Women are more likely to experience domestic violence, financial abuse and food insecurity, with many relying on the charity sector to help lift them out of vulnerable situations.
Helena Jakupovic, General Manager of the Financial Wellbeing Collective, which partners with not-for-profits including Anglicare WA and Uniting WA, explained that women across the board are financially disadvantaged with a range of factors driving economic inequality.
“Women experiencing family domestic violence are particularly financially vulnerable as often the economic abuse extends to the family’s finances,” she said.
“Today’s economic environment provides extra challenges for women wanting to escape family domestic violence situations. A lack of housing options and affordability of rent due to the state’s housing crisis creates a huge hurdle for women seeking to escape violence.
“The cost-of-living crisis creates a barrier for women seeking to leave as the prospect of having to solely take on the household’s expenses, especially when there are children involved, can be completely overwhelming. These are all considerations of why women remain in a situation, as financially they may be adversely impacted by leaving.”
The Financial Wellbeing Collective reports 9 per cent of clients who experience family violence are women, however they believe the figure to be much higher. “Fear and stigma play into this and for some women, particularly those from diverse backgrounds, they may not recognise what they are experiencing is financial abuse and a form of family violence,” Ms Jakupovic said.
Helena Jakupovic, General Manager of the Financial Wellbeing Collective.
There are several socioeconomic factors fuelling women’s economic inequality, which can include women being in lower paid roles and being financially dependent on men for basic living costs including housing and household expenses. Women are also usually child carers which can limit their ability to seek full-time employment.
Some women are in situations where they are financially controlled or manipulated by their partner. “Financial abuse is underpinned by someone trying to control another person’s access to money which can look like withholding money, providing an allowance, or controlling how the household income is spent,” Ms Jakupovic said.
Ms Jakupovic explained empowering women with financial knowledge is central to helping women improve their financial security and independence.
“Building women’s financial knowledge can be supported through financial literacy programs and financial coaching, services the Financial Wellbeing Collective delivers as part of enhancing the community’s financial resilience and wellbeing,” she said.
“Financial literacy and coaching can empower women with knowledge and the confidence to change their money story to help them build resilience to begin a new chapter.”
Fighting food insecurity
Women in Australia are 50 per cent more likely to experience food insecurity than men, and women experiencing domestic violence are 50 per cent more likely to experience food insecurity compared to other women, Foodbank data reveals.
This challenge is even more acute in regional and remote communities, where the cost of living is higher and access to essential services is limited.
There are 388,000 households in Western Australia facing food insecurity, and two thirds seeking help are women, according to Foodbank WA.
"For many women, food insecurity is more than just an empty stomach. It’s a barrier to opportunity, safety and hope. By offering regular and reliable access to food, women can plan for the future, not just their next meal,” Kate O’Hara, CEO of Foodbank WA, explained.
Foodbank WA provides food relief to 388,000 hungry households across the state, the majority women.
Because women are significantly more likely at some time in their lives to have experienced domestic violence or financial abuse or to have raised children on their own for an extended time, they can be more susceptible to financial difficulty and food stress.
“Imagine fleeing abuse with nothing but the clothes on your back. Food relief immediately takes the pressure off by providing space to breathe and time to plan your next move. Through food relief, we can help give women the strength and energy they need to break free from cycles of poverty and violence. It’s an essential first step, but empowering women financially unlocks a future free from fear and dependence,” Ms O’Hara said.
Despite providing food relief for an average of 653 Western Australian households every day, Foodbank data shows that the charity network is still not able to meet demand. “There has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of individuals accessing food relief in the last quarter alone, but to keep up we need to boost our monthly intake of fruit and vegetable donations by 60 per cent,” Ms O’Hara said.
By Hearts and Minds
