Australian women are increasingly alarmed about the state of women’s safety globally, with one in two believing the world is less safe for women than it was five years ago.
The concern is matched by a demand for action, with three in four Australians saying women’s safety should be prioritised above other global issues, including two in five who believe it should be a “much higher” priority.
The findings come from new YouGov research commissioned by women and girls’ organisation CARE Australia, marking International Women’s Day.
Nine in 10 Australians agree that countries like Australia have a responsibility to support efforts to improve women’s safety globally.
“The findings paint a stark picture of Australians’ perceptions of women’s safety globally,” says Dr Athena Nguyen, Gender Lead at CARE Australia.
“Five years ago, we were riding the wave of the ‘Me Too’ movement. However, since then, it seems progress has gone backwards, and it’s not hard to see why.
“At home here in Australia, rates of domestic violence aren’t going down, and in many countries around the world, we’re also witnessing the rollback of women’s rights. Additionally, last year we saw cuts to aid budgets from major economies, which has left many programs keeping women and girls safe, drastically underfunded.”
Looking ahead, 42 per cent of Australians said they felt optimistic about progress for women’s safety over the next five years, but one in four felt pessimistic. Another 30 per cent were neutral in their outlook.
Australians identified gender-based violence, both in the home and in communities, as the biggest threat to women’s safety, alongside entrenched social and cultural attitudes towards women.
Globally, we know women are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, which is exacerbated in times of conflict, disasters, poverty and hunger.
Some key stats to know about women’s safety globally:
- One in three women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence, most commonly by an intimate partner.
- Maternal mortality is over 40 times higher in unstable regions than in more stable developing countries.
- One in two women who die during pregnancy lives in a conflict‑affected area.
- Women are 14 times more likely to die in an emergency.
- More than 600 million women and girls are living in conflict zones, a 50% increase over the past decade.
CARE works to improve the safety of women and girls through violence prevention training, access to food, water and shelter, and emergency support.
To mark International Women’s Day, CARE Australia has launched its Safety in Numbers campaign, calling on Australians to stand with women who face threats to their safety.
Women’s Agenda has also partnered with CARE Australia to launch our own dedicated platform designed to humanise global gender data and showcase the impact of collective leadership.
“The research we conducted with the Australian public confirms what we have been witnessing for a while now at CARE. Women’s safety globally is under threat, and more needs to be done,” says CARE Australia CEO, Morgana Ryan.
“This International Women’s Day, we’re calling for Australians to help women everywhere live free from harm and to support long‑term, community‑driven safety and resilience. The numbers can be hard to confront, but we can come together in our own numbers. Stand up and be counted this IWD and be her Safety in Numbers.”
Women’s Agenda has partnered with CARE Australia on supporting their Safety in Numbers campain, and will discuss the above figures at a dinner in Melbourne on Thursday to mark International Women’s Day.