Gender analysis makes the impacts of a proposal transparent so that government can make informed decisions about policy and investment to address gaps and drive improvements for gender equality. It is a tool for:

• assessing whether a policy or budget proposal has implications for gender equality, or differentiated or disproportionate impacts based on gender and intersectional considerations
• designing actions to improve the impacts of a proposal and mitigate risk, which meet both the primary goals of the proposal and drive improvements for gender equality
• ensuring proposals address the needs of people in all their diversity and build a stronger, fairer and more inclusive society
• providing decision-makers evidence-based information on who a proposal impacts and how it impacts them, and the overall impact of a proposal on gender equality.

A finding that a proposal has potentially adverse impacts on gender equality, or differentiated or disproportionate gendered impacts, does not in itself mean that proposal is viewed as negative or will not be agreed. Rather, the key objective of gender analysis is to promote transparency, acknowledge potential risks and support informed and accountable decision‑making.

What is a gendered impact?

A proposal may have a gendered impact if it has different or disproportionate impacts based on gender, that is, the proposal affects women and men differently. A gendered impact may occur because of gender norms, biological differences or structural inequalities. For example, reforms in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector often have differing impacts on men and women. The ECEC workforce is women-dominated, with women comprising approximately 92% of the sector, so proposals that seek to strengthen and value the workforce are likely to have a disproportionately positive impact on women. Changes to strengthen the ECEC system more broadly tend to benefit families by supporting greater choice around workforce participation and by helping parents balance unpaid work and caregiving responsibilities – this particularly benefits mothers as they undertake more unpaid care.

A disproportionate gendered impact may also occur because of existing inequalities or patterns of behaviour. For instance, 78% of single parents in Australia are women (ABS, Labour Force Status of Families). This means that while women and men receive the same rate of Parenting Payment, a change in the rate or eligibility will have a disproportionate impact on women.

Why is gender analysis important?

Whether a proposal has a gendered impact may not be immediately obvious. Pre-existing gender gaps mean that proposals can unintentionally exacerbate or perpetuate inequality. For example, the Australian labour market is highly gender-segregated by industry and occupation, so industry investments are likely to predominantly benefit either women or men.

Gender analysis can help policy makers design proposals that partially or fully mitigate unintended gendered impacts, and introduce actions to improve gender equality outcomes. Gender analysis is also used to boost a proposal’s positive impacts on gender equality or ameliorate negative impacts, such as by targeting support to women with diverse and intersecting experiences or encouraging increased men’s workforce participation in the care and community sector. This helps ensure government policy and investment benefits all people.

When to conduct gender analysis?

Policy makers are required to conduct gender analysis for all Cabinet Submissions and NPPs brought forward to Cabinet and its Committees.

Policy makers use the analysis findings to self-assess the proposal against the 4 criteria for Gender Impact Assessment (see Appendix A). A Gender Impact Assessment is required for proposals that meet one or more of the criteria.