When you ask Australian women what they want, the message that comes through loud and clear is that we’re clamouring for equality. From Tasmania to Townsville, we want equal opportunities, a chance to pursue careers without being penalised for having children and, most crucially, equal pay. As one woman said, “We’ve been fighting for centuries; the women of the future shouldn’t have to fight still.”
This was one of the findings of our 2023 Voice of Australian Women Survey, which canvassed the thoughts and experiences of more than 5000 women aged 18 years and up from all walks of life. It followed on from landmark surveys by The Weekly in 1980 and later in 2007.
We also heard that women want an end to violence. The survey laid bare an unacceptable rate of coercive control, as well as physical, sexual and financial abuse. We learned a lot about the views and interests of women, and how priorities have changed since our first survey more than 40 years ago. When we consider the answers we’ve heard over the decades, there’s cause to cheer about our progress. But it’s also clear there’s
