This report pinpoints stark differences between female and male responses to the Mission Australia Youth Survey 2018, highlighting that more females than males were concerned about almost every topic in the survey.

Females make up just over half of the Australian population. While women compromise roughly half of all employees in Australia, they take home on average nearly $250 less than men each week.  The national gender ‘pay gap’ stands at 15.3% and has been this way for the past two decades.

Achievements have been made in educational attainment for females, while the areas of economic participation and opportunity and political empowerment are areas for improvement. At universities, in workplaces, in boardrooms and in government, a growing number of women have taken on leadership roles. Despite this progress, Australia was ranked 35th out of 144 countries in 2017 (declining from 15th in 2006) for gender equality, mainly due to relatively low scores for workforce participation, wage equality and the number of women in Federal Parliament and ministerial positions. Women and girls continue to experience inequality and discrimination in many important parts of their lives, which can limit their future chances and opportunities.

Our findings in fact demonstrate that females are more likely than males to report the presence of numerous barrier/s that stand in the way of them achieving their study/work goals after school, moving out of home in the future as well as finding a job.

In terms of young people’s perceptions of trust and safety, females were less likely to agree that people in their local area could be trusted; less likely to feel comfortable using public spaces; and less likely to feel safe walking alone after dark. Consequently, females are less likely to be able to access the same opportunities as their male counterparts.