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Home > Products > Publications > A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland

A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1999

Foreword
Introduction
Profile highlights

Conclusion
Glossary
References
Further information / enquiries

 

 

 

Foreword

 I have had the privilege of meeting women from across the State and working with many committees involved in women’s issues throughout the public, private and community sectors. As Minister for Women’s Policy, I established the Taskforce on Women and the Criminal Code, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence and the Premier’s Council for Women. These three Government initiatives involve close collaboration between women from diverse backgrounds and reflect the Government’s commitment to improving the status of women.

Most Queensland women today can live their lives as they choose, whether it be at home, volunteering in the community or climbing the career ladder. It is a significant achievement of which we can be proud. However, as the statistics in this publication reveal we still have a considerable way to go before we achieve true gender equity.

As a member of the Government chosen to lead Queensland into the 21st century, I believe we have a responsibility to implement policies and programs that reflect the needs of the community and that address the ongoing issues of gender inequality.

The policies we deliver across government need to be relevant, up to date, effective, and based on reliable data including qualitative and statistical facts. A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1999 will contribute significantly to the provision of these data and provide a blueprint to take Queensland women into the next century.

The profile is a collaborative project between the Office of Women’s Policy and the Office of Economic and Statistical Research. It provides a comprehensive statistical profile of the social and economic status of women in Queensland. The profile closely follows tables and figures contained in the 1995 edition, outlines significant changes that have occurred for Queensland women in recent years, and identifies future achievements.

The profile highlights the characteristics of women in Queensland – who they are, where they live, their labour force participation, education and health status – as well as providing information on child care, decision making, housing, income, and law and order issues. New material on emerging areas of interest such as superannuation and information technology has also been included in the profile.

The profile provides the basis for analyses of the many and complex issues facing women and their families in Queensland. The increasing trend for women to participate in the labour force, for example, has widespread implications not only for working women and their families but also for access to and delivery of services. Higher female participation rates will influence decisions regarding the availability of child care services, and access to appropriate transport and other facilities such as shops, banks, education and medical services.

The profile is a valuable resource and I encourage its widespread use. As Minister for Women’s Policy I understand and appreciate the importance and the need to be aware of the social and economic status of women and how we can work together for a better future.

Judy Spence
Minister for Women's Policy

 

 

Introduction

A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1999 is the second edition of a comprehensive publication detailing the status of Queensland women. It updates and expands on the first edition released in 1995 and is the product of work by the Office of Women’s Policy and the Office of Economic and Statistical Research.

Providing reliable and comprehensive data for policy development, service provision, and informed discussion of issues is an important part of our work. As with the first edition, statistics and qualitative information have been brought together to offer a broad profile of the status of women in Queensland. The profile examines the situation of women across an extensive range of areas including demographics, health, education and training, employment, income, child care, housing, access to technology, decision making, and crime and justice.

Statistics in this profile come from a number of sources including the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), annual reports and administrative data from various government departments and agencies, and private sector organisations. Their valuable assistance is gratefully acknowledged.

Much of the data collected by these bodies are primarily for their own administrative purposes. Some of the data are based on calendar years and others on financial years, while certain collections report figures monthly or quarterly. Some surveys are only conducted by the ABS every few years or on an irregular basis. The latest available data for this publication can therefore range from 1992 to 1999. The time lag between collection and publication of ABS data can also vary from a few weeks to a year or more. Furthermore, the choice of earlier comparative data often depends on availability. Comparability of data across different subject matter areas and over time can also be problematic.

While the latest data available have been used where possible, certain data on groups such as women from non-English speaking backgrounds could often only be obtained through the ABS Census of Population and Housing 1996. As was the case with the first edition of this publication, data on other groups such as people with a disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are limited.

Since the last publication Queensland Government departments have continued to place increasing importance on administrative data collected on women and other groups. The adoption of Accrual Output Budgeting throughout the public sector and much of the private sector has assured measurable outputs that provide a significant source of information. Such information greatly assists in policy formulation and decision making in matters pertaining to women in Queensland.

In several chapters, a concept called gender equality indicator (GEI) is used. A GEI is a statistical measure of the female situation relative to the male situation for various economic and social factors. It is calculated by dividing the number or percentage of women by the number or percentage of men. A GEI above one means there are more women than men,

while a GEI below one means fewer women than men. A GEI ratio of one indicates equal representation of the sexes. This indicator is particularly useful in tracking change over time.

Policy makers, analysts and providers of services, within and outside government, and people with an interest in women’s social and economic status will find A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1999 a valuable source of information. It is anticipated that the profile will assist these groups in contributing to decision making that is more inclusive for women, enhance the understanding of women’s contribution to society and facilitate the provision of services and programs that better meet the needs of women.

The respective websites of the Office of Women’s Policy and the Office of Economic and Statistical Research are also useful tools for accessing statistical information. Website addresses are listed below:

http://www.women.qld.gov.au/ (Office of Women’s Policy)

www.oesr.qld.gov.au (Office of Economic and Statistical Research)

Ms S. Belfrage Dr P. Crossman
Executive Director Government Statistician

Office of Women’s Policy

Office of Economic and Statistical Research

 

Profile highlights

Women from all cross-sections of society may share common goals and aspirations and also problems and uncertainties. However, statistical analysis suggests that while generalisations are possible, certain differences are evident in the social and economic profile of women compared with men.

Issues of concern to Queensland women can change as they progress through life. For some younger women, issues of importance may be employment prospects and access to education. As women get older, child care, re-entry to the labour force and flexible working arrangements may assume greater importance. Older women may have concerns about their income stream in retirement and their health status. Some girls and women at various stages of their life have been subject to violence, of a physical and/or sexual nature.

The position of women in Queensland is a complex and dynamic one, a fact highlighted by following data:

 

 

1 Demographics

 Introduction

A range of demographic characteristics of females in Queensland including age, regional population distribution, country of birth, fertility and life expectancy are examined in this chapter.

While females comprise about half of the total population, there is a lower proportion of females than males in younger age groups and a higher proportion in older age groups. This distribution reflects the higher number of male births and longer life expectancy of females.

There are more females than males in south-east Queensland. Other coastal areas have slightly fewer females than males, while the remote western areas have the lowest proportion of females.

In recent years birth rates have fallen for women aged 20–29 years, while they have risen for those aged 30–39 years, as women delay having children.

Life expectancy at birth continues to increase for both females and males. Female life expectancy at birth exceeded that of males by about six years in 1996.

 

 Population characteristics

Selected characteristics of the Queensland population at the 1996 Census are shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1 Population: Usual residents (a), Queensland, 1996

(a) There is overlapping between categories in this figure. Thus a person could be placed in several categories; for example, a person under the age  of 15 years who was born in a non-English speaking country and lived in a rural area would be included in three categories.
(b) 'Usual residence' data is not available for the rural/urban split. Data refers to persons enumerated at the census, excluding Queensland migratory.
(c) Refers to persons who speak a language other than English at home.
(d) Indigenous – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
(e) Older persons – Aged 60 years and over.
Source: ABS, 1996 Census of Population and Housing (unpublished data).

 

Age and Sex

The age and sex composition of the Queensland population in 1997 is shown in figure 1.2

Figure 1.2  Estimated resident population by sex and age, Queensland, 30 June 1997



Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Population by Age and Sex, Queensland, July 1997 Cat. no. 3235.3.

Population projections for Queensland to the year 2051 indicate that for all age groups up to 74 years, the proportions of females to males are expected to remain similar to current ratios. However, for the age groups 75 years and over, the proportion of women is projected to decline from 60.3% in 1997 to 56.4% in 2051 (ABS, Projections of the Populations of Australia, States and Territories, 1997 to 2051, 1998, Cat. no. 3222.0).

 

Regional population

The distribution of Queensland’s population in 1997 is shown in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1 Estimated resident population (a) by statistical division by sex, Queensland, June 1997

Proportion

Statistical division

Females

Males

Persons

of females

—number—

%

Brisbane

782,385

765,961

1,548,346

50.5

Moreton

320,969

318,055

639,024

50.2

Wide Bay-Burnett

113,278

114,544

227,822

49.7

Darling Downs

100,839

99,448

200,287

50.3

South West

12,376

13,826

26,202

47.2

Fitzroy

87,547

92,020

179,567

48.8

Central West

5,901

6,486

12,387

47.6

Mackay

59,021

63,615

122,636

48.1

Northern

93,978

99,531

193,509

48.6

Far North

104,427

111,091

215,518

48.5

North West

16,430

19,504

35,934

45.7

Total

1,697,151

1,704,081

3,401,232

49.9

(a) ABS conducts the Census of Population and Housing every five years (the figures from the 1996 Census are shown in figure 1.1). In between censuses, the ABS calculates estimated resident population (ERP) figures. The June 1997 ERP estimates are shown above. See glossary for further information on the term ERP.

Source: ABS, Age and Sex Distribution of Estimated Resident Population, Queensland, Cat. no. 3235.3.

 

Country of birth

The country of birth of female and male usual residents is shown in Table 1.2.

Table 1.2  Usual residents by birthplace by sex, Queensland, 1996

Proportion

who are

Birthplace

Females

Males

Persons

female

– number –

%

Australian-born

1,300,916

1,284,440

2,585,356

50.3

Overseas-born

United Kingdom

86,631

89,682

176,313

49.1

New Zealand

50,070

51,139

101,209

49.5

Germany, Federal Republic of

9,107

9,320

18,427

49.4

Italy

7,229

9,061

16,290

44.4

Netherlands

7,037

8,231

15,268

46.1

Philippines

9,921

3,272

13,193

75.2

Papua New Guinea

6,651

5,790

12,441

53.5

Vietnam

5,473

5,525

10,998

49.8

United States of America

4,312

4,846

9,158

47.1

South Africa

4,345

4,227

8,572

50.7

Malaysia

4,038

3,541

7,579

53.3

China (excluding Taiwan)

3,890

3,412

7,302

53.3

Taiwan

3,877

3,342

7,219

53.7

Ireland

3,399

3,599

6,998

48.6

Other countries

65,103

66,919

132,022

49.3

Total overseas-born

271,083

271,906

542,989

49.9

Birthplace not stated

58,608

60,410

119,018

49.2

Total

1,630,607

1,616,756

3,247,363

50.2

Source: ABS, 1996 Census of Population and Housing (unpublished data).

 

Fertility

In 1997, 99.6% of all births in Queensland occurred in hospitals (Queensland Health). The rate at which women in specific age groups in Queensland had babies is shown in Table 1.3.

Table 1.3  Birth rates (a) by age group of mother, Queensland, 1986 to 1996

Age group

(years)

1986

1991

1994

1995

1996

— Rate —

15–19

28.1

26.2

25.6

25.2

26.0

20–24

99.3

82.5

77.7

74.6

75.8

25–29

141.6

133.2

127.1

121.4

118.9

30–34

83.7

96.1

98.5

98.3

100.7

35–39

24.9

32.4

37.2

37.8

39.8

40–44

4.3

5.0

5.8

6.2

6.7

45–49

0.3

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

(a) Number of live births registered during the calendar year, according to age of the mother, per 1,000 women in each age group. Births to mothers under 15 are included in the 15-19 age group, while births to mothers aged 50 years and over are included in the 45-49 years age group.

Source: ABS, Demography, Queensland, 1996, Cat. no. 3311.3.

 

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth in Queensland from 1976 to 1996 is shown in Figure 1.3.

Figure 1.3  Life expectancy at birth by sex by age group, Queensland, 1976 to 1996

Source: ABS, Demography, Queensland, 1996, Cat. no. 3311.3

 

 

2 Health

Introduction

Both women and men have specific health care needs. Specific needs of women include those relating to pregnancy, other aspects of reproductive health, and breast cancer. More than 60% of Medicare services apply to women, a figure that does not include their dependent children (Health Insurance Commission, Annual Report, 1996–97). Women’s health issues extend to their role as carers –women usually have primary responsibility for the health care of children. The ageing of the population has health implications for women in particular, due to their longer life expectancy.

This chapter discusses reasons for hospitalisation, and has a separate analysis of three significant issues for women, namely childbirth, eating disorders and hysterectomies. A further issue in this chapter is causes of death, with a separate analysis of cancer deaths.

There are significant differences in health status and health priorities among women of different cultural backgrounds, ages, and geographical locations. For example, women of non-English speaking backgrounds are often required to negotiate family and community issues within an adopted culture and without traditional family support networks.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more than three times more likely than other women to have babies when they are under 20 years of age (ABS, Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 1997, Cat. no. 4704.0). They are twice as likely to experience diabetic conditions in pregnancy (3%).

While neonatal health outcomes in Queensland have continued to improve over the past two decades, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are more likely to experience early or threatened labours and obstetric complications. Total perinatal mortality rates have declined from 1.35% in 1987 to 0.92% in 1996, although the rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births is almost twice (22.2 per 1,000 births) that of all births (11.7 per 1,000 births) (Queensland Health, Mothers and Babies: An Evidence Based Synthesis of Queensland Health Endorsed Documents, 1998).

The Medical Labour Force Survey conducted by Queensland Health in 1997 showed that of the 6,577 respondent medical practitioners registered and working in Queensland, 2,733 were working as general practitioners and 2,010 as specialists. The balance (1,834) included those working as non-specialists in a hospital setting and as specialists in training. About a third (35.4% or 968) of these general practitioners and 15.4% (or 309) of specialists were female.

Remoteness can result in limited access to health services. While 27.6% of the State’s population were living in small rural or remote centres, this area was serviced by only 18.2% of the State’s general practitioners and 3.9% of specialists (Queensland Health, Medical Labour Force Survey, 1997, and unpublished data). Additionally, the issue of confidentiality is significant for women in small communities, resulting in reluctance to seek help.

Violence against women impacts on their emotional, physical and mental wellbeing. Victims of domestic and sexual violence often suffer long-term trauma. Further, they may not seek appropriate medical assistance due to embarrassment or fear of humiliation. For example, the Women’s Safety Survey conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 1996 showed that of those women who had experienced violence from a man in the 20 years prior to the survey, less than a quarter (22.8%) of physical assaults and a ninth (11.1%) of sexual assaults were reported to police (based on most recent incident) (ABS, Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0, Chapter 10).

In 1993 and 1998 the ABS conducted a survey of persons with a disability. Until the 1998 results are published, the results of the 1993 survey represent the most complete data source available. Australia-wide, more than a third (36.0%) of persons with a disability were aged over 65 years. In Queensland, more women (44,900) than men (27,600) had profound handicaps requiring assistance with personal care. Additionally, women represent the greater proportion of carers, with more than double the number of women than men having primary responsibility as carers (ABS, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, 1993, Cat. no. 4430.3).

Data on the number of Queenslanders with a disability who receive a service funded under the Commonwealth–State Disability Agreement or directly by the State Government are collected by the Department of Families, Youth and Community Care. On 20 August 1997, 6,284 Queenslanders with a disability were identified as receiving a service. People with an intellectual disability accounted for 66.8% of all consumers. The next most significant group of people identified were those with a physical disability, who accounted for 17.6% of consumers (Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Annual Report, 1997- 1998).

Australian men and women in 1997 had a similar prevalence of mental disorder, although from the age of 35 years women were slightly more at risk. Young adults aged 18–24 years had the highest prevalence of mental disorder (27%), declining to 6.1% of those aged 65 years and over. Women were more likely than men to have experienced anxiety and affective disorders, while men were twice as likely as women to have substance use disorders (ABS, Mental Health and Wellbeing Profile of Adults, Australia, 1997, Cat. no. 4326.0).

After 1 July 1995 Queensland Health implemented a different method of data collection to record the number of inpatient hospital separations. This means that data on hospital inpatients contained in this chapter are not directly comparable with data in the 1995 edition.

 

Hospitalisation

The main reasons for hospitalisation of females and males in Queensland in 1996–97 are shown in Table 2.1.

Table 2.1  Inpatient episodes of care (a) by principal diagnosis by sex, all hospitals, Queensland, 1996-97 (preliminary)

Principal Diagnosis

Females

Males

Persons

number

%

number

%

number

Infectious and parasitic diseases

7,417

1.4

7,762

1.6

15,179

Neoplasms

36,700

6.8

38,816

8.2

75,516

Endocrine, nutritional & metabolic diseases

6,704

1.2

5,715

1.2

12,419

Diseases of the blood & blood forming organs

5,011

0.9

5,292

1.1

10,303

Mental disorders

20,303

3.8

17,953

3.8

38,256

Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs

29,735

5.5

27,101

5.7

56,836

Diseases of the circulatory system

32,475

6.1

43,998

9.3

76,473

Diseases of the respiratory system

26,786

5.0

31,531

6.7

58,317

Diseases of the digestive system

62,126

11.6

61,106

12.9

123,232

Diseases of the genitourinary system

43,500

8.1

18,533

3.9

62,033

Complications of pregnancy, childbirth & the puerperium

76,526

14.3

n.a.

n.a.

76,526

Diseases of the skin & subcutaneous tissue

8,125

1.5

10,302

2.2

18,427

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system & connective tissue

22,392

4.2

25,432

5.4

47,824

Congenital abnormalities

2,921

0.5

3,456

0.7

6,377

Conditions originating in the perinatal period

4,068

0.8

5,034

1.1

9,102

Symptoms, signs and ill-defined conditions

32,389

6.0

30,770

6.5

63,159

Accident, poisoning and violence

33,215

6.2

52,189

11.0

85,404

Non-diagnostic classifications

85,996

16.0

87,346

18.5

173,342

Total

536,389

100.0

472,336

100.0

1,008,725

(a) From 1 July 1995 onwards, the hospital stay of a patient requiring more than one type of care during their hospital stay (e.g. acute followed by Rehabilitation) was counted as two episodes of care. Prior to 1 July 1995, morbidity data was recorded once as a separation upon leaving hospital.

Source : Queensland Department of Health, Queensland Morbidity and Mortality Systems (unpublished data)

Persons of indigenous origin (women as well as men) appear to have a higher rate of exposure to violence than non-indigenous persons. Data on persons hospitalised from injuries as a result of interpersonal violence in Queensland in 1997–98 are shown in Table 2.2.

 

Table 2.2  Inpatient episodes of care (a) by type of injury from interpersonal violence by Aboriginality by sex, Queensland, 1997–98

Aboriginal and
Torres
Strait Islander

Non-aboriginal and
Torres
Strait Islander (b)

Type of injury

Female

Male

  

 Female

 Male

Total

– number –

Unarmed fights/brawls

358

447

 326

2,218

   3,349

Assault by cutting/piercing

98

127

43

281

549

Queensland population (c)

48,654

46,720

1,581,953

1,570,036

3,247,363

                               

– % –

Unarmed fights/brawls

10.7

13.3

9.7

66.2

100.00

Assault by cutting/piercing

17.9

23.1

7.8

51.2

100.00

Queensland population (c)

1.5

1.4

48.7

48.3

100.00

(a) From 1 July 1995 onwards, the hospital stay of a patient requiring more than one type of care during their hospital stay (e.g. acute followed by rehabilitation) was counted as two episodes of care. Prior to 1 July 1995, morbidity data was recorded once as a separation upon leaving hospital.

(b) Cases where indigenous origin was 'not stated' have been included with non-indigenous persons.

(c) Figures taken from the 1996 Census of Population and Housing, based on place of usual residence.

Source : Queensland Department of Health, Queensland Morbidity and Mortality Systems (unpublished data)

 

Childbirth

Statistics on childbirth by method of delivery for Queensland in 1997 are shown in Table 2.3.

Table 2.3 Women giving birth by method of delivery by Aboriginality, Queensland, 1997 (preliminary)

Method

Aboriginal and
Torres
Strait Islander women

Non-aboriginal and
Torres
Strait Islander women

All women

number

%

number

%

number

%

Spontaneous vertex

1,927

76.8

30,343

66.7

32,270

67.2

Caesarean

436

17.4

10,364

22.8

10,800

22.5

Other (a)

141

5.6

4,764

10.5

4,905

10.2

Not stated

4

0.2

42

0.1

46

0.1

Total

2,508

100.0

45,513

100.0

48,021

100.0

(a) Mainly includes forceps and suction.

Source: Queensland Health, Perinatal Data Collection, preliminary data (unpublished data).

Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers had a younger age profile with 20.7% aged under 20 years, compared with 6.1% for non-indigenous mothers. Indigenous mothers also had a higher proportion of babies with low birthweights under 2.5 kg (11.3%) compared with their non-indigenous counterparts (6.5%) (ABS, Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 1997, Cat. no. 4704.0).

 

Eating disorders

To date, the incidence of eating disorders can only be measured through data on hospitalisation. The statistics therefore may not indicate the extent of the condition across the female population. Table 2.4 shows particulars of hospital inpatients in 1996–97 admitted for eating disorders.

Table 2.4  Inpatient episodes of care (a) by age group by eating disorder, females, Queensland, 1996-97

Age group

Anorexia Nervosa (b)

Bulimia Nervosa (c)

Total

Number (d)

Days (e)

Number (d)

Days (e)

Number (d)

Days (e)

5–9

1

34

–

–

1

34

10–14

111

1,721

–

–

111

1,721

15–19

237

2,350

14

146

251

2,496

20–24

84

1,470

34

180

118

1,650

25–29

126

512

39

380

165

892

30–34

43

481

5

83

48

564

35–39

29

407

26

323

55

730

40–44

75

405

15

70

90

475

45–49

7

156

26

50

33

206

50–54

4

68

1

33

5

101

55–59

1

5

–

–

1

5

60–64

1

35

27

27

28

62

65+

3

79

–

–

3

79

All ages

722

7,723

187

1,292

909

9,015

(a) From 1 July 1995 onwards, the hospital stay of a patient requiring more than one type of care during their hospital stay (e.g. acute followed by rehabilitation) was counted as two episodes of care. Prior to 1 July 1995, morbidity data was recorded once as a separation upon leaving hospital.

(b) In addition to female sufferers, there were 29 episodes (not included in this table) involving males who spent a total of 590 days in hospital with anorexia nervosa.

(c) In addition to female sufferers, there were 5 episodes (not included in this table) involving males who spent a total of 103 days in hospital with bulimia.

(d) Number of inpatient episodes of care.

(e) Total bed days in hospital.

Source: Queensland Health, Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (unpublished data).

 

Hysterectomies

The number of episodes of care related to hysterectomies in Queensland in 1996–97 by age group is shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1  Women who had hysterectomies by age group, Queensland, 1996-97 (preliminary)

(a) Figures apply to hospital inpatient episodes of care where principal procedure is hysterectomy.
Source: Queensland Health, Queensland Hospital Admitted Patient Data Collection (unpublished data).

 

Causes of death

Main causes of death to females and males in Queensland from 1992 to 1996 are shown in Table 2.5.

Table 2.5  Causes of death by sex, Queensland, 1992 to 1996

Cause of death

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

— number —

Females

Cancer

2,188

2,214

2,260

2,271

2,499

Ischaemic heart disease

2,503

2,237

2,507

2,331

2,398

Cerebrovascular disease (including stroke)

1,127

1,159

1,222

1,260

1,265

Diseases of the respiratory system

632

583

720

615

745

Accidents

304

253

309

333

315

Other

2,568

2,468

2,741

2,741

2,908

Total

9,322

8,914

9,759

9,551

10,130

Males

Cancer

3,095

3,150

3,373

3,217

3,530

Ischaemic heart disease

2,965

2,932

3,055

2,807

2,974

Cerebrovascular disease (including stroke)

857

812

894

814

914

Diseases of the respiratory system

966

940

1,061

891

997

Accidents

564

602

612

637

614

Other

2,727

2,622

2,901

2,746

3,122

Total

11,174

11,058

11,896

11,112

12,151

Source: ABS, Mortality data (unpublished data).

Selected causes of cancer death for women in Queensland for 1992 to 1996 are shown in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.2  Deaths by selected cancer type, females, Queensland, 1992 to 1996

Source: ABS, Mortality data (unpublished data)

With respect to cancer screening procedures, the 1995 National Health Survey results showed that in the previous two years Queensland, together with Tasmania, had the highest rates in Australia for regular breast examinations (including both self-examination and examination by a doctor). The proportion of Queensland women who had a Pap smear (59%) was slightly higher than the national average (ABS, National Health Survey: Summary Results, Australian States and Territories, 1995, Cat. no. 4368.0.).

 

 

3 Education and training

Introduction

Women’s participation in compulsory and post-compulsory education, choice of school subjects, consequent fields of study, and level of qualifications are discussed in this chapter.

The proportion of females staying at school until Year 12 fell from a peak of 89.0% in 1992 to 83.2 % in 1997, while the proportion of males fell from 81.2% to 72.9%. Possible reasons for this decline include the following:

The trend for more females than males to stay at school until the completion of Year 12 continues. This pattern may reflect the greater opportunities for and tendency of males to enter trade apprenticeships and traineeships before Year 12.

Generally, women continue to enrol in subjects and courses along fairly traditional patterns, although trends are changing. The choice of subjects made by females in secondary school, and the consequent fields of study in which they graduate from TAFE and universities, have a significant impact on future employment outcomes for women.

 

Participation in education and training

Retention rates to Year 12 for all schools in Queensland from 1972 to 1997 are shown in Table 3.1.

Table 3.1  Retention rates to Year 12 (a) by sex, all schools, Queensland, 1972 to 1997

Year

Females

Males

Total

GEI

— % —

ratio

1972

27.9

35.8

31.9

0.78

1977

36.3

35.6

36.0

1.02

1982

45.7

38.8

42.1

1.18

1987

65.6

59.5

62.5

1.10

1991

84.4

75.1

79.6

1.12

1992

89.0

81.2

85.0

1.10

1993

86.8

79.1

82.9

1.10

1994

83.0

74.7

78.8

1.11

1995

81.5

71.5

76.3

1.14

1996

82.0

71.3

76.5

1.15

1997

83.2

72.9

77.9

1.14

(a) Proportion of students who started secondary school in Year 8 and continued through to Year 12.

Source: Education Queensland (unpublished data).

Enrolment numbers at TAFE colleges in Queensland in 1997 are shown in Table 3.2.

Table 3.2  TAFE students by age by attendance status by sex (a), Queensland, 1994 and 1997

 

Full-time

 

Part-time

Age

Women

Men

GEI

 

Women

Men

GEI

—number —

ratio

 

—number —

ratio

1994 Total

13,065

10,831

1.21

 

59,367

88,344

0.67

1997

 

Under 16

8

6

1.33

 

134

111

1.21

16

333

44

7.57

 

410

484

0.85

17

493

738

0.67

 

3,549

3,636

0.98

18

1,770

1,017

1.74

 

4,683

5,236

0.89

19

1,450

2,138

0.68

 

3,221

4,814

0.67

20–24

2,504

3,734

0.67

 

12,535

19,952

0.63

25–29

1,156

1,203

0.96

 

9,171

10,987

0.83

30–39

1,444

1,121

1.29

 

14,948

17,725

0.84

40–49

1,034

602

1.72

 

13,413

12,987

1.03

50–59

270

198

1.36

 

6,064

6,450

0.94

60–64

22

28

0.79

 

795

1,094

0.73

65+

5

14

2.14

 

594

663

0.27

Not stated

25

67

0.37

 

1,181

1,501

0.79

Total

10,514

10,910

0.96

 

70,698

85,640

0.83

 

(a) Changes in collections and definitions have meant that data on TAFE colleges in Queensland from 1994 onwards are not directly comparable with data contained in the 1995 edition.

Source: TAFE Queensland (unpublished data).

The number of university students in Queensland from 1991 to 1997 is shown in Figure 3.1.

Figure 3.1  University student enrolments by sex, Queensland, 1991 to 1997

Source: Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Selected Higher Education Student Statistics, various years;
Office of Higher Education, Queensland (unpublished data).

 

Subject selection and field of study

A relatively higher female retention rate to Year 12 does not necessarily result in greater post-school options, although evidence suggests that subject choice by young women is becoming more varied. Table 3.3 shows the number of enrolments by subject area for Year 12 students in Queensland in 1992 and 1997.

Table 3.3   Year 12 student enrolments by subject area by sex (a), Queensland, 1992 and 1997

 

1992

  

1997

Subject area

Females

Males

Persons

GEI

 

Females

Males

Persons

GEI

           

— number —

ratio

 

— number —

ratio

 

English

17,294

16,113

33,407

1.1

 

17,647

15,644

33,291

1.1

 

Languages other than English

 

Japanese

1,027

371

1,398

2.8

 

1,395

394

1,789

3.5

German

486

167

653

2.9

 

631

236

867

2.7

French

491

178

669

2.8

 

498

159

657

3.1

Other languages

193

118

311

1.6

 

380

349

729

1.1

Total languages other than English

2,197

834

3,031

2.6

 

2,904

1,138

4,042

2.6

 

Social Sciences

15,792

12,611

28,403

1.3

 

13,662

9,814

23,476

1.4

 

Mathematics

 

Logic

90

107

197

0.8

 

89

149

238

0.6

Mathematics A (b)

10,825

9,077

19,902

1.2

 

9,948

8,299

18,247

1.2

Mathematics B (c)

7,503

8,861

16,364

0.8

 

8,016

8,770

16,786

0.9

Mathematics C (d)

1,304

3,390

4,694

0.4

 

1,092

2,512

3,604

0.4

Total Mathematics

19,722

21,435

41,157

0.9

 

19,145

19,730

38,875

1.0

 

Sciences

 

Biological Science

8,475

6,192

14,667

1.4

7,527

4,886

12,413

1.5

Chemistry

3,606

4,980

8,586

0.7

 

4,077

4,549

8,626

0.9

Physics

2,039

5,242

7,281

0.4

 

2,231

4,843

7,074

0.5

Other sciences

3,616

5,783

9,399

0.6

 

3,721

5,431

9,152

0.7

Total Sciences

17,736

22,197

39,933

0.8

 

17,556

19,709

37,265

0.9

 

Business Education

7,729

3,176

10,905

2.4

 

7,256

2,913

10,169

2.5

Health and Physical Education

3,805

6,396

10,201

0.6

 

3,673

5,506

9,179

0.7

Home Economics

3,691

259

3,950

14.3

 

3,331

458

3,789

7.3

Industrial Technology

503

4,400

4,903

0.1

 

647

4,951

5,598

0.1

The Arts

11,055

5,151

16,206

2.1

 

11,529

5,266

16,795

2.2

Religious and Ethical Studies

569

330

899

1.7

 

1,396

886

2,282

1.6

Computer Studies

639

1,065

1,704

0.6

 

1,226

2,925

4,151

0.4

 

Total

100,732

93,967

194,699

1.1

 

99,972

88,940

188,912

1.1

 

(a) Based on information supplied to the Board by schools in March 1992 and March 1997. 

(b) For 1992 includes enrolments for Maths in Society.

(c) For 1992 includes enrolments for Maths I.

(d) For 1992 includes enrolments for Maths II.

Source: Queensland Board of Senior Secondary School Studies (unpublished data).

The subjects that females choose at school to some extent determine their field of study at tertiary level. TAFE statistics for Queensland in 1997 are shown in Tables 3.4 and 3.5.

Table 3.4  TAFE student graduation by field of study by sex (a), Queensland, 1997

Field of study

Women

Men

Persons

GEI

— number —

ratio

Land and Marine Resources, Animal Husbandry

227

968

1,195

0.23

Architecture, Building

207

3,383

3,590

0.06

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

1,680

1,012

2,692

1.66

Business, Administration, Economics

2,533

2,108

4,641

1.20

Education

1,560

1,175

2,735

1.33

Engineering

217

4,713

4,930

0.05

Health, Community Services

8,040

6,707

14,747

1.20

Law, Legal Studies

392

436

828

0.90

Science

312

754

1,066

0.41

Veterinary Science, Animal Care

240

4

244

60.00

Services, Hospitality, Transportation

2,095

1,219

3,314

1.72

TAFE Multi-Field Education

275

547

822

0.50

Total

17,778

23,026

40,804

0.77

(a) Changes in collections and definitions have meant that data on TAFE colleges in Queensland from 1994 onwards is not directly comparable to earlier data contained in the 1995 publication.

Source: TAFE Queensland (unpublished data).

 

Table 3.5  TAFE students (a) by selected certificate courses by sex (b), Queensland, 1997

TAFE certificate course

Women

Men

Persons

GEI

— number —

ratio

Secretarial, Word-Processing, Clerical

15,366

6,178

21,544

2.49

Engineering and Related Technologies—General

684

6,700

7,384

0.10

Computer Science, Information Systems—General

1,552

2,464

4,016

0.63

Child Care, Residential Client Care, Care for Disabled

2,298

71

2,369

32.37

Community, Family, Personal Health Care—General

2,222

101

2,323

22.00

Transportation —General

374

1,401

1,775

0.27

English as a Second Language

1,141

526

1,667

2.17

Family Care, Community Services

898

181

1,079

4.96

Building —General

36

784

820

0.05

Hairdressing, Cosmetology

775

28

803

27.68

Personnel Management and Development

347

439

786

0.79

Engineering, Surveying—General

27

750

777

0.04

Mining/Minerals Engineering/Technologies

27

614

641

0.04

Business, Administration, Management—General

272

338

610

0.80

Textiles, Soft Furnishings, Apparel Engineering/Technologies

511

8

519

63.88

Veterinary Science, Animal Care—General

422

12

434

35.17

Other certificate courses

39,887

40,149

80,036

0.99

Total

66,839

60,744

127,583

1.10

(a) Excludes students enrolled in adult education courses.

(b) Changes in collections and definitions have meant that data on TAFE colleges in Queensland from 1994 onwards are not directly comparable to earlier data contained in the 1995 publication

Source: TAFE Queensland (unpublished data).

Information on university graduation by field of study for Queensland in 1996 is shown in Table 3.6.

Table 3.6  University student graduation by field of study by sex, Queensland, 1996

Field of study

Women

Men

Persons

GEI

— number —

ratio

Agriculture

150

241

391

0.62

Architecture

164

296

460

0.55

Arts

3,231

1,442

4,673

2.24

Business

2,791

3,171

5,962

0.88

Education

2,849

1,062

3,911

2.68

Engineering

156

1,377

1,533

0.11

Health

2,578

792

3,370

3.26

Law

420

432

852

0.97

Science

1,327

1,797

3,124

0.74

Veterinary Science

58

47

105

1.23

Total

13,724

10,657

24,381

1.29

Source: Office of Higher Education, Queensland (unpublished data).

The level of university study undertaken by students in Queensland in 1994 and 1997 is shown in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2  University student enrolments by level of study by sex, Queensland, 1994 and 1997

Source: Office of higher education, Queensland (unpublished data)

 

 

4 Employment

Introduction

The participation of women in the labour force has increased steadily in recent years, although women have low representation in many industries and occupations. This chapter discusses women’s participation in the labour force, employment by industry and occupation, sector of employment, self-employment, off-farm employment, indigenous employment, permanent and casual workers, flexibility of working hours, multiple job holding, unpaid work, underemployment, unemployment, women outside the labour force, and occupational health and safety.

A higher proportion of women than men are employed on a part-time basis. In 1998, 44.8% of employed women in Queensland were part-time workers, compared with 12.7% of employed men. However, these figures represent an increase for both sexes since 1988 when only 40.8% of employed women and 7.6% of employed men worked part-time.

Women comprised 41.3% (or 63,175) of unemployed persons in 1998, similar to the proportion in 1994 (ABS, The Labour Force, Queensland, Cat. no. 6201.3, 1994, 1998). Unemployment rates were higher than average for women aged 15–19 years, women from non-English speaking backgrounds, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women (ABS, 1996 Census of Population and Housing).

Women are more likely to have an interrupted work life than men and the reasons are most likely to be family related than for personal, work or other reasons (ABS, Career Experience, November 1996, Cat. no. 6254.0).

In Queensland in February 1997, women accounted for 38.6% of small business operators, a slightly higher figure than the national average of 35.2% (ABS, Characteristics of Small Business, Australia, 1997, Cat. no. 8127.0). However, the term ‘operator’, which includes sole proprietors and partners of non-employing businesses, can be simplistic and misleading with respect to women’s involvement in small business as it is not an indicator of the level of involvement in the business.

A special report on women in business in the Small Business Index published by Yellow Pages Australia in 1996 revealed that across all Australian small businesses, women played the sole or leading role in running the business in only 13% of cases, but shared the leading role in a further 19%. Males played a sole leading role in the remaining 68% of cases. Two-thirds of women surveyed believe that they had found some barriers to business success. These included male chauvinism (20%), preferential treatment of men by banks (13%) and perceptions that women lack knowledge/technical skills (11%). The advantages cited of being a woman in business were superior communications skills (18%), diligence at work (12%) and superior reasoning skills (9%). One-third of women surveyed did not indicate any advantage.

 

Labour force participation

Labour force participation rates for women and men in Queensland for the period 1988 to 1998 are compared in Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1.

Table 4.1  Labour force participation rates by sex by age group, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

Change

Age group (years)

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

1988–98

— % —

% points

Women

15–19

62.7

64.1

62.1

62.3

63.7

63.5

0.8

20–24

75.2

76.9

76.2

76.6

76.5

76.7

1.5

25–34

58.9

63.2

63.7

64.8

66.1

67.9

9.0

35–44

64.7

70.4

70.6

69.9

71.2

72.4

7.7

45–54

55.2

61.9

64.3

66.0

67.3

70.8

15.6

55–59

31.6

33.5

36.4

40.3

44.1

46.9

15.3

60–64

13.2

16.1

16.3

18.0

19.1

18.3

5.1

65+

2.5

2.6

2.5

2.1

2.7

2.9

0.4

All ages

48.9

52.5

52.8

53.4

54.6

55.7

6.8

Men

15–19

63.4

66.7

60.1

61.1

64.5

63.6

0.2

20–24

93.0

90.9

90.4

88.7

89.5

88.6

-4.4

25–34

95.1

94.3

93.8

93.7

92.9

93.4

-1.7

35–44

94.2

94.5

93.2

92.4

91.5

92.4

-1.8

45–54

88.7

90.0

89.1

88.4

89.5

87.3

-1.4

55–59

76.1

75.4

73.1

74.1

75.3

73.8

-2.3

60–64

49.0

53.2

51.2

51.0

49.2

47.2

-1.8

65+

9.4

8.3

8.7

9.9

9.5

10.4

1.0

All ages

75.8

76.3

74.8

74.7

74.9

74.3

-1.5

(a) All rates are annual averages of monthly data.

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

Figure 4.1  Labour force participation rates by sex, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

(a) Annual averages of monthly data.
Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

The increase in the number of married women participating in the labour force in Queensland over the period 1988 to 1998 is shown in Figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2  Employed married women by employment status, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

(a) Women are classified as married (including de facto) if their spouse was a usual resident of the household at the time of the survey.
Annual averages monthly of data.
Source; ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

 


Employment by industry

The numbers of full-time and part-time employed women and men by industry in Queensland in 1988 and 1998 are shown in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2  Employed persons by industry by sex, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

  

Full-time

  

Part-time

 

GEI

Industry

Women

Men

  

Women

Men

 

Full-time

Part-time

Total (b)

— '000 —

 

ratio

1988

    

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

12.8

57.6

   

13.1

3.6

 

0.2

3.6

0.4

Mining

1.5

20.0

  

0.3

–

 

0.1

–

0.1

Manufacturing

23.7

106.1

  

9.8

3.4

 

0.2

2.9

0.3

Electricity, gas and water

2.0

12.1

  

–

0.1

 

0.2

–

0.2

Construction

4.1

83.3

  

9.1

3.9

 

0.0

2.3

0.2

Wholesale trade

12.0

48.7

  

4.9

2.1

 

0.2

2.3

0.3

Retail trade

49.0

74.4

  

51.7

14.4

 

0.7

3.6

1.1

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

15.3

18.7

  

15.8

5.7

 

0.8

2.8

1.3

Transport and storage

7.3

56.4

  

5.3

3.3

 

0.1

1.6

0.2

Communication services

6.1

16.8

  

1.2

0.3

 

0.4

4.0

0.4

Finance and insurance

15.6

20.1

  

4.5

0.4

 

0.8

11.3

1.0

Property and business services

24.1

44.7

  

14.6

5.2

 

0.5

2.8

0.8

Government administration and defence

12.7

33.6

  

2.3

0.5

 

0.4

4.6

0.4

Education

31.6

26.4

  

18.7

2.9

 

1.2

6.4

1.7

Health and community services

41.0

25.5

  

24.0

3.3

 

1.6

7.3

2.3

Cultural and recreational services

5.6

9.2

  

6.0

3.2

 

0.6

1.9

0.9

Personal and other services

13.5

16.4

  

10.1

3.1

 

0.8

3.3

1.2

All industries

277.9

670.0

  

191.4

55.4

 

0.4

3.5

0.6

    

1998

   

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

16.8

60.0

 

14.1

6.8

 

0.3

2.1

0.5

Mining

1.8

19.7

 

–

0.3

 

0.1

–

0.1

Manufacturing

28.6

129.1

 

13.6

8.4

 

0.2

1.6

0.3

Electricity, gas and water

1.3

10.2

 

0.2

0.2

 

0.1

1.0

0.1

Construction

8.0

106.2

 

12.0

6.4

 

0.1

1.9

0.2

Wholesale trade

18.1

63.6

 

9.0

4.6

 

0.3

2.0

0.4

Retail trade

49.6

86.5

 

81.4

34.1

 

0.6

2.4

1.1

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

21.5

26.1

 

27.4

10.9

  

0.8

2.5

1.3

Transport and storage

12.8

59.1

   

6.0

5.9

 

0.2

1.0

0.3

Communication services

6.2

17.1

 

1.0

0.9

 

0.4

1.1

0.4

Finance and insurance

19.6

16.3

 

8.9

1.3

 

1.2

6.8

1.6

Property and business services

41.4

74.2

 

27.1

13.5

 

0.6

2.0

0.8

Government administration and defence

19.7

27.8

 

4.9

0.8

 

0.7

6.1

0.9

Education

48.4

32.1

 

32.9

5.2

 

1.5

6.3

2.2

Health and community services

67.1

28.8

 

55.3

4.8

 

2.3

11.5

3.6

Cultural and recreational services

8.2

13.2

 

9.7

6.1

 

0.6

1.6

0.9

Personal and other services

20.1

25.9

 

12.8

5.3

 

0.8

2.4

1.1

All industries

389.2

795.9

 

316.3

115.5

 

0.5

2.7

0.8

   

(a) All numbers are annual averages of quarterly data. 

(b) Calculated on full-time and part-time employment. For example, the GEI for Agriculture, forestry and fishing for 1988 is calculated as follows: GEI = (12.8+13.1) / (57.6+3.6)=25.9 / 61.2 = 0.4

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

 

Employment by occupation

Occupations of full-time and part-time employed women and men in Queensland in 1998 are shown in Table 4.3.

Table 4.3  Employed persons by occupation by sex, Queensland, 1998 (a)

Full-time

Part-time

GEI

Occupation

Women

Men

Women

Men

Full-time

Part-time

Total (b)

— number —

— ratio —

Managers and Administrators

16,566

80,741

8,930

4,316

0.2

2.1

0.30

Professionals

85,907

111,266

37,798

11,012

0.8

3.4

1.01

Para-professionals

49,109

102,421

14,413

6,435

0.5

2.2

0.58

Tradespersons

12,945

188,010

7,282

9,512

0.1

0.8

0.10

Clerical, Sales and Service Workers –

Advanced Clerical and Service Workers (c)

38,036

5,903

31,032

1,115

6.4

27.8

9.84

Intermediate Clerical Sales and Service Workers

116,086

63,269

93,643

11,160

1.8

8.4

2.82

Elementary Clerical Sales and Service Workers

34,878

34,442

76,349

25,081

1.0

3.0

1.87

Total Clerical, Sales and Service Workers

188,999

103,614

201,023

37,356

1.8

5.4

2.77

Plant and Machine operators, drivers

9,847

127,592

8,200

16,454

0.1

0.5

0.13

Labourers and related workers

25,807

82,193

38,446

30,173

0.3

1.3

0.57

All occupations

389,180

795,837

316,092

115,257

0.5

2.7

0.77

(a) All numbers are annual averages of quarterly data.

(b) Calculated on full-time and part-time employment. For example, the GEI for Managers and administrators for 1998 is calculated as follows: GEI = (16,566 + 8,930) / ( 80,741+ 4,316) = 0.30 .

(c) Does not include sales workers.

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

 

Employment by sector

The proportions of female to male employees in the private and public—Commonwealth, State and local government – sectors in Queensland in 1996 are shown in Figure 4.3.

Figure 4.3  Employed persons by sector of employment by sex, Queensland, 1996

Source: ABS, 1996 Census of Population and Housing (unpublished data).

 

Self-employment

The number of self-employed persons in Queensland increased by almost a third (30.1%) between 1988 to 1998. Self-employment can be an outcome of many factors including a tendency of some employers to prefer contract labour, business entrepreneurship or franchising, ‘hidden unemployment’, the desire for flexible working conditions, or a combination of some or all of these factors. Data on self-employed persons in Queensland from 1988 to 1998 are shown in Figure 4.4.

Figure 4.4  Self-employed persons by sex, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

(a) Annual averages of quarterly data.
Source: ABS, Labour force Survey (unpublished data).

The increase in the number of self-employed persons is similar to the overall increase in the size of the employed labour force. Self-employed women as a proportion of all working women has remained relatively stable, declining slightly from 9.5% in 1988 to 8.0% in 1998. The corresponding figure for men has increased from 12.4% to 13.0% over the same period.

Self-employed women and men share some similarities and differences in choice of industry. Data on the self-employed in Queensland for the period 1988 to 1998 is shown in Table 4.4.

Table 4.4  Self-employed persons by industry by sex, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

Industry

1988

1990

1994

1998

– % –

Women

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

22.2

25.7

20.0

20.3

Mining

0.2

0.2

0.2

0.2

Manufacturing

5.6

6.6

6.9

7.2

Electricity, gas and water

0.2

–

–

–

Construction

7.6

7.6

8.9

9.0

Wholesale trade

2.0

4.1

3.1

4.1

Retail trade

22.2

18.7

16.9

13.6

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

3.6

2.1

2.5

2.6

Transport and storage

5.2

3.5

3.6

4.4

Communication services

0.9

0.2

0.7

1.1

Finance and insurance

1.1

1.0

0.4

0.9

Property and business services

11.4

11.9

14.7

14.5

Government administration and defence

–

–

–

–

Education

2.5

3.9

3.8

3.9

Health and community services

2.9

2.1

5.3

8.8

Cultural and recreational services

3.6

4.1

4.0

2.1

Personal and other services

9.2

8.8

9.3

7.6

Total (%)

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

Total (number)

44,600

51,400

55,000

56,700

Men

Agriculture, forestry, and fishing

26.6

28.1

21.4

22.4

Mining

0.2

0.5

0.2

0.2

Manufacturing

5.2

5.5

5.6

5.9

Electricity, gas and water

–

0.1

–

0.1

Construction

23.2

22.2

26.7

25.2

Wholesale trade

2.7

4.2

3.8

4.9

Retail trade

11.4

11.4

11.7

8.9

Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

1.4

0.9

0.8

0.9

Transport and storage

8.9

8.1

6.8

7.7

Communication services

0.8

0.6

0.5

1.6

Finance and insurance

1.7

1.8

1.3

1.0

Property and business services

10.8

9.2

12.6

12.1

Government administration and defence

–

–

–

–

Education

0.3

0.4

1.0

1.0

Health and community services

0.8

0.4

1.1

0.8

Cultural and recreational services

2.4

2.6

2.2

1.9

Personal and other services

3.6

3.8

4.3

5.1

Total (%)

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

Total (number)

90,100

96,700

111,500

118,600

GEI

0.50

0.53

0.49

0.48

(a) All numbers are annual averages of quarterly data. Components may not add to totals due to rounding.

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

 

Off-farm employment

Many farm families obtain income from sources other than the farm business, the major source being off-farm employment. Gaining employment ‘off-farm’ (i.e. from sources outside the family farm) can be used as a strategy to reduce the risk associated with variability in markets and weather conditions or to help maintain the viability of the farm. Among farmers, at least 1 in 5 women and 1 in 5 men worked off-farm in all Australian states and territories (with the exception of men in Tasmania and the Northern Territory). The movement of women into off-farm employment also parallels overall increased levels of participation by women into the paid labour force.

The methodology used in compiling official statistics has meant that it is difficult to measure the value of work done by this particular sector of the Australian economy, particularly the contribution of farm women. In 1998 an average of 30.2% of Queensland farmers and farm managers were women (ABS, The Labour Force, Queensland, Cat. no. 6201.3, unpublished data). Farm wives can contribute in three ways towards an increase in household income: on-farm work, off-farm work and household work. While the National Accounts record the value of farm income within the agriculture sector, the value of off-farm income is attributed to the respective industry group where employment is found. Unpaid work either on the farm or in the household is not officially included in calculations of national income.

The Australian Farm Surveys, conducted by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) in 1996–97, surveyed owner-managers of farm businesses and their spouses in the agricultural, grazing and dairying industries. Preliminary results showed that, nationally, only 3% of women who worked off-farm were still employed within the agriculture industry, compared with 43% of men. Education (32%), health and community services (21%) and retail trade (11%) were the main industries employing women working off-farm. After agriculture, men were mainly employed in the construction (12%) and transport and storage (10%) industries. With respect to location of employment, the great majority of women worked in towns (84%) while only a small proportion worked on other farms (4%), compared with 41% and 34% respectively for men.

Off-farm employment occupations of women and men also differed. Almost half (46%) of women were employed in professional occupations (mostly as teachers and nurses), followed by personal services (16%), and as clerical and sales workers (11% and 10% respectively). Men were mainly employed as labourers (32%) and tradespersons (26%), followed by professionals (14%) and managers (13%) (Source ABARE, Australian Farm Surveys Report 1998). Anecdotal evidence suggests that a certain proportion of farm women did not grow up on a farm but were posted to the country as teachers and nurses and have since returned to their original occupations to earn off-farm income.

 

Indigenous employment

The gender patterns of employment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons and the rest of the population are shown in Table 4.5.

Table 4.5 Labour force status by indigenous status by sex, Queensland, 1996 (a)

Indigenous status/

labour force status

Women

Men

GEI

– number –

ratio

Indigenous

Labour force

Employed

9,833

13,477

0.73

Unemployed

2,592

4,184

0.62

Total labour force

12,425

17,661

0.70

Not in labour force

16,134

8,422

1.92

Total (b)

29,586

26,979

1.10

Non-indigenous

Labour force

Employed

609,714

778,261

0.78

Unemployed

56,692

87,026

0.65

Total labour force

666,406

865,287

0.77

Not in labour force

566,165

332,675

1.70

Total (b)

1,242,994

1,206,916

1.03

(a) People aged 15 years and over who were counted on Census night excluding overseas visitors. Counts are based on place of enumeration.

(b) Total includes cases where labour force status was 'not stated'.

Source: ABS, 1996 Census of Population and Housing (unpublished data).

Permanent and casual workers

Of the 1,273,446 wage and salary earners in Queensland in 1997 two-thirds (69.3%) were permanent workers and one-third (30.7%) were casuals. Just under half (573,768 or 45.1%) of wage and salary workers were female. Of the 881,903 permanent wage and salary earners, women were under-represented (40.1% compared with 59.9% for men), while they were over-represented among the 391,543 casual workers (56.2% compared with 43.8%).

Levels of trade union membership were lower among casual wage and salary earners for both sexes. Of casual workers, only 13.3% of women and 14.1% of men had trade union membership in 1997. A slightly lower proportion of female workers with permanent status (37.7%) had trade union membership compared with males (39.2%).

 

Flexibility of working hours

According to a survey on working arrangements conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (Working Arrangements, 1997), flexible start and finish times were predominantly available in the agricultural, government administration, and property and business services industries. Figure 4.5 shows the availability to women and men of certain flexible working arrangements in 1997.

Figure 4.5  Employees by selected working arrangements, Queensland, 1997

Source: ABS, Working Arrangements, August 1997, Cat. no. 6342.0

Flexibility in working conditions could also be achieved by working from home. The results of a survey conducted by the ABS in September 1995 showed that of the 1,526,700 Queenslanders in the labour force, 74,300 (4.9%) worked at home. Of this group, women (51,000) were more than twice as likely to work at home than men (23,300) (ABS, Persons Employed at Home, September 1995, Cat no. 6275.0).

 

Multiple job holding

Women were also more likely than men to hold down more than one job with 44,400 women in Queensland identified by an ABS survey in August 1997 as multiple jobholders, compared with 37,000 men (ABS, Multiple Jobholding, August 1997, Cat. no. 6216.0).

 

Unpaid work

The substantial contribution to the economy of unpaid work by women is an important and largely unreported issue, and has gained increasing prominence in recent years.

In 1992 the ABS conducted its first survey to estimate the value of unpaid work (ABS, Unpaid Work and the Australian Economy, Cat. no. 5240.0). Although not included as part of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the value of unpaid work in Australia was estimated to be $227.8 billion, equal to 61.0% of GDP. This estimate included all domestic activities and included child care and purchasing of goods and services. Women were estimated to contribute 65% of the value of unpaid work.

The ABS 1996 Census found that in Queensland women comprised 60.3% of all unpaid helpers in family businesses, although this figure represented a decline from 69.5% in 1991.

Of the 524,700 Queenslanders doing volunteer work in June 1995, just over half (56.5% or 296,600) were women. This proportion was relatively constant for both Brisbane and the rest of Queensland (ABS, Voluntary Work, Australia, June 1995, Cat. no. 4441.0).

 

Underemployment

The numbers of underemployed Queensland workers who work part-time but who want to work more hours are shown in Table 4.6.

Table 4.6  Underemployed workers (a) by sex, Queensland, 1994 to 1997

Particulars

Women

Men

Persons

GEI

— number —

Ratio

1994

Persons aged 15 years and over

1,256,000

1,231,800

2,487,800

1.02

Employed persons

627,100

843,600

1,470,700

0.74

Fully employed workers

571,300

806,100

1,377,400

0.71

Employed persons who usually work part-time

and want more hours

55,000

31,900

86,900

1.72

Employed person who usually work part-time

and want more hours who had been looking for

or were available to start work with more hours

42,900

27,600

70,500

1.55

1997

Persons aged 15 years and over

1,339,600

1,307,800

2,647,400

1.02

Employed persons

684,000

874,200

1,558,200

0.78

Fully employed workers

620,900

829,000

1,449,900

0.75

Employed persons who usually work part-time

and want more hours

61,800

37,400

99,100

1.65

Employed person who usually work part-time

and want more hours who had been looking for

or were available to start work with more hours

57,900

35,300

93,200

1.64

(a) Underemployed workers are those employed workers who usually work part-time but would like to work more hours.

Source: ABS, Underemployed Workers, various years, Cat. no. 6265.0.

 

Unemployment

The Queensland unemployment rate for women was slightly lower (8.3%) than that for men in 1998 (9.0%). Rates were lower for women in both Brisbane (7.9% for women and 8.2% for men) and the rest of the State (8.7% and 9.5% respectively). Unemployment rates by age group for Brisbane and the rest of the State are shown in Table 4.7.

It should be noted, however, that unemployment rates include persons looking for full-time and part-time work. Some persons in the younger age groups may be looking for work (including work of a part-time nature) while attending an educational institution.

Table 4.7  Unemployment rates by region and age group by sex (a), Queensland, 1988 to 1998

Unemployment rate for persons (a) aged:

Unemployment rate

15 – 24 years

25 years and over

for all ages

Region

Women

Men

Women

Men

Women

Men

— % —

Brisbane Statistical Division

1988

14.5

13.7

6.1

4.9

8.7

6.9

1989

12.3

11.4

5.4

3.9

7.5

5.6

1990

14.7

15.9

5.8

5.2

8.5

7.7

1991

17.3

18.7

6.4

6.9

9.5

9.5

1992

15.8

17.9

6.6

7.7

9.2

10.0

1993

15.8

18.7

6.9

7.9

9.3

10.3

1994

15.0

16.5

6.1

6.3

8.6

8.6

1995

14.4

16.6

5.5

6.3

7.9

8.6

1996

15.6

17.8

6.5

6.7

8.8

9.1

1997

16.0

18.9

6.0

6.8

8.4

9.3

1998

15.6

16.4

5.5

6.1

7.9

8.2

Balance of Queensland

1988

15.5

15.2

7.4

6.2

9.8

8.2

1989

14.8

12.4

6.0

5.2

8.4

6.8

1990

15.2

14.4

5.7

6.0

8.2

7.9

1991

17.0

18.1

7.3

8.4

9.9

10.5

1992

17.2

20.1

8.3

9.4

10.5

11.6

1993

18.3

18.8

7.8

9.8

10.4

11.6

1994

18.1

16.1

7.4

8.4

10.0

10.0

1995

16.7

17.8

6.7

8.2

9.2

10.2

1996

15.6

16.5

7.8

8.0

9.6

9.7

1997

15.3

18.2

8.1

8.3

9.8

10.2

1998

15.1

16.7

6.9

7.8

8.7

9.5

(a) Persons looking for full-time or part-time work. All rates are annual averages of monthly data.

Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

Median duration of unemployment in Queensland from 1988 to 1998 is shown in Figure 4.6.

Figure 4.6  Median duration of unemployment by sex, Queensland, 1988 to 1998 (a)

(a) All numbers are annual averages of quarterly data.
Source: ABS, Labour Force Survey (unpublished data).

 

Persons not in the labour force

Labour force statistics generally exclude people who are ‘not in the labour force’. However, this group consists of persons who may or who may not want to work. People ‘not in the labour force’ who do not want to work may include those involved in home and/or child care duties, retirees or those who have suffered illness or injury.

The defining line between the ‘unemployed’ and those ‘not in the labour force who want to work’ is whether or not the person is actively seeking employment. Available data indicate that there is a subgroup of persons currently not in the work force who would like to work but who, by definition, are not actively looking for work. It may include discouraged job seekers, people who are studying to improve career prospects and people who do not have access to child care services. Therefore, disaggregation of figures on persons ‘not in the labour force’ can be another measure of unemployment or underemployment.

Data on the persons who were not in the labour force in Queensland in September 1997 are shown in Table 4.8.

Table 4.8  Persons not in the labour force (a) by status by sex, Queensland, 1997

Particulars of persons not in the labour force

Women

Men

GEI

– number –

ratio

Persons not currently in the labour force

Who did not want to work

279,800

155,500

1.80

Who wanted to work

152,000

71,200

2.13

Total persons not currently in the labour force

431,800

226,700

1.90

Who wanted to work

– were available to start work within 4 weeks,

but were not actively seeking work

109,900

49,400

2.22

– but were not available to start work within 4 weeks

and who were not actively seeking work

36,000

16,500

2.18

– but did not have access to childcare

and who were not actively seeking work

51,000

*200

255.00

Who were discouraged jobseekers

11,600

7,100

1.63

Who had a marginal attachment to the labour force

116,000

54,700

2.12

Who previously had a job

380,400

180,500

2.11

* Figure may be subject to sampling error and should therefore be treated with caution.

(a) Persons who are 'not in the labour force' only include those who are 'not actively seeking work'. If a person is unemployed and actively seeking work they are included in the unemployment statistics. The labour force is the sum of the employed and unemployed. Persons 'not actively seeking work' are therefore not included in 'labour force' statistics.

Source: ABS, Persons Not In the Labour Force, September 1997, Cat. no. 6220.0.

 

Occupational health and safety

Employment injuries and compensation payments by industry, occupation and type of injury for Queensland in 1997–98 are shown in Table 4.9. The data include only those injuries that were reported to WorkCover Queensland and only those incurred by wage and salary earners.

Table 4.9  Employment injury claims by industry, occupation and nature of injury by sex (a), Queensland, 1997 – 1998

Number of claims

 

Total payment

 

GEI (b)

Employee Injuries

Women

Men

 

Women

Men

 

— number —

 

— $ —

 

ratio

Industry —

   

Health and Community Services

4,486

1,458

 

6,988,488

2,420,343

 

3.08

Retail Trade

2,612

3,413

 

2,926,073

4,459,055

 

0.77

Manufacturing

2,122

17,431

 

2,612,168

20,854,733

 

0.12

Accommodation Cafes and Restaurants

1,592

1,634

 

2,257,092

1,982,956

 

0.97

Education

1,494

1,585

 

2,039,881

1,732,253

 

0.94

Property and Business Services

858

2,532

 

1,344,177

5,052,641

 

0.34

Other

3,211

17,842

 

4,464,159

37,494,052

 

0.18

Total

16,375

45,895

 

22,632,038

73,996,033

 

0.36

   

Occupation —

   

Labourers and Related Workers

6,124

19,336

 

9,199,585

29,033,884

 

0.32

Salespersons and Personal Service Workers

3,372

1,246

 

4,058,617

1,663,809

 

2.71

Para-Professionals

1,873

1,862

 

2,803,871

3,331,276

 

1.01

Clerks

2,070

561

 

2,212,849

770,309

 

3.69

Professionals

1,261

1,001

 

1,863,982

1,376,544

 

1.26

Other

1,675

21,889

 

2,493,133

37,820,212

 

0.08

Total

16,375

45,895

 

22,632,037

73,996,034

 

0.36

   

Nature of injury —

   

Sprains and Strains

9,878

21,378

 

15,668,120

39,328,961

 

0.46

Fractures

1,086

4,274

 

3,132,741

14,308,307

 

0.25

Open Wounds

2,147

9,710

 

1,169,118

7,473,538

 

0.22

Contusion and Crushing Body

1,617

3,449

 

1,126,594

4,064,565

 

0.47

Other

1,647

7,084

 

1,535,467

8,820,664

 

2.28

Total

16,375

45,895

 

22,632,040

73,996,035

 

0.36

   

(a) Excludes 106 persons whose gender was not recorded. Figures apply to all injuries incurred in t he course of performing work duties (including road traffic accidents, travelling to and from work and during lunchbreaks). Figures exclude diseases.

(b) Based on the number of claims.

Source: Qstats (WorkCover Queensland)

 

 

5 Income

Introduction

This chapter examines average income levels for women and men in managerial and non-managerial occupations, the payment of various forms of income support— unemployment allowance, disability support pension, parenting payment and age pension—and superannuation and other sources of income in retirement.

Average earnings for women continue to be lower than those for men in all occupational groupings. The average full-time earnings of women in non-managerial positions were 81.9% of their male counterparts in 1996, compared with 82.9% in 1993. The average full-time earnings of women in managerial positions were 70.9% of their male counterparts in 1996, slightly lower than the 1993 figure of 71.9%.

More women than men receive the age pension and the parenting payment, while fewer women than men receive the unemployment allowance and the disability support pension.

More than seven times more retired women (51,529) than men (7,100) were relying on someone else’s income as their main source of income in 1997.

Only 45.0% of women were covered by a superannuation scheme in 1995 compared with 60.8% of men. This was due mostly to the fact that two-thirds (66.4%) of those not in the labour force were women.

 

Average weekly income

Average weekly total earnings of full-time non-managerial employees in Queensland for the period 1991 to 1996 are shown in Table 5.1.

Table 5.1  Average weekly total earnings of full-time non-managerial employees by sex, Queensland, May, 1991 to 1996

Annual

Annual

May

Women

change

Men

change

GEI

$

%

$

%

ratio

1991

447.70

–

553.40

–

0.81

1992

480.80

7.4

568.90

2.8

0.85

1993

497.50

3.5

599.90

5.4

0.83

1994

501.60

0.8

621.90

3.7

0.81

1995

548.30

9.3

657.80

5.8

0.83

1996

562.00

2.5

686.30

4.3

0.82

Source: ABS, Employee Earnings and Hours, Cat. no. 6306.0 (various years).

Average weekly earnings of full-time managerial employees in Queensland for the period 1991 to 1996 are shown in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1  Average weekly total earnings of full-time managerial employees by sex, Queensland, May, 1991 to 1996

Source: ABS, Employee Earnings and Hours, Cat. no. 6306.0 (various years).

Data on average weekly earnings of full-time employees by occupation for Queensland in 1990 and 1996 are shown in Table 5.2.

Table 5.2  Average weekly total earnings of full-time adult employed persons by occupation by sex, Queensland, May 1990 and 1996

Occupation

Women

Men

GEI

– $ –

ratio

1990

Managers and administrators

598.00

752.10

0.80

Professionals

566.80

726.40

0.78

Para-professionals

558.60

675.80

0.83

Clerks

418.30

524.00

0.80

Salespersons and personal service workers

402.20

534.00

0.75

Tradespersons

405.10

548.60

0.74

Plant and machine operators, and drivers

359.50

564.70

0.64

Labourers and related workers

385.70

475.00

0.81

1996

Managers and administrators

698.70

922.10

0.76

Professionals

742.10

871.50

0.85

Para-professionals

691.40

796.00

0.87

Clerks

529.10

617.90

0.86

Salespersons and personal service workers

515.20

605.10

0.85

Tradespersons

479.30

684.20

0.70

Plant and machine operators, and drivers

551.20

754.30

0.73

Labourers and related workers

508.70

605.40

0.84

Source: ABS, Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (unpublished data).

 

Income support

The numbers of recipients of the unemployment allowance in Queensland in November 1994 and June 1998 are shown in Table 5.3.

Table 5.3  Persons receiving unemployment allowance (a) by age group by sex, Queensland, 1994 and 1998

Age group

Women

Men

Persons

GEI

— number —

ratio

November 1994

Under 18

3,289

3,419

6,708

0.96

18–20

9,362

10,889

20,251

0.86

21–29

12,964

29,942

42,906

0.43

30–39

5,381

19,844

25,225

0.27

40–49

6,163

13,349

19,512

0.46

50–64

4,038

13,905

17,943

0.29

Total

41,197

91,348

132,545

0.45

June 1998

Under 18

3,710

4,178

7,888

0.89

18–20

11,191

14,387

25,578

0.78

21–29

18,059

40,852

58,911

0.44

30–39

7,644

28,495

36,139

0.27

40–49

10,173

19,984

30,157

0.51

50–64

6,744

17,702

24,446

0.38

Total

57,521

125,598

183,119

0.46

(a) Includes Job Search and Newstart Allowances for 1994 and Newstart and Youth Training Allowances for 1998.

Source: Office of Women's Policy & Government Statistician's Office, A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1995; Centrelink, (unpublished data).

The numbers of recipients of the disability support pension, the parenting payment (single) (previously known as the sole parent pension) and the age pension in Queensland in September 1994 and June 1998 are shown in Table 5.4.

Table 5.4  Persons receiving disability support pension, parenting payment (single) and age pension by sex, Queensland, 1994 and 1998

Sex

Disability support pension

Parenting payment (Single) (a)

Age pension

— number —

September 1994

Women

20,213

50,692

156,433

Men

48,627

3,580

75,126

Persons

68,840

54,272

231,559

GEI (ratio)

0.42

14.16

2.08

June 1998

Women

34,166

71,314

176,248

Men

65,614

5,841

102,665

Persons

99,780

77,155

278,913

GEI (ratio)

0.52

12.21

1.72

(a) Prior to 20 March 1998, known as the Sole Parent Pension.

Source: Office of Women's Policy & GSO, A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland, 1995; Centrelink, (unpublished data).

 

Income in retirement

The main sources of income in retirement for persons in Queensland in 1997 are shown in Table 5.5.

Table 5.5  Main source of income in retirement of persons retired from full-time work by sex (a), Queensland, 1997

 

Main source of income in retirement

Women

Men

Persons

 

GEI

 

— number —

 

ratio

 

Pension/annuity purchased with superannuation payment (b)

6,478

23,747

30,225

 

0.27

Pension/annuity purchased with money other than superannuation payment (b)

* 2,857

* 2,145

5,002

 

1.33

Pensions and other benefits

41,571

106,201

147,772

 

0.39

Business, property, investments

16,228

38,633

54,861

 

0.42

Savings, sale of assets

10,538

16,650

27,188

 

0.63

Someone else's income, pension, superannuation

51,529

7,100

58,629

 

7.26

Other (c)

11,244

13,196

24,440

 

0.85

Total

140,445

207,672

348,117

 

0.68

 

* As these estimates have a relative standard error of greater than 25% care should be exercised when using them.

(a) Survey conducted during the month of November.

(b) Excludes lump sum payments which are included in other categories e.g businesses, property, investments, savings etc.

(c) Includes part-time work, accumulated leave, compensation.

Source: ABS, Survey of Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Cat. no. 6238.0 (unpublished data).

Table 5.6 shows the proportion of women and men aged 15- 74 years in Queensland who were covered by a superannuation scheme in 1995.

Table 5.6  Persons covered by a superannuation scheme by labour force status and age group by sex (a), Queensland, 1995

Persons covered by a superannuation scheme

All persons

Proportion covered by a superannuation scheme

Particulars

Women

Men

Women

Men

Women

Men

– number –

– % –

Labour force status

Employed

Full-time

324,579

651,231

369,977

760,244

87.7

85.7

Part-time

170,305

39,022

266,667

80,756

63.9

48.3

Total employed

494,884

690,253

636,644

841,000

77.7

82.1

Unemployed

2,043

4,274

58,125

87,578

3.5

4.9

Not in the labour force

14,922

6,015

442,365

224,268

3.4

2.7

All persons

511,849

700,542

1,137,134

1,152,846

45.0

60.8

Age group (years)

15–19

24,214

31,661

62,363

62,958

38.8

50.3

20–24

74,842

87,350

127,972

138,847

58.5

62.9

25–34

131,895

187,771

257,103

253,772

51.3

74.0

35–44

139,299

184,135

249,014

246,468

55.9

74.7

45–54

110,232

150,196

202,283

210,755

54.5

71.3

55–64

30,256

55,542

129,952

135,694

23.3

40.9

65–74

1,111

3,887

108,447

104,352

1.0

3.7

All persons

511,849

700,542

1,137,134

1,152,846

45.0

60.8

(a) Persons aged 15-74 years who belonged to a superannuation scheme towards which contributions were being made either personally or by their employer/business.

Source: ABS, Superannuation, November 1995, Cat. no. 6319.0 (unpublished data).

 

 

6 Child care

Introduction

Child care is an important factor in allowing women to access education and employment. The provision of child care, the growth in child care places in Queensland, and type of care provided are examined in this chapter.

In 1996, 20.7% of Queensland children aged 0- 11 years received some type of formal care. This figure was similar to the Australian average of 20.1% (ABS, Child Care, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 4402.0).

During the period, 1993–94 to 1997–98, the number of child care places available in Queensland grew by an additional 29,893 places. The majority of new places were in long day care centres (Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Annual Report, 1997- 98).

In Queensland, the Department of Families, Youth and Community Care administers the Child Care Act 1991 and subordinate regulations which outline minimum standards for child care centres and family day care schemes. The legislation applies to centre based long day care, occasional care, limited hours care and kindergartens, as well as family day care schemes.

The Commonwealth Government provides assistance with child care fees to families using child care services. The primary focus is to assist parents who are working, studying, training or looking for work. The two types of assistance available are childcare assistance and childcare cash rebate.

In 1991, access to childcare assistance was extended to parents using licensed private child care centres, which resulted in significant growth in the number of private child care centres in Queensland. The growth in the child care sector, particularly in for-profit long day care centres, has resulted in an oversupply of services in some areas, particularly in the south-east corner of the State. In addition, in 1997–98 the Commonwealth Government introduced a series of significant changes to the funding of child care in Australia. These included:

These changes have impacted considerably on the viability of child care services as well as their affordability for families. The oversupply of services in some areas, along with the Commonwealth funding changes have resulted in the closure or imminent closure of a number of community-based and privately operated child care centres.

While there are areas of oversupply of child care, some families still experience difficulty in accessing child care. These include shift and seasonal workers and families in isolated areas. Creative and innovative models of service provision are being implemented to address these unmet needs. An example is the mobile Rural Outreach Service, which seeks to ensure that children and families living in isolated areas of north Queensland have access to early childhood resources, advice and developmental activities.

Data on child care contained in this chapter cover the years 1993- 94 to 1997- 98, a period of rapid change within this service area.

 

Child care provision

The number and type of child care places in Queensland are shown in Table 6.1 and Figure 6.1.

Table 6.1  Child care places by type of care, Queensland, 30 June 1994 to 1998

Type of care

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

— number —

Long Day Care

36,697

45,331

50,839

52,746

55,000

Limited Hours Care

1,261

1,261

1,261

1,261

1,240

Purpose-Built Occasional Care

665

665

599

493

526

Family Day Care

8,877

9,598

10,821

11,267

11,595

Vacation Care (a)

7,824

7,824

7,824

7,700

. .

Outside School Hours Care (b)

9,481

12,235

12,843

14,837

26,040

Outside School Hours Care (c)

. .

. .

. .

. .

297

Total

64,805

76,914

84,187

88,304

94,698

(a) From 1998, due to changes in Commonwealth/State funding arrangements, vacation care is represented in outside school hours care.

(b) Represents before school hours care, after school hours care and vacation care for children aged 5–12 years. The significant increase in the number of places at 30 June 1998 is due to the inclusion of previously state funded vacation care places and increased Commonwealth funded places.

(c) Represents after school hours care and vacation care specifically targeting children aged 13–15 years.

Source: Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Annual Reports (various years).

Figure 6.1  Child care places by type of care, Queensland, 30 June 1998

(a) Includes before school hours care, after school hours care and vacation care for children aged 5-15 years.
Source: Department of Families, Youth and Community Care (unpublished data).

 

Patterns of use

Data on types of formal and informal care in Queensland in June 1993 and March 1996 are shown in Table 6.2.

Table 6.2  Children under 12 years of age using care by type of care, Queensland, 1993 and 1996

Type of care (a)

June 1993

March 1996

June 1993

March 1996

— '000 —

— % —

Formal care

Before and after school care program

14.8

16.6

12.1

13.5

Long day care centre

40.8

49.8

33.3

40.5

Family day care

13.5

19.6

11.0

15.9

Occasional care

4.4

7.9

3.6

6.4

Pre-school/kindergarten

42.4

26.2

34.6

21.3

Other formal care

6.8

*3.0

5.5

2.4

Total occurrences (a) of formal care

122.7

123.1

100.0

100.0

Total children receiving some form of formal care

115.7

119.8

Informal care

Brother/sister/step care

28.1

28.1

13.4

13.7

Other relative

116.6

116.6

55.5

56.9

Other person

65.5

60.1

31.2

29.3

Total occurrences (a) of informal care

210.2

204.8

100.0

100.0

Total children receiving some form of informal care

197.1

191.0

Total children

Children who used some form of formal care

115.7

119.8

21.2

20.7

Children who used informal care only

151.0

148.3

27.6

25.6

Children who used neither formal nor informal care

279.8

310.9

51.2

53.7

Total children

546.5

579.0

100.0

100.0

* Figure should be treated with caution as it is subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes.

(a) The number of occurrences of care exceeds the number of children as a child may receive several types of care in the survey period.

Source: ABS, Child Care Australia, June 1993 and March 1996, Cat. no. 4402.0.

 

 

7 Housing

Introduction

Public rental accommodation for women and men as well as access to crisis accommodation are the issues discussed in this chapter.

Homelessness is difficult to measure, although an indication of its extent is available through data on the use of crisis accommodation, particularly information on unmet demand. A measure of the need for housing by women escaping violence or otherwise experiencing homelessness is given by figures from the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP). The data distinguish between those who use supported accommodation to flee domestic violence and those who use it due to a lack of somewhere to live.

 

Supported Accommodation Assistance Program

Output from the SAAP National Data Collection for 1996–97 indicated that the main reasons women used SAAP services were to escape domestic violence or as a result of family or relationship breakdown (30% and 16% respectively). Men most frequently reported financial difficulty (33%) and family or relationship breakdown (15%) as their main reasons for seeking help.

The SAAP data collection uses the concept of a ‘support period’ whereby assistance (mostly crisis or short-term accommodation) is provided to a client as part of an ongoing support relationship. Crisis accommodation was the most frequent need reported by SAAP clients (reported in 64% of support periods), followed by meals (52%), laundry or shower facilities (49%) and information (48%). More than half of these support periods (60.2%) lasted seven days or less.

In 1996–97 an estimated 20,150 people were not able to obtain SAAP services of supported accommodation or support at the time they made their request for assistance. The most frequent reasons for not meeting requests were that insufficient accommodation was available (59% of all unmet requests) and that the type of assistance requested was not provided by the agency (18%). Women and young persons under 25 years were over-represented among potential clients (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, SAAP National Data Collection, Queensland Annual Report, 1996–97).

 

Public rental accommodation

The number of single parents in public rental accommodation in Queensland in June 1998 is shown in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1  Single parent households in public rental housing by age group by sex (a), Queensland, June 1998

Age group

(years)

Women

Men

GEI

— number —

ratio

15–19

184

2

92.0

20–24

1,073

9

119.2

25–29

2,055

66

31.1

30–34

2,198

135

16.3

35–59

5,723

758

7.6

60+

256

69

3.7

Total

11,489

1,039

11.1

(a) Excludes 3,715 households headed by persons whose gender was not recorded at time of application.

Source: Department of Housing (unpublished data).

Details of single parent households in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public rental housing program are shown in Table 7.2.

Table 7.2  Single parent households in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
housing by age group by sex (a), Queensland, June 1998

Age group (years)

Women

Men

Total (b)

GEI

— number —

ratio

15–19

9

–

9

–

20–24

56

–

56

–

25–29

121

2

123

60.50

30–34

119

8

127

14.88

35–59

358

49

407

7.31

60+

81

12

93

6.75

Total

744

71

815

10.48

(a) Figures relate to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Program managed by the Department of Public Works and Housing. Excludes 30 persons whose gender was not recorded at the time of the application.

Source: Department of Housing (unpublished data).

Table 7.3 reveals that nearly nine times more women single parents than men single parents applied for a bond loan for the private rental market. Single women who were not single parents were less likely to require this form of assistance than their male counterparts (GEI of 0.7).

Table 7.3  Single parent and single person households receiving bond loans for private rental by sex (a), 1996 – 1997

Household type

Women

Men

Total (a)

GEI

— number —

ratio

Single parent

4,658

538

5,196

8.7

Single person

2,127

2,852

4,979

0.7

(a) Excludes 406 single parents and 230 single persons whose gender was not recorded at the time of the application.

Source: Department of Public Works and Housing (unpublished data).

 

Crisis accommodation

Information on the use of services including crisis accommodation is collected under the Supported Accommodation Assistance Program (SAAP). The gender and age characteristics of clients supported by SAAP services in Queensland in 1996–97 are shown in Table 7.4.

Table 7.4  Supported Accommodation Assistance Program clients by age group by sex (a) Queensland, 1996–97

Age group (years)

Females

Males

Persons

— % —

Under 15

3.0

1.7

2.2

15–19

27.2

20.0

22.8

20–24

16.8

13.9

15.0

25–29

15.7

12.5

13.8

30–34

14.0

12.5

13.1

35–39

9.9

11.6

10.9

40–44

5.7

8.1

7.1

45–49

3.6

6.9

5.6

50 and over

4.1

12.9

9.4

Total (%)

100.0

100.0

100.0

Total number

5,372

8,161

13,533

(a) Table shows occasions of support provided to a SAAP client, regardless of length of period.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, SAAP National Data Collection, Annual Report 1996–97, Queensland.

Data on SAAP clients are sometimes recorded in terms of ‘support periods’ which is an occasion of support provided to a SAAP client regardless of length of period. The number of support periods for primary target groups in Queensland in 1996–97 is shown in Table 7.5.

Table 7.5  SAAP support periods (a) by primary target group by region, Queensland, 1996–97

Brisbane

Brisbane

South

Central

North

Primary target group

North

South

West Qld

Qld

Qld

Qld

— % —

Young people

28.5

27.6

38.8

21.6

13.5

25.5

Single men only

31.9

16.3

–

39.3

28.4

25.1

Single women only

3.0

–

–

–

0.3

1.0

Families

5.1

4.7

5.6

5.4

13.2

6.7

Women escaping domestic violence

6.4

24.0

18.3

25.1

35.1

20.0

Cross target/multiple/general

25.1

27.5

37.3

8.7

9.4

21.7

Total (%)

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

100.0

Total (number)

7,777

5,561

2,624

3,250

4,720

23,932

(a) An occasion of support provided to a SAAP client, regardless of length of period.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, SAAP National Data Collection, Annual Report 1996–97, Queensland.

Women escaping domestic violence may be accompanied by children – 11,616 children were recorded as accompanying a SAAP Queensland client in 1996–97. These figures may be slightly overstated as a child may be counted in more than one support period, although the majority of clients (82%) only accessed the program a single time (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, SAAP National Data Collection, Queensland Annual Report, 1996–97).

 

 

8 Access to technology

Introduction

Access to technology is an important factor impacting on women’s ability to share in the gains of the age of information technology. Enrolments in information technology (IT) subjects at school and university suggest that women and girls are under-represented in these areas. Only a fifth of computer professionals in Queensland are women. However, the proportion of women in Queensland using the Internet (11%) is only slightly less than for men (14%).

 

Technology students

While the number of students enrolled in computer studies in Queensland has more than doubled from 1,704 in 1992 to 4,151 in 1997, the proportion of female students enrolled in information processing and technology has declined from 37.5% to 29.5% over the same period (see Table 3.3). In Queensland universities in 1998, women accounted for 26.5% of student unit enrolments in the two major disciplines within computing degree level and related courses (Office of Higher Education).

Data collected on discipline units studied by each student are measured in equivalent full-time student units (EFTSU). One EFTSU is the equivalent of full-time study for one person for a year. The 1998 EFTSUs for Queensland university students undertaking study in the two major IT disciplines are shown in Table 8.1.

Table 8.1  University students studying information technology and telecommunications by sex (a), Queensland, 1998

Area of study

Women

Men

Total

Women as a % of total

— number —

%

Computer-based Information Science

and Computer Science

1,960

4,497

6,457

30.4

Electrical, Electronic, Computer,

and Communications Engineering

134

1,313

1,447

9.3

Total

2,094

5,810

7,904

26.5

(a) Figures apply only to the two major areas of study listed above and are presented as equivalent full-time student units. Excludes Bond University and other private providers.

Source: Office of Higher Education (unpublished data based on information reported by higher educational institutions to DETYA)

 

Technology professionals

University graduates going into the Information Technology industry may come from one of several university disciplines, although most have studies in computing/information science or electronic/computer/communications engineering. Smaller numbers come from physics, mathematics, other engineering, business data processing and medical technologies.

On average just under a fifth (19.8%) of Queensland’s computing professionals in 1998 were women (ABS, Labour Force Survey, Cat. no. 6201.3, unpublished data). The proportion of females in the IT graduate recruitment program of the State Government’s Centre for Information Technology and Communication (CITEC) fell from 33% in 1994 to 12.5% in 1999 (CITEC).

 

Internet usage

A report prepared for the federal Office of the Status of Women in 1997 shows the level of Internet usage by women and men in 1997. Results are shown in Table 8.2.

Table 8.2  Persons aged 14 years and over who have accessed the Internet in the past month (a) by state by sex, Australia, 1997

State

Women

Men

Persons

— % —

New South Wales (b)

10

19

15

Victoria

9

17

13

Queensland

11

14

12

South Australia (c)

8

11

9

Western Australia

11

18

15

Tasmania

8

15

12

Australia

10

17

13

(a) In the month before the survey period (January–March 1997).

(b) Includes Australian Capital Territory.

(c) Includes Northern Territory.

Source: Report prepared by A C Nielsen for the federal Office of the Status of Women.

Income levels of persons who accessed the Internet in the month prior to the survey are shown in Table 8.3.

 

Table 8.3  Persons aged 14 years and over who have accessed the Internet in the past month (a) by household income by sex, Queensland, 1997

Household income

Women

Men

Persons

— % —

Under $20,000

3

5

4

$20,000–$29,999

8

9

9

$30,000–$39,999

9

13

11

$40,000–$49,999

6

14

11

$50,000–$69,999

19

15

17

$70,000+

29

28

29

(a) In the month before the survey period (January–March 1997).

Source: Report prepared by A C Nielsen for the federal Office of the Status of Women.

The sites of access for persons who have accessed the Internet are shown in Figure 8.1.

Figure 8.1  Persons aged 14 years and over who have ever accessed the Internet by site of access (a), Queensland, 1997

(a) Survey was conducted in the period January-March
Source: Report prepared by A.C. Nielsen for the federal Office of the Status of Women

 

 

9 Decision making

Introduction

Women have low representation on decision making bodies. Irrespective of the sector –public, private or community – women’s representation is below that of men. This chapter discusses women in elected positions, in senior government positions and on boards of statutory authorities.

Women hold around a quarter of all elected positions in federal and local governments. State representation is lower, although it has increased slightly in recent years. In the Queensland public sector the level of representation on boards of statutory authorities by women rose from 16.8% of all positions in April 1994 to 21.9% in February 1995 and to 23.1% in December 1998.

Women generally remain under-represented in senior positions in their chosen careers. An example is the education industry, which employs a high proportion of women. Of the 29,545 teachers in government schools in Queensland in October 1998, 20,403 (69.1%) were women (Education Queensland, unpublished data). However, the proportion of women in senior positions in these schools in 1998 was low. Women made up only 25% of senior public servants in Education Queensland, while just 17.6% of school principals were women (Education Queensland, EdPers, September 1998).

In Queensland based universities, women comprised 33.7% of academic staff in 1997 but only accounted for 12.1% of senior positions such as chancellors, vice-chancellors and professors, and 22.6% of senior lecturers (Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, unpublished data).

In the Queensland Public Service in June 1997, women made up 55.2% (103,853) of the 188,288 persons employed. As a group, they were over-represented among the administrative (65.3%) and operational staff (69.7%) and under-represented among the technical staff (33.3%). Women comprised 51.9% of professional staff. There were 134 women in senior management in the Queensland Public Service at 30 June 1998, representing 17.1% of the total. In March 1999, three of the 21 chief executive officers of State Government departments were women (Office of the Public Service).

Women state public sector employees are more likely to have fewer years of service compared with their male counterparts. In June 1997, of the 88,134 employees with less than 10 years service, 59.9% were women. Women are also more likely to be employed on a part-time basis. Of the 13.3% (24,997) of Queensland’s state public servants who were permanent part-time employees, 9 in 10 (89.8%) were women. A further 9.0% of public servants had temporary status, of which 60.5% were female. This situation is reflected in remuneration levels where two-thirds (66.0%) of those earning $45,000 or more a year were men (Office of the Public Service).

 

Women in elected positions

The representation of women in elected positions in Queensland is shown in Figure 9.1.

Figure 9.1  Persons in elected positions by level of government by sex, Queensland, 1997-98 (a)

(a) Federal and State figures as at November 1998; local government figures as at March 1997.
Source: Parliamentary Library & Department of Communication, Information, Local Government and Planning (unpublished data).

Women in senior government positions

Data on senior management in the Queensland Public Service (including Senior Officer 1 and Senior Officer 2 positions) at 30 June 1998 indicates an imbalance of women to men, with only 134 (17.1%) of the 783 senior government positions occupied by women. This compares with 13.0% of senior government positions held by women in 1993 and 14.5% in 1994.

Data on Senior Executive Service (SES) positions in March 1999 shows the following:

 

Women on boards of statutory authorities

Female and male representation on boards of statutory authorities in Queensland in December 1998 is shown in Table 9.1 and Figure 9.2.

Table 9.1  Persons on boards of statutory authorities by portfolio by sex, Queensland, December 1998

Women as a proportion of persons

Portfolio

Women

Men

Persons

— number —

%

Attorney-General, Justice and Arts

60

124

184

32.6

Deputy Premier, State Development and Trade

4

8

12

33.3

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy, Women's

Policy and Fair Trading

34

73

107

31.8

Communication and Information and Local Government,

Planning, Regional and Rural Communities

6

65

71

8.5

Education

91

163

254

35.8

Emergency Services

3

20

23

13.0

Employment, Training and Industrial Relations

75

262

337

22.3

Environment and Heritage and Natural Resources

47

430

477

9.9

Health

282

357

639

44.1

Mines and Energy and Minister assisting the Deputy

Premier on Regional Development

17

100

117

14.5

Police and Corrective Services

20

34

54

37.0

Primary Industries

16

541

557

2.9

Public Works and Housing

3

9

12

25.0

Tourism, Sport and Racing

15

65

80

18.8

Transport and Main Roads

13

75

88

14.8

Premier

5

20

25

20.0

Treasury

26

46

72

36.1

Total number of board positions

717

2,392

3,109

23.1

Source:Office of the Public Service, Register of Statutory Authorities, Queensland.

Figure 9.2 Persons on boards of statutory authorities by sex, Queensland, December 1998

Source: Office of the Public Service, Register of Statutory Authorities, Queensland.

 

 

10 Crime and justice

Introduction

This chapter contains information on women’s access to legal aid, the number of domestic violence orders granted, and violence against women including physical and sexual assault and homicide.

Women are less likely to be offenders than the victims of crime. In Queensland there were 189 women in correctional centres at 30 June 1997, representing 4.9% of the total prison population of 3,851. This compared with 100 women (4%) three years earlier (Queensland Corrective Services Commission, Annual Report, 1993–94 and 1996–97).

Few women are judges or in senior positions in the legal profession. In November 1998 only 9.5% of all partners in law firms in Queensland were women (Queensland Law Society). In April 1999, three of the State’s 19 Supreme Court judges and four of its 35 District Court judges were women. There were five Court of Appeal judges of whom one, the President, was a woman. Eight of the 73 magistrates were female (Department of Justice and Attorney-General, unpublished data).

 

Legal aid

Legal Aid Queensland received almost 35,000 applications in 1997–98 which was similar to the previous year’s level, despite Commonwealth funding cuts and subsequent publicity regarding Legal Aid’s capacity to provide services.

Access to legal services is often difficult for rural women as most of Queensland’s law firms (71.2%) only have offices in Brisbane and/or the Gold Coast. However, access to legal aid is now available through the Legal Aid Queensland Call Centre. In its first nine months of operation, the centre took 149,315 calls, 65% from women. Overwhelmingly, children were the major topic of calls on family law. Major topics of interest in calls on civil law were consumer debt and personal rights matters, while criminal law calls related mainly to motor vehicles and criminal procedures.

The Women’s Justice Network within south-east Queensland is due to commence operations in 1998–99. The network will also provide legal information and advice via computer video to women in rural and remote areas. Information kiosks, situated in the Brisbane, Southport and Woodridge offices of Queensland Legal Aid received 47,195 hits, with highest demand recorded in the legal aid information, family law and domestic violence categories (Legal Aid Queensland, Annual Report, 1997–98).

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have difficulty accessing legal assistance for domestic violence due to the guidelines of the Aboriginal Legal Service. The service has a policy of not acting in a matter involving two Aboriginal clients, thereby excluding the majority of Aboriginal victims of domestic violence (Randall, ‘Domestic Violence’, Alternative Law Journal, 1995, p. 4). In south-east Queensland women can access the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Women Advocacy and Legal Service for advice. Community Legal Centres throughout Queensland also offer a range of advice and referral services.

Women from non-English speaking backgrounds encounter difficulties accessing legal services due to few interpreters and a lack of information in other languages. However, the Bilingual Information Service at Legal Aid Queensland provides information and referral to Spanish and Vietnamese speaking communities.

A breakdown of recipients of legal aid by category of aid received for Queensland in 1994–95 and 1997–98 is shown in Table 10.1 and Figure 10.1.

Table 10.1  Legal aid applications approved by area of law by sex, Queensland, 1994–95 and 1997–98

Area of law

Women

Men

GEI

– number –

ratio

1994–95

Criminal

2,020

11,170

0.2

Family

4,819

1,579

3.1

Civil

1,250

987

1.3

Total

8,089

13,736

0.6

1997–98

Criminal

2,342

12,532

0.2

Family

3,868

1,918

2.0

Civil

1,738

921

1.9

Total

7,948

15,371

0.5

   

Source: Legal Aid Queensland (unpublished data).

Figure 10.1  Legal aid applications approved by area of law by sex, Queensland, 1997-98

Source: Legal Aid Queensland (unpublished data)

Approval rates for legal aid applications in 1996–97 were highest for criminal law (76%), followed by civil cases (54%) and then family cases (46%) (Legal Aid Queensland, Annual Report, 1997–98).

 

Domestic violence orders

The Domestic Violence (Family Protection) Act 1989 was introduced on 21 August 1989. The substantial increase in the number of persons in Queensland applying for protection orders from 1989–90 to 1997–98 is shown in Figure 10.2.

Figure 10.2  Applications for domestic violence protection orders, Queensland, 1989-90 to 1997-98

(a) The domestic Violence (Family Protection) Act 1989 commenced on 21 August 1989. Figure for 1989 -90 is from that date.
Source: Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Annual Reports (various years).


Also in 1997–98 there were 2,124 applications to revoke or vary either a temporary protection order or a protection order and 87 applications to register an interstate order.

The outcome of applications for protection orders in Queensland between 1989–90 and 1997–98 is shown in Figure 10.3.

Figure 10.3  Domestic violence protection and temporary protection orders, Queensland, 1989-90 to 1997-98

(a) For any one application there may be one or more protection orders or temporary protection orders or a combination of both. Temporary protection orders are made against the respondent for a short period (i.e. a month) until the court decides whether or not to grant a protection order.
(b) The Domestic Violence (Family Protection) Act 1989 commenced on 21 August 1989. Figures for 1989–90 are from 21 August 1989.
Source: Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Annual Reports (various years).

Also in 1997–98, there were 1,191 temporary protection orders/protection orders varied and 178 revoked, and 85 interstate orders registered.

Breaches of domestic violence orders have been recorded statewide since 1995. Operational police statistics show that there were 1,839 breaches of Magistrate Court orders in 1995, increasing to 4,239 in 1996 and 4,627 in 1997 (Queensland Police Service).

Police call-out figures for domestic violence shown in Figure 10.4 are operational police statistics and have not been subject to rigorous statistical validation procedures. Nonetheless, they can be used as an indicator of the extent of the problem that exists in the Brisbane metropolitan area. The data show the number of times police were called to respond to a domestic violence incident in the Brisbane area in each month of 1997–98. For both north and south Brisbane, there was a relative increase in the number of incidents of domestic violence from November through to March.

Figure 10.4  Police call-outs for domestic violence by month (a), Brisbane north and south, 1997-98

Note: These figures are operational police statistics and not official police statistics.
Source: Queensland Police Service (unpublished data).

Victims of crime

The incidence of some types of crime needs to be treated with caution due to problems inherent in methods of obtaining data. The level of under-reporting of crimes involving personal violence, particularly rape and domestic violence, is high. Such under-reporting occurs in both police statistics and crime victim surveys.

The findings of the Women’s Safety Survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other surveys suggest significant differences in the context and circumstances surrounding the violence experienced by women and men. Women were more likely to be victims of violence in the family than men, while most perpetrators tend to be male (Office of Women’s Policy, Women’s Experience of Crimes of Personal Violence: A Gender Analysis of the 1991 Queensland Crime Victim Survey, 1992; Government Statistician’s Office, Violence in the Family, Queensland Crime Statistics Bulletin, no. 1, April 1998).

Data on personal crime include robbery, assault and sexual assault. In Queensland in the 12 months to April 1995, 3.6% of women and 5.9% of men over 15 years of age were victims of personal crime, an increase from 3.0% and 5.1% respectively in 1993. The increase in the victimisation rate was spread across all age groups, the greatest increases being for males aged 35–44 years (from 4.3% in 1993 to 6.1% in 1995) and females aged 45–54 years (from 1.6% to 3.2%). Personal crime victimisation rates in Queensland for the 12 months to April 1995 are shown in Figure 10.5.

Figure 10.5  Personal crime victimisation rates by age group by sex, Queensland, 12 months to April 1995

(a) Robbery, assault or sexual assault.
Source: ABS, Crime and Safety, Queensland, April 1995, Cat. no. 4509.3 (unpublished data).

The Women’s Safety Survey showed that in the 12 months prior to the survey, women’s experiences of violence by male perpetrators was five times greater than that inflicted by female perpetrators (85,034 compared with 16,219). Women’s experience of violence by male perpetrators is shown in Table 10.2.

Table 10.2  Women aged 18 years and over who experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the last 12 months and since the age of 15 years, Queensland, 1996

Experience of violence

In the last

Since the age of

by male perpetrators

12 months

15 years

— number —

Violence experienced

Physical–

Assault

62,332

367,302

Threat

54,656

317,937

Total physical assault/threat (a)

73,001

416,928

Sexual–

Assault

* 14,398

205,332

Threat

* 5,297

70,553

Total sexual assault/threat (b)

* 18,789

233,867

Total women who experienced violence (c)

85,034

492,204

Violence Not experienced

1,153,751

746,581

All women

1,238,785

1,238,785

– % –

Total women who experienced violence (c)

6.9

39.7

Violence Not experienced

93.1

60.3

All women

100.0

100.0

* Subject to sampling variability between 25% and 50%.

(a) If a women experienced both physical assault and threat she was only counted once in the total.

(b) If a woman experienced both sexual assault and threat she was only counted once in the total.

(c) If a woman experienced more than one type of assault or threat she was only counted once in the total.

Source: ABS, Women's Safety Survey, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0 (unpublished data).

The Women’s Safety Survey showed that Queensland women in the younger age groups were more likely to experience violence by male perpetrators. In the 12 months prior to the survey, women aged 18–24 years who experienced violence were over-represented (30.8%), compared with the proportion of women in this age group (14.5%) (ABS, Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0, unpublished data).

The survey also investigated the situation of women who had experienced violence by a man in the last 20 years, shown in Table 10.3. The data are based on the most recent incident.

Table 10.3  Women aged 18 years and over who experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the last 20 years, when the last incident occurred and whether it was reported to police (a), Queensland, 1996

Time of most recent incident

Reported to police

Not reported to police

Total

Reported to police

Not reported to police

Total

— number —

— % —

Physical assault (a)

During the last 12 months

* 7,600

54,700

62,300

* 12.2

87.8

100.0

1 year to less than 5 years ago

25,700

70,000

95,700

26.9

73.1

100.0

5 years to less than 10 years ago

* 12,700

53,300

66,000

* 19.2

80.8

100.0

10 years to less than 20 years ago

* 20,200

46,200

66,400

* 30.4

69.6

100.0

Total

66,200

224,200

290,400

22.8

77.2

100.0

Sexual assault (a)

During the last 12 months (b)

–

* 14,400

* 14,400

–

* 100

* 100.0

1 year to less than 5 years ago

** 3,600

43,100

46,700

** 7.7

92.3

100.0

5 years to less than 10 years ago

* 6,100

38,400

44,500

* 13.7

86.3

100.0

10 years to less than 20 years ago

* 6,800

36,800

43,600

* 15.6

84.4

100.0

Total

* 16,500

132,800

149,200

* 11.1

89.0

100.0

* Subject to sampling variability between 25% and 50%.

** Subject to sampling variability in excess of 50%.

(a) A woman may have experienced more than one type of assault in which case the respective assaults are counted as separate incidents. The most recent incident of physical and/or sexual assault (which may or may not have occurred during the same time period) experienced by a woman is also counted as a separate incident.

(b) No observations reported to police.

Source: ABS, Women's Safety Survey, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0 (unpublished data).

There was an overwhelming trend among women who had experienced physical or sexual assault by a man over the last 20 years not to seek professional help or to utilise crisis, legal or financial services (Table 10.4). Figures are based on the most recent incident.

It should be noted, however, that professional help and specialised services of this nature were less available 20 years ago.

Table 10.4  Women aged 18 years and over who experienced violence by a male perpetrator in the last 20 years by type of action(s) taken over the last incident, Queensland, 1996

Physical

Sexual

Physical

Sexual

Type of action taken over the last incident

assault

assault

assault

assault

— number —

— % —

Professional help

Sought –

Doctor

44,385

* 10,131

15.3

6.8

Counsellor

24,900

* 19,796

8.6

13.3

Total those who sought professional help (a)

60,619

28,704

20.9

19.2

Not sought

229,780

120,537

79.1

80.8

Total

290,399

149,241

100.0

100.0

Crisis, legal or financial services

Sought –

48,235

31,426

16.6

21.1

Not sought

242,164

117,815

83.4

78.9

Total

290,399

149,241

100.0

100.0

Talked to others

Spoke to –

Family

160,292

61,475

55.2

41.2

Friend/neighbour

152,230

88,107

52.4

59.0

Work colleague

48,124

* 9,722

16.6

6.5

Total those who spoke to others (a)

229,208

116,537

78.9

78.1

Did not speak to others

61,192

32,704

21.1

21.9

Total

290,400

149,241

100.0

100.0

* Subject to sampling variability between 25% and 50%.

(a) Includes 'other actions taken'.

Source: ABS, Women's Safety Survey, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0 (unpublished data).

The experiences of women who had suffered physical and sexual violence since the age of 15 years and their relationship to the perpetrator is shown in Figure 10.6.

Figure 10.6  Women aged 18 years and over who experienced physical / sexual violence by a male perpetrator in last incident (a), Queensland, 1996

(a) Excludes women whose last incident occurred more than 20 years ago.
Source: ABS, Women's Safety Survey, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0 (unpublished data).

Sex offences reported to police in Queensland in 1995–96 and 1997–98 are shown in Table 10.5. The figures represent the number of instances of reported crime rather than the actual number of victims, and as previously mentioned, there is a significant incidence of under reporting. Additionally, an offence is recorded when it is reported to police rather than when the crime took place. Interpretations of the statistics should take into account the current tendency for adults to report incidents, perhaps multiple incidents, which occurred when they were children.

 

Table 10.5 Female victims of reported sexual offences (a) by offence type, Queensland, 1995–96 to 1997–98 (b)

Offence type

1995–96

1996–97

1997–98

% change 1995–96 to 1997–98

– number –

%

Rape

467

456

506

8.4

Attempted rape

82

76

64

-22.0

Subtotal

549

532

570

3.8

Indecent assaults on adults

372

397

378

1.6

Indecent assaults on children

984

1,057

1,181

20.0

Assault with intent to commit an unnatural offence

24

22

33

37.5

Other indecent assaults

6

7

5

-16.7

Subtotal

1,386

1,483

1,597

15.2

Unlawful carnal knowledge

96

110

141

46.9

Incest

31

63

72

132.3

Other sexual offences

66

51

21

-68.2

Total

2,128

2,239

2,401

12.8

(a) Includes sexual offences reported by adults but which occurred during childhood.

(b) Break in series after 1996–97. Data for years 1995–96 and 1996–97 are estimated for comparability purposes.

Source: Queensland Police Service (unpublished data).

Data on victims of reported sexual offences in Queensland in 1997–98 are shown in Figure 10.7.

Figure 10.7  Female victims of reported sexual offences by age group (a), Queensland, 1997-98


(a) Excludes female victims whose age was not specified.
Source: Queensland Police Service (unpublished data).

The incidence of homicide by sex of the victim for Queensland over the period 1992 to 1996 is shown in Figure 10.8.

Figure 10.8  Victims of homicide by sex of victim, Queensland, 1992 to 1996

Source: ABS, Mortality data (unpublished data).

Queensland Police statistics reveal that of the 71 murders committed in 1996–97 in Queensland, there were 26 female and 45 male victims. While 11 (or 42%) female victims were murdered by a family member (seven by a current partner and four by another family member), only five (or 19.2%) were murdered by a stranger. The pattern was reversed for males where 20 of the 45 male victims were murdered by a stranger (44.4%) compared with seven (16.0%) killed by a family members (one by a current partner and six by another family member) (Government Statistician’s Office, Violence in the Family, Queensland Crime Statistics Bulletin no. 1, April 1998).

 

 

Conclusion

Since the publication of the first Social and Economic Profile of Women in 1995 some significant changes have occurred in the lives of Queensland women, some trends identified then have continued and many prevailing patterns remain the same.

Women continue to play a significant role in the economic and social life of our community – this role can not be underestimated. Women are joining the paid labour force at an increasing rate and this is likely to continue. It therefore remains important that aspects of that participation are monitored to ensure – and where necessary to facilitate – improvements over time.

Several economic issues have emerged in the late 1990s that are likely to have particular impact upon women as we enter the new millennium. These include enterprise bargaining, working from home, running small businesses from home, and the move towards flexible working arrangements. The Queensland Government’s commitment to achieving economic equality for women will help to ensure the needs of women are taken into consideration during policy and program development.

Queensland is working hard to employ strategies to assist in the prevention of violence against women. A policy statement on this issue and the various protocols across Government departments for those working in this area have assisted in this regard.

In 1998 the Queensland Government established the Criminal Taskforce on Women and the Criminal Code and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Task Force on Violence. The Criminal Taskforce will act as an important vehicle to examine the operation of the Criminal Code for its impact on women as victims or defendants in the criminal justice system. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Task Force, established in December 1998, will work to counter violence and abuse in those communities.

The State Government’s Register of Women has continued to expand. This expansion has resulted in gains for women in the area of decision making, especially in terms of the representation of women on statutory authorities and boards.

The position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, access to adequate funds in retirement, the contribution of rural women, the involvement of women in new technology such as the Internet and telecommuting, and mental health issues are all areas of continuing concern for Queensland women.

The Office of Women’s Policy, via its policy and program areas, will continue to monitor the social and economic status of Queensland women. Through this process the office will help inform public and private policy development, thus contributing to the strengthening status of Queensland women.

 

 

Glossary

Note: The definition of terms used in the 1996 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics can be found in the 1996 Census Dictionary, ABS, Cat. no. 2901.0.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Housing Program is a program that provides rental housing specifically targeted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is either managed by the State Department of Housing or by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community councils. The statistics included in this publication relate only to the housing managed by the Department of Housing. Applicants must have a Confirmation of Aboriginality form completed. The form must be completed by an incorporated non-profit ATSI organisation, passed at a formal meeting of the organisation, and signed by the chairperson or secretary of the organisation under the Common Seal.

Affective disorders are mood disturbances that include mania, hypomania, bipolar affective disorder, depression and dysthymia. For more information see Mental Health and Wellbeing: Profile of Adults, ABS, Cat. no. 4326.0.

Age pension is a Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services payment which ensures that people who have reached retirement age have an adequate level of income.

Anxiety disorders are feelings of tension, distress or nervousness. They include agoraphobia, social phobia, panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. For more information see Mental Health and Wellbeing: Profile of Adults, ABS, Cat. no. 4326.0.

Average weekly total earnings comprise weekly ordinary time earnings plus weekly overtime earnings. For further information see Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6306.0.

Childcare assistance is paid, on behalf of eligible (low and middle income) families, directly to licensed long day care centres, family day care schemes, outside school hours care services and some occasional care centres. Eligibility for this benefit is dependent on assessment of family income and assets.

Childcare rebates can be claimed by eligible families using paid child care for work related reasons for dependent children younger than 13 years of age. This rebate can be claimed for all types of paid child care (including by friends, relatives, preschools or nannies as well as licensed child care services) as long as the individual or organisation providing the care is registered with the Health Insurance Commission.

Compensation payments in this publication refer to payments made by WorkCover Queensland to persons who have suffered an employment injury.

Disability support pension is a Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services payment to persons who cannot work due to a permanent or long-term physical or mental disability.

Employed persons (labour force) are persons aged 15 years and over who either worked or had a job or business but were not at work during the labour force survey reference week. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Employment injury is an injury suffered at the place of work, travelling to or from work, or during recess periods.

Episodes of care refer to phases of treatment rather than individual patient stays. There may be more than one episode of care within the one hospital stay period, e.g. acute followed by rehabilitation. An episode of care ends when the principal clinical intent of care changes, or when the patient is formally separated from the hospital, whether by normal discharge, transfer or death, after a stay of at least one night.

Estimated resident population (ERP) is the official ABS estimate of the population, based on census figures (excluding overseas visitors in Australia), adjusted for underenumeration by survey and residents who were overseas on census night. The ERP is updated quarterly from statistics on births, deaths and net migration. It is therefore a different measure from the actual population count from the Census of Population and Housing conducted by the ABS at five-yearly intervals, the latest of which was conducted on Tuesday, 6 August 1996. See also Population.

Formal care describes the care of a child in a formal setting such as day care centres, kindergartens and after school care.

Full-time students are those students who normally enrol in at least three-quarters of a standard full-time student workload.

Full-time workers (labour force) are employed persons who worked 35 hours or more during the labour force survey reference week, or, if not at work, usually work at least 35 hours a week (in all jobs). For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Gender equality indicator (GEI) is a statistical measure of the female situation relative to the male situation for various economic and social indicators. It is calculated by simply dividing the female percentage or number by the male percentage or number. In table 3.3, for example, in 1997 there were 99,972 females and 88,940 males who were enrolled at school in Year 12. Dividing 99,972 by 88,940 gives a GEI of 1.1. A GEI above one means more females than males, while below one means fewer females than males. A GEI ratio of one indicates equal representation of the sexes.

Industry is classified according to the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), ABS, Cat. no. 1292.0.

Informal care describes the care of a child, usually by a relative, friend or acquaintance of the child’s parents.

Labour force for any group comprises persons who were employed or unemployed during the labour force survey reference week. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Life expectancy refers to the average number of additional years a person of a given age and sex might expect to live if the age-specific death rates of the given period continued throughout his or her lifetime. For more information see Deaths, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 3302.0.

Median duration of unemployment is the duration that divides unemployed persons into two halves, one comprising persons whose duration of unemployment is above the median and the other below it. See The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Multiple holders are employed persons who work or usually work in a second job, are an employee in at least one of their jobs and are not a contributing family worker or an employee who works solely for payment in kind. For more information see Multiple Jobholding, ABS, Cat. no. 6216.0.

Not in the labour force describes persons who were not defined as either employed or unemployed during the labour force survey reference week. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Occupation is classified according to the Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), ABS, Cat. no. 1220.0.

Parenting allowance (single) is a Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services payment to a single parent whether that parent is female or male. Prior to 20 March 1998, this allowance was known as the Sole Parent Pension.

Participation rate for any group is the labour force expressed as a proportion of the civilian population aged 15 years and over in the same group. For further information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Part-time students are those students enrolled in subjects, the workload of which is less than three-quarters of a standard full-time student workload.

Part-time workers are employed persons who usually work less than 35 hours a week and who did so during the labour force survey reference week. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Perpetrator in this publication is a person who was violent toward a woman during the survey reference period. Unless otherwise stated, the term includes violence by male and female perpetrators. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Physical assault refers to the use of physical force with the intent to harm or frighten a woman. The assault may have occurred in conjunction with a robbery. Various types of physical assault identified include being pushed, grabbed or shoved, slapped, hit with an object, choked, beaten, stabbed, shot, burnt or dragged by the hair. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Physical threat refers to a verbal or physical threat to inflict physical harm which the woman believed was able and likely to be carried out. Various types of physical threats included incidents where women were the subject of a threat or attempt by a perpetrator to hit with a fist or anything that could hurt, or threat or attempt to be shot with a gun. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Physical violence in this publication is any incident of physical assault or threat as defined above. Incidents so defined would be an offence under state or territory criminal law. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Population is most accurately measured by the Census of Population and Housing conducted by the ABS every five years, the latest being on Tuesday, 6 August 1996. However, during the intercensal period, estimates (known as the estimated resident population or ERP) are derived using statistics on births, deaths and net migration, and the Census population figure as a benchmark. See also Estimated resident population.

Register of Women is a free consultancy service provided by the Office of Women’s Policy, Department of Equity and Fair Trading. The register assists companies, government agencies and other organisations appoint suitably qualified women to decision making bodies.

Remote centres in this publication refer to the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas Classification used by Queensland Health and include centres with a population up to and including 5,000.

Retention rate is the Year 12 enrolments as a proportion of the Year 8 enrolments four years previously. Enrolment numbers are obtained from the annual student census on the Friday closest to 1 August each year.

Rural refers to aggregations of the ‘bounded localities’ and ‘rural balance’ sections of state as defined by the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), ABS, Cat. no. 1216.0. The ASGC sections of state are:

Rural centres in this publication refer to the Rural, Remote and Metropolitan Areas Classification used by Queensland Health and include centres with a population between 5,001 and 99,999.

SAAP is the acronym for Supported Accommodation Assistance Program.

SAAP accommodation is accommodation paid for or provided directly by a SAAP agency. The accommodation may be provided at the agency, or may be purchased using SAAP funds eg at a motel.

SAAP agencies are organisations or establishments that receive a specified amount of SAAP funds to provide services.

SAAP clients are persons who:

For more information, see Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, SAAP National Data Collection, Queensland Annual Report, 1996–97.

Sampling error is a measure of the variability that occurs by chance because a sample rather than the entire population is surveyed.

Self-employed workers are people who operate their own unincorporated economic enterprise or engage independently in a profession or trade, and hire no employees (this category is also referred to as own account workers). For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Sexual assault refers to acts of a sexual nature carried out against a woman’s will through the use of physical force, intimidation or coercion. It includes attempts to force a woman into sexual activity, e.g. rape, attempted rape, aggravated sexual assault (assault with a weapon), indecent assault, penetration by objects and forced sexual activity that did not end in penetration. Incidents so defined would be an offence under state or territory criminal law. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Sexual threat refers to a threat of acts of a sexual nature which a woman believed were able and likely to be carried out. It includes verbal threats, threats with a weapon and threats to harm children. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Sexual violence in this publication is any incident of sexual assault or threat as defined above. For more information see Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, ABS, Cat. no. 4128.0.

Statistical divisions are the largest general purpose regional type spatial areas defined in the Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), ABS, Cat. no. 1216.0. Queensland comprises 11 statistical divisions.

Support periods are occasions of support provided to a SAAP client. Support periods commence when a client begins to receive support from a SAAP agency. The support period is considered to have finished when the client ends the relationship with the agency or the agency ends the relationship with the client. If it is not clear whether the relationship between the agency and the client has ended, the support period is assumed to have ended if no assistance is provided to the client for a period of one month. In such a case, the date of the end of the support period is one month after the last contact with the client.

Underemployed workers are employed persons who worked part-time in the labour force survey reference week and would prefer to work more hours or usually worked full-time but did not do so in that week for economic reasons. For more information see Underemployed Workers, ABS, Cat. no. 6265.0.

Unemployed persons are persons aged 15 and over who were not employed during the labour force survey reference week and who were actively looking for work and available for work but prevented by a temporary illness, or were waiting to start a new job not available at the time, or were waiting to be called back after a temporary stand down. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Unemployment allowance is a Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services payment to those persons who actively seek work but have been unable to find it. Benefits include Newstart and Youth Training Allowance. The previous benefit Job Search has been discontinued.

Unemployment rate for any group is the number of unemployed persons expressed as a percentage of the labour force in the same group. For more information see The Labour Force, Australia, ABS, Cat. no. 6203.0.

Volunteers for the purposes of this publication are people who willingly give unpaid help in the form of time, service or skills through an organisation or group during the 12 months reference period prior to the survey. For more information see Voluntary Work, ABS, Cat. no. 4441.0.

 

References

 

 Alston, M. (1995), ‘Women and Their Work on Australian Farms’, Rural Sociology, vol. 60, no. 3.

Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (1998), Australian Farm Surveys Report 1998, Canberra.

Australian Bureau of Statistics (1992), Unpaid Work and the Australian Economy, Cat. no. 5240.0, Canberra.

—— (1993), Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC), Cat. no. 1292.0, Canberra.

—— (1993), Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers, Cat. no. 4430.3, Brisbane.

—— (1994), Women’s Health, Cat. no. 4365.0, Canberra.

—— (1995), Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC), Cat. no. 1216.0, Canberra.

—— (1996), Crime and Safety, Queensland, April 1995, Cat. no. 4509.3, Brisbane.

—— (1996), Persons Employed at Home, September 1995, Cat. no. 6275.0, Canberra.

—— (1996), Superannuation, Australia, November 1995, Cat. no. 6319.0, Canberra.

—— (1996), Voluntary Work, Australia, June 1995, Cat. no. 4441.0, Canberra.

—— (1996), Women’s Safety, Australia, 1996, Cat. no. 4128.0, Canberra.

—— (1997), 1996 Census Dictionary, Cat. no. 2901.0, Canberra.

—— (1997), Australian Standard Classification of Occupations (ASCO), Cat. no. 1220.0, Canberra.

—— (1997), Career Experience, November 1996, Cat. no. 6254.0, Canberra.

—— (1997), Health and Welfare, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, 1997, Cat. no. 4704.0, Canberra.

—— (1997), National Health Survey: Summary Results, Australian States and Territories, 1995, Cat. no. 4368.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), 1996 Census of Population and Housing, Selected Characteristics for Urban Centres and Localities, Queensland, Cat. no. 2016.3, Canberra.

—— (1998), Age and Sex Distribution of Estimated Resident Population, Queensland, June 1997, Cat. no. 3253.3, Brisbane.

—— (1998), Characteristics of Small Business, Australia, 1997, Cat. no. 8127.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), Demography, Queensland, 1996, Cat. no. 3311.3, Brisbane.

—— (1998), Mental Health and Wellbeing: Profile of Adults, Australia, 1997, Cat. no. 4326.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), Multiple Jobholding, August 1997, Cat. no. 6216.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), Persons Not In the Labour Force, Australia, September 1997, Cat. no. 6220.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), Projections of the Populations of Australia, States and Territories, 1997 to 2051, Cat. no. 3222.0, Canberra.

—— (1998), Working Arrangements, Australia, 1997, Cat. no. 6342.0, ABS, Canberra.

—— (various years), Census of Population and Housing, Canberra.

—— (various years), Child Care, Australia, Cat. no. 4402.0, Canberra.

—— (various years), Deaths, Australia, Cat. no. 3302.0, Canberra.

—— (various years), Employee Earnings and Hours, Australia, Cat. no. 6306.0, Canberra.

—— (various years), Survey of Retirement and Retirement Intentions, Australia, Cat. no. 6238.0, Canberra.

—— (various years), The Labour Force, Australia, Cat. no. 6203.0, Canberra.

—— (various years), The Labour Force, Queensland, Cat. no. 6201.3, Brisbane.

—— (various years), Underemployed Workers, Australia, Cat. no. 6265.0, Canberra.

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (1997), SAAP National Data Collection, Queensland Annual Report, 1996–97, Canberra.

Centrelink (1998), DSS Customers, A Statistical Overview 1997, Canberra.

Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (various years), Selected Higher Education Student Statistics, Canberra.

Department of Families, Youth and Community Care (various years), Annual Report, Brisbane.

Education Queensland (1998), EdPers, September.

Godwin, D. D. & Marlowe, J. (1990), ‘Farm Wives’ Labour Force Participation and Earnings’, Rural Sociology, vol. 55, no. 1.

Gooday, J. (1995), Women on Farms: A Survey of Women on Australian Broadacre and Dairy Family Farms, 1993–94, ABARE research report, Canberra.

Government Statistician’s Office (1998), Profile of Employment in Queensland, Census 1996, Brisbane.

Government Statistician’s Office (1998), Violence in the Family, Queensland Crime Statistics Bulletin no. 1, Brisbane, April.

Health Insurance Commission (1997), Annual Report Statistical Tables, 1996–97, Canberra.

Legal Aid Queensland (1998), Annual Report 1997–98, Brisbane.

Office of the Status of Women (1997), Internet and Computer Usage, Australia, Final Report, report prepared by A C Nielsen McNair.

Office of Women’s Policy (1992), Women’s Experience of Crimes of Personal Violence: A Gender Analysis of the 1991 Queensland Crime Victim Survey, Brisbane.

Office of Women’s Policy & Government Statistician’s Office (1995), A Social and Economic Profile of Women in Queensland 1995, Brisbane.

Queensland Corrective Services Commission (various years), Annual Report, Brisbane.

Queensland Health (1993), Queensland Government Women’s Health Policy, Brisbane.

Queensland Health (1998), Medical Labour Force Survey, 1997, Brisbane.

Queensland Health (1998), Mothers and Babies: An Evidence Based Synthesis of Queensland Health Endorsed Documents, Brisbane.

Queensland Police Service (various years), Annual Report, Brisbane.

Randall, M. (1995), ‘Domestic Violence’, Alternative Law Journal, vol. 20, no. 1; Aboriginal Law Bulletin, vol. 3, no. 72.

Yellow Pages Australia (1996), Small Business Index, Special Report ‘Women’s Involvement in Small Business’, Australia, February.

 

 

Further information / enquiries

 

Websites

www.qldwoman.qld.gov.au (Office of Women’s Policy)

www.oesr.qld.gov.au (Office of Economic and Statistical Research)

www.deetya.gov.au (Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs)

www.health.gov.au (Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services)

www.families.qld.gov.au (Department of Family Services, Youth and Community Care

www.legalaid.qld.gov.au (Legal Aid Queensland)

 

Office of Women’s Policy
PO Box 390, Brisbane Albert Street Q 4002
Phone: (07) 3224 4062

Women’s Infolink (Statewide)
PO Box 316, Brisbane Albert Street Q 4002
Phone: 1800 177 577

Women’s Infolink (North Queensland)
PO Box 1073, Townsville Q 4810
Phone: (07) 1800 650 451

Women’s Infolink (Sunshine Coast)
101 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba Q 4557
Phone: 1800 243 201

Department of Communication and Information, Local Government and Planning
PO Box 31, Brisbane Albert Street Q 4002
Phone: (07) 3235 4312

Department of Emergency Services
GPO Box 1425, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3247 8787

Queensland Ambulance Service
Phone: 1300 369 003

Department of Employment, Training and Industrial Relations
GPO Box 69, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3225 2000


Department of Families, Youth and Community Care
GPO Box 806, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3224 8045

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs
Phone: (07) 3224 2518

Department of Justice and Attorney-General
GPO Box 149, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3239 3520

Department of Main Roads
GPO Box 1412, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3224 7473

Department of Mines and Energy
GPO Box 194, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3237 1527

Department of Natural Resources
Locked Bag 40, Coorparoo Delivery Centre Q 4151
Phone: (07) 3896 3111

Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 185, Brisbane Albert Street Q 4002
Phone: (07) 3225 8438

Department of Public Works and Housing
GPO Box 690, Brisbane Q 4001
Phone: (07) 3224 5248

Office of Economic and Statistical Research
PO Box 37, Brisbane Albert Street Q 4002
Phone: (07) 3224 5326

Last reviewed 16 February 2007