cabinet meeting and urged the government to focus on prevention and education.

“As we heard from Rosie Batty, if you focus too much on the work at the bottom of the cliff, then you are not going to get the women who are about to fall,” Car said.

“But the primary prevention and early intervention does need more attention because we need to provide the cultural change that stops this [violence] from happening,” Car said.

Asked what she believed was the most significant change needed in NSW, Batty said: “I think that you have a very strong focus on police response and judicial response.

“So you’re always at the bottom of the cliff, dealing with catastrophe, you really need to look at prevention and primary prevention alongside of that, so that we’re stopping those falling off the edge of the cliff,” Batty said.

She said “emergency injections of money” would help crisis situations but “we also need to look at how do we stop violence before it starts”.
#preventionfirst #earlyintervention #SafetyEducation #ProactiveChange #violenceprevention #rosiebatty #ywps

YWPS is driven by data and evidence. We think the modern gender justice movement or feminism has been co-opted by unnecessary disagreement and polarisation. Statistics clarify things, and the statistics are:

🔘 83% of sexual assault victims in NSW are women, an increase of 10% since 2018 (NSW Women’s Stratey, 2023-2026).

🔘 Women are 2x as likely as men to be victim-survivors of domestic and amily violence assault. Men are 3x more likely to be domestic and family violence offenders (NSW Women’s Stratey, 2023- 2026).

🔘 In NSW there are approximately 2,500 reports of domestic violence to the police every month – but this likely represents only 40% of actual incidents due to underreporting (NCOSS, 2020).

🔘 1 in 3 Australian women (34.2%) has experienced physical and/or sexual violence perpetrated by a man since the age of 15 (ABS, 2017).

🔘 Young women (18–24 years) experience significantly higher rates of physical and sexual violence than women in older age roups (ABS, 2017).

🔘 New data shows NSW Police were called to more than 500 domestic violence incidents every day last year, and at almost half of them there was a child at risk of harm. It took an average of 26
incidents for a victim to make a report (SMH).

🔘 In the past two years, domestic violence assaults reported by NSW Police have increased by 6.7%, while intimidation, stalking and harassment reports have increased by 6.1%, Bureau of
Crime Statistics and Research figures show (SMH).

🔘 The estimated cost of violence against women (violence, abuse and stalking) in 2015–16 was $22 billion (NSW DFSV Plan).
#nswstats #violencedata #informandact #dvstatistics

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