Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Parallel ...

Challenges in implementing Article 11High unemploymentUnemployment rates for our women remain unacceptably high and discrimination, lackof education and opportunities are very real barriers to employment.The participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the labour force islow in general. This situation is magnified in the case of women as the employment ratefor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in 2007 was only 47.9% compared to65.1% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males. 68 The unemployment rate forAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2006 was 16% compared to 5% for non-Indigenous people, with women having a slightly higher unemployment percentage thanmen. 69The Australian Government has initiated a new strategy, the Indigenous EconomicDevelopment Strategy, to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander unemploymentand to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to achieve economicindependence.Gender analysis is needed to address the unique challenges Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander women face in finding work. Our women face discrimination on the basisof their gender, race and culture. These multiple levels of discrimination, combined withthe low education levels and lack of availability of jobs in Aboriginal communities,makes the problem of finding work especially challenging for Aboriginal and TorresStrait Islander women.Major factors hindering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from accessingpaid employment include: the casualisation of many jobs in female dominated areas;increasingly unreasonable hours; the difficulty in managing the work/life balance; lack ofappropriate and accessible education and training opportunities; our women’sexperience of racism in every facet of their lives; and geographical remoteness forwomen in some communities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women often lackopportunities to break into paid employment, and face discrimination by employerswhen they do enter the paid work force. 70 As noted above (Article 10) our women nowhave higher rates of tertiary education than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men,and yet they remain under-employed or unemployed at much higher rates.Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP)The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) is an AustralianGovernment-funded program that is meant to provide activities for unemployedAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop work skills and move intoemployment. For statistical purposes, the Australian Bureau of Statistics classifiesCDEP participants as employed rather than as unemployed or not in the labour force.Many of the 'activities' are in fact essential roles in municipal services, health care,community services, education and other sectors that would be considered employment68 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Labour Force Characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Strait IslanderAustralians, 2007, (Canberra, 2008), CatalogueNo. 6287.069 ABS Health and Welfare Report 2008, above n 47, xxi.70 Women's Rights Action Network Australia, Our Rights, Our Voices: The Western AustralianCommunity Report on Women, (2004),.24.43