Gender focus needed to tackle the nation’s big issues: philanthropists
Posted on 30 Apr 2024
As Australians take to the streets to demand more action to prevent violence against women, and a…
Posted on 30 Apr 2024
By Matthew Schulz, journalist
As Australians take to the streets to demand more action to prevent violence against women, and a myriad of studies show the rate of homelessness for women is rocketing, a who’s who of Australian philanthropy welcomed a ground-breaking study into the power of a "gender lens" to drive change.
The Melbourne Social Equity Institute and Australians Investing in Women last week released twin publications, funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation, that use a “gender lens” to analyse how philanthropy can address some of the nation’s most pressing social issues.
The publications are:
The framework lays out the method for applying a gender lens to partnerships and includes easy-to-follow guidelines taking organisations from the point of collaboration to post-project evaluation. The framework is aimed at helping any philanthropic organisation.
The case studies explore how that framework can be applied to examples of housing involving philanthropic partnerships aimed at women and gender minority groups. They include Viv’s Place, an apartment building for 60 families in Melbourne’s southeast, and the My Home project, which comprises a group of 18 small pre-fab homes for women over 55 in Fremantle in WA.
Australian Investing In Women (AIIW) chief executive Julie Reilly said that the project had the potential to improve the lot of all Australians.
“A gender lens can be used as a tool to hear from and empower people experiencing inequity and improves outcomes for everyone, not just women,” she said.
"Small but significant changes that bring women and girls into focus can maximise the impact of philanthropic investments in community and help create a fairer future.”
A high-powered panel comprising Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp, AIIW board member and CSIRO chief Doug Hilton, the Paul Ramsay Foundation’s chief of alliances, Liz Yeo, and Melbourne Social Equity Institute director Jo Barraket engaged in a robust debate on the significance of the new resource before an audience of scores of the nation’s top philanthropists.
Asked why such a resource was necessary, Professor Jo Barraket told the audience, “the case has been made, but justice hasn’t been achieved,” citing the 13% gender pay gap and the fact that women-led households experience poverty at twice the rate of men-led households as just two examples that came to mind.
She said a gender lens was a powerful tool for philanthropists and their partners.
"The lenses through which we view the world affect what we prioritise, who we see and what levers we pull to create positive change. Increasingly, such change relies on partnerships and collaboration to bring the best combination of resources, experience and will to solving wicked problems."
The Lord Mayor told the audience she had witnessed startling growth in homelessness among women in Melbourne, and while she was excited by the promise of the report, change would not be easy.
“One of the biggest barriers is that we’re not willing to have what are often uncomfortable … and sometimes ferocious discussions to challenge the status quo,” Ms Capp said.
“I believe that this research is going to help us by forming the right sorts of alliances, by measuring and giving guidance on how we can work better together.”
Ms Yeo drew on a past role with Shelter NSW to cite the example of an attempted open day for homeless people that attracted largely men from rooming houses, mostly because hoped-for female clients did not feel safe to turn up to an event dominated by men.
Professor Hilton drew parallels with the nation’s scientific endeavours, noting “there are no meaningful problems nationally that we can work on alone”.
He said Australians were increasingly discussing and valuing intersectionality and diversity in their organisations. “Applying a gender lens isn’t just about equality, it’s about better outcomes for everyone.”
Posted on 30 Apr 2024
As Australians take to the streets to demand more action to prevent violence against women, and a…
Posted on 06 Mar 2024
SmartyGrants’ leaders were blown away by the enthusiasm and expertise of New Zealand’s best…
Posted on 06 Mar 2024
Australia’s only foundation aimed at building the resilience of rural and regional communities has…
Posted on 06 Mar 2024
Philanthropic funding for environmental and climate change causes is increasingly rapidly, but not…
Posted on 05 Mar 2024
A Melbourne council has broken new ground by revealing details of an early evaluation of its grants…
Posted on 05 Mar 2024
As the anniversary of the federal government’s push to increase its commitment to good evaluation…
Posted on 05 Mar 2024
Recent developments related to grants investigations and findings, regularly updated.
Posted on 20 Feb 2024
A Brisbane public relations firm has handed $30,000 worth of free campaign work to four charities.
Posted on 07 Feb 2024
Cumberland City Council in the western suburbs of Sydney has enhanced the economic capacity of the…
Posted on 05 Feb 2024
Early adopters of the SmartyGrants Outcomes Engine have given an emphatic thumbs up to their early…
Posted on 05 Dec 2023
A young, fast-growing consultancy has won Australia’s most prestigious award for social impact…
Posted on 10 Nov 2023
SmartyGrants has urged the federal government to make a major “technological and cultural shift” in…