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Hi YWCA Canberra subscriber,
It's Children's Week, an annual event to bring the community's attention to children's rights and achievements.
At YWCA Canberra, we are sometimes asked why we run early childhood and school age care services and how that links to our goals. For us, the feminist impact is two-fold: enabling parents to participate in the workforce and ensuring the next generations have access to the quality education needed to understand and respect equality.
YWCA Canberra began offering early childhood education and care services in the 1970s. This was a response to the changing social landscape in Canberra, with more women entering the workforce. As noted in 1981 by our then-Acting President Margaret Geddes, providing quality childhood education and care "frees women to pursue other activities to help them develop their full potential."
Our services have evolved and expanded significantly since then, with us now running six early childhood services and 12 school age care services. But at the heart of it, our rationale in providing children's services continues to be meeting our vision of "Girls and women thriving".
Women's workforce participation
Although women make up around 51 per cent of the Australian population, they comprise only 47.4 per cent of all employed people. They are also over-represented in part-time and casual work.
In a 2018–19 ABS study, unemployed and underemployed people were asked why they weren’t able to start a job or work more hours. The most common reason for women was 'caring for children' (48 per cent), but this was a barrier for only 3.2 per cent of men.
When asked about what would incentivise people to return to the workplace or increase hours, the most common responses were related to childhood education and care. These responses were heavily skewed towards women: half the women surveyed stated there should be greater access to childhood services and more financial assistance with the associated costs. This is one reason YWCA Canberra's advocacy platform includes calls for increased access to early childhood services, including extending funding for universal access to three-year-old children.
It's no secret that the primary care of children is heavily gendered in Australia, with only 6.5 per cent of all primary carer's leave being taken by men.
It is easy to put this down to our society struggling with outdated gender roles about parenting, which is certainly a major contributing factor. However, a significant reason it has been so difficult to achieve a more equal division of care is unequal paid parental leave.
The Australian Government's paid parental leave scheme has a stark gendered disparity in leave periods. The 'birth mother' can access up to 18 weeks of leave, while the father or partner gets up to two weeks, paid at the national minimum wage. This payment rate is one of the lowest in the OECD, and the scheme provides for only a quarter of the OECD average period of paid leave for the father or partner.
Although the number of employers offering parental leave in addition to the government scheme has been increasing over the years, it is often unpaid or only paid for short periods, leaving people dependent on the government payments.
From a financial perspective, it only makes sense for many couples for the person giving birth to take that additional leave and be the primary carer for the child. The short leave period for partners makes it difficult for both parents/guardians to have the time at home to bond with the child and develop equal caring arrangements. This then reinforces the disproportionate load on women to be primary carers.
Unsurprisingly, fathers/partners use more parental leave when entitlements are generous and when policies offer flexibility.
At YWCA Canberra, we are proud to have an equal paid parental leave scheme for both parents/guardians. We call on more organisations and the Australian Government to do the same.
Developing gender equality in our next generations
As we noted in a previous ENews, early childhood education positively impacts a child's entire life.
Children's brains develop connections faster in the first five years than at any other time in their lives, so these years set the foundations and frameworks for their future learning. During these years, children also develop their social skills and perspectives about the world around them, including gender roles and stereotypes. According to UN Women, children start absorbing stereotypes by age three. This causes the world to expand for boys and shrink for girls by age ten.
To create a more gender-equal society, we need to begin positively influencing children's perspectives from an early age.
As noted in a blog post by YWCA Vancouver, children develop through observation and imitation, so they need positive role models. This makes early childhood services an important setting for promoting gender equality.
In our children's services, our educators apply a gendered lens when developing their educational programming, to ensure they provide equal opportunity and encouragement to children of all genders as they develop their physical, mental and social skills. This includes how we interact with and speak about families, through actions like acknowledging and reinforcing the roles of fathers as parents.
This gendered lens also influences our work to help children develop their sense of identity. Our early childhood services have a strong focus on developing autonomy, both bodily autonomy where children can exercise their consent in an age-appropriate way, and empowering them to pursue their interests and make decisions about their wants and needs. We aim to ensure the children in our services grow up to understand their rights and have the skills to enforce them in healthy ways.
Through this work, we are helping develop an inclusive generation of young people who respect diversity and are committed to gender equality.
"To all the early childhood educators I have ever known, you should know that you've changed my life."
Tarla Lambert in Women's Agenda
What's happening at YWCA Canberra
Stealthing explicitly criminalised in the ACT
We were delighted to see that the ACT Government passed legislation to explicitly include stealthing (the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex) in the Criminal Code.
YWCA Canberra provided a submission to the ACT Government on this legislation, citing data from a survey we conducted of local young women and non-binary people. This survey found a degree of confusion among young Canberra women on the issue of stealthing and its criminal status. It also found that too many young women and non-binary people are not receiving sufficient education to fully understand consent as an evolving agreement.
Although this legislation is a significant step, YWCA Canberra also calls for the law reforms to be reinforced with broader community campaigning, including adequate, evidence-based respect and sexuality education.
ACT Budget
YWCA Canberra welcomed some of the measures outlined in the recent ACT Budget, including increased funding for Specialist Homelessness Services and $19 million towards renewing and growing public housing. However, we remain concerned that insufficient action is being taken in the short term to address the major shortfall in affordable and social housing in Canberra.
A safe home is the foundation for a healthy and flourishing life. Our Community Services staff commonly see that their clients' lives change for the better as soon as they have a safe home with rent they can afford.
YWCA Canberra will continue advocating on this issue so that all people can have safe housing.
Education and training updates: new courses, new online platform!
It has been a busy lockdown period in our Education and Training Unit staff as they prepared for both a new online learning system and to start offering revised Certificate III and Diploma qualifications in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC).
These new nationally recognised qualifications have just been approved by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), so we can now offer the most up-to-date training in ECEC.
We know there is a significant shortfall of ECEC educators in this growing sector and are dedicated to building a pipeline of qualified and confident ECEC professionals as part of our work to address gender inequality.
At YWCA Canberra, we focus on our students’ needs and support them to achieve their career development goals. Our courses are designed to be accessible and inclusive for people who have English as a second language or who find reading a challenge.
We also offer wrap-around supports through our Community Services programs that can help students overcome barriers to their training and work performance.
Combined with our supportive trainers, this has resulted in our student completion rate being over 70 per cent, when the ACT VET sector average is around 40 per cent.
The timing of our first intakes of the new courses will depend on government funding decisions taking place in November, but you can express your interest now by contacting training@ywca-canberra.org.au.
RTO 1373
Last chance to have your voice heard through our survey!
Our survey of Canberra women and non-binary persons is closing soon!
Thank you to everyone who has taken the survey and lent their voice to our advocacy work to progress gender equality in Canberra. We have been so pleased with the response, having surpassed the 1100 responses we got for our last survey.
If you haven't taken the survey, it's not too late! It should only take around five minutes, and everyone who does the survey before 29 October and leaves their email address in the last question goes into the draw to win a feminist book pack!
Children's Week in our children's services
Our early childhood educators are so excited to have Children's Week coincide with the easing of ACT Government restrictions allowing more children to return to our services.
This year's theme is 'Children have the right to choose their own friends and safely connect with others', based on Article 15 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Each of our services has prepared special events for children and their families as they all reunite:
- Campbell Cottage will be running science experiments and exhibitions across the service.
- Conder Early Childhood Service is holding a teddy bear picnic and a dress-up day, bonding over messy play and ending the week with a Halloween party.
- Currawong Early Childhood Service will have a day focusing on multiculturalism, a sports day and a chance to dress up as book characters.
- Fairley Early Childhood Service will be encouraging children to bond and collaborate on the spring planting of their gardens, and will provide seed packets for children to take the experience home to their families.
- Spence Children's Cottage is holding a 'bring your friend (favourite toy)' picnic and a dress-up day where children can be whoever they want to be.
- Winyu Early Childhood Service has dress-up days, crazy hair, face painting, and a dance party planned.
With schools in the ACT not going back until 1 November, our school age care programs will be celebrating Children's Week later in the year.
Upcoming events
Start investing
Looking to invest but haven’t got a clue on how to start? Perhaps you’ve never pictured yourself as an investor?
On Tuesday 16 November, join experienced investment manager, Angela Koch as she hosts our virtual She Leads workshop, Let’s invest: starting a share portfolio. This workshop is the perfect introductory course to investing, and will teach you the basics of how to start your own portfolio.
When: 6 to 8pm, 16 November 2021
Where: Online
Cost: $25 YWCA Canberra members, $30 non-members
She Leads Diploma information session
At YWCA Canberra, we want to empower you to be a values-based leader who creates positive outcomes through sharing, consensus and strong relationships.
Our She Leads Diploma of Leadership and Management builds upon a traditional Diploma of Leadership and Management (BSB50420) by acknowledging and addressing the perspectives, challenges and opportunities for women and non-binary people in leadership.
Through the course, you will have the opportunity to gain the best-practice skills, theoretical knowledge, and networks to accelerate your leadership journey, in a safe and supportive environment.
Through our exciting and inspiring panels and experienced facilitators, you will also develop networks with women leaders who are experts in their field.
Our next intake starts on 15 November and we have a range of information sessions coming up to find out more.
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Fair Day: Pride in the Virtual Park 2021
The annual Fair Day Pride in the Park is Canberra's biggest LGBTIQA+ community event and celebrates Canberra's wonderful and diverse LGBTIQA+ communities.
Due to the COVID-19 situation in Canberra, Meridian and SpringOUT are holding a virtual Fair Day event this year.
Hosted by Etcetera Etcetera, the event will include a full program of performances and stalls from local organisations, including YWCA Canberra. There will also be a Virtual Rainbow Pet Parade.
When: 4 to 7pm, 29 October
Where: online
Cost: free
ANU Gender Institute presents The Travels of Intersectionality
Inspired by Sara Ahmed's provocative reversal of 'travelling theory' in feminism, this session will focus on how the notion of 'intersectionality' emerged in feminist theory and practice within social movements, where and when it was named and how it has travelled.
When: 5pm, 28 October 2021
Where: online
Cost: free
The 14th Annual Rubik3 CWB Gala Awards
It's time to celebrate our outstanding women in business in what's been another challenging year. This online event will include entertainment and best-dressed prizes, along with the opportunity to #supportlocal by ordering special CWB food & beverage packages.
When: 6.30 to 9pm, 28 October
Where: online
Cost: $25 to $30
Gender creative parenting author talk
As part of the SpringOut Festival, Libraries ACT is presenting a discussion with Dr Kyl Myers, author of Raising Them. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in learning about gender creative parenting or looking to re-examine their own relationship with gender in a culture where the paradigm of binary gender is shifting.
Kyl invites us on her journey and asks us to consider and challenge traditional childhood gender socialisation in the hopes of making the world a more inclusive and equitable place for future generations.
When: 10am, 6 November
Where: online
Cost: free
Trail Tutorials: Smart Women Choose Sustainable Fashion
Join host Dr Rebecca Huntley (ABC RN The History Listen) for a 60-minute panel session featuring an inspiring line-up of seriously smart and eco-stylish women talking all things fashion, sustainability and second-hand.
When: 4.30 to 5.30pm, 6 November
Where: online
Cost: free
Launch of Not Very Quiet: The anthology
Over the last five years, from the #Me Too Movement to same-sex marriage, from devastating bush fires to the global pandemic, the online poetry journal Not Very Quiet has dedicated itself to publishing women’s voices from across the globe.
Not Very Quiet: The anthology selects poetry that has given voice to the social conscience of the community, constructions of lesbian and queer, the challenges posed to the social construction of gender, as well as the complexities and possibilities of the human condition.
Join the virtual launch of the anthology on Zoom.
When: 7 to 9pm, 25 November
Where: online
Cost: free
Opportunities
Vacancy: Caseworker – Aboriginal Identified
Karinya House is seeking to build its 'Care Team' through the recruitment of a Caseworker - Aboriginal - Identified.
This is a 12-month fixed-term contract but may be extended for up to two years, depending on funding.
Applications close 29 October 2021.
Tune Up! 2021 Mentorship program
Girls Rock! Canberra is offering Tune Up! mentorship and advice sessions for young people of marginalised gender identities including women, non-binary folk and trans-men (aged 15 to 20 years).
This is an opportunity for emerging musicians and young people to connect with established members of the music community and learn from their experiences.
The mentors are musicians and music industry professionals, who are passionate about passing on knowledge and experience to the next generation of musicians and creatives.
Participation is free, and sessions will take place throughout November via Zoom.
Applications close 1 November.
National Careers Institute Partnership Grants Program
The National Careers Institute (NCI) was established to ensure people have access to authoritative and accurate careers information and support irrespective of their age or career stage.
NCI is seeking applications for grants of between $20,000 and $350,000 for projects to help women of working age reach their full career potential, and improve local career guidance services for women.
Applications close 2 December 2021.
Celebrating outsanding Canberra women
Nominations are now open for the 2022 ACT Women's Awards and Honour Roll. Each year, the Women's Awards recognise an:
- ACT Woman of the Year
- ACT Young Woman of the Year
- ACT Senior Woman of the Year.
The ACT Women's Honour Roll will also be updated this year.
If you know a woman who has made a significant contribution to the lives of women and girls in the ACT, celebrate their achievements by nominating them.
Nominations close on 3 December 2021.
Resources
The ACT Children First Alliance is a network of longstanding not-for-profit providers of children's services in the ACT, of which YWCA Canberra is a founding member. We advocate for greater access to and recognition of early childhood education and care.
Do you want to find out more about the link between the gendered distribution of caring work and unequal outcomes in workforce participation, job opportunities, and pay? The Workplace Gender Equality Agency had a great paper on it.
KPMG released modelling in April about what it would look like to have the combined 20 weeks of Australian Government parental leave be more flexibly paid between two parents, to improve gender equality.
