Whatever happens this election, women aren’t all that confident that we’ll be much better off.
And that comes after 63% of us believe we’re already ‘worse off’ since the Abbott Government won power in 2013.
According to our Women’s Agenda poll, almost a quarter (24.42%) of us believe women will be ‘worse off’ following the next Federal election. The majority (70.47%) believe women will be “about the same” while just 5.12% believe women will be “better off”.
As for key policy areas of concern to respondents, climate change came out on top — with 45% listing it as a ‘top three’ policy priority area, out of 15 options presented. This was followed by family violence and education (both on 33%), the gender pay gap (31%), healthcare (30%), same-sex marriage (28%), housing affordability (20%), women in leadership (20%) and childcare (19%).
Asked to list other areas of concern, many noted human rights, the more humane treatment of asylum seekers, elder care, and the environment more broadly (beyond climate change).
So which of the three major parties have presented the best policies for women? According to those surveyed The Greens come up well ahead (48.37%) followed by Labor (39.30%) and finally the Coalition (12.33%).
When questioned who was their ‘preferred prime minister’ out of Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten, 57% ticked Shorten, while 43% said Turnbull. This particular question prompted feedback from some respondents, noting a ‘neither’ option should have been offered.
While the majority of us think women are “worse off” since the last election, just 5% think we’re “better off” and 32% said “no different”.
Interestingly, that last election was one in which Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme became a signature policy. Less than 15% of respondents listed parental leave as a top three policy concern this election.
Our online poll was pushed out to Women’s Agenda readers as well as women on Facebook for five days from Monday the 21st March, and received 430 completed responses.