Our mission at 100 Women is to enable everyday people to be involved in creating a world where all women and girls can live safely with access to health, education and economic freedom. We are investing in women and girls to achieve gender equality. Achieving gender equality means that one’s rights or opportunities do not depend on being male or female.
Unfortunately a fundamental lack of respect for women and girls still exists. The lack of respect for women and girls is not a second or third world issue, or an issue for developing countries, or an issue for certain cultures or religions. The lack of respect for women and girls is a global issue. The lack of respect for women and girls is a global human rights issue.
As a result, women and girls continue to be significantly disadvantaged in relation to the realisation of many human rights and opportunities simply because of their gender.
Australia remains the only developed nation without comprehensive constitutional or legislative protection of human rights. In Australia, women tend to take responsibility for the unpaid work of managing families and caring for children, limiting their participation in paid work. As a result they are more dependent on others for financial maintenance and more vulnerable to poverty. This dependence also leaves them vulnerable to domestic abuse – one in three Australian women experiences physical or sexual violence in their adult life and the majority of this abuse is perpetrated by someone they know. Approximately half of female homicide victims are killed as a result of a domestic dispute. The leading cause of homelessness among women in Australia is domestic violence. And older Australian women are two and a half times more likely to live in poverty than men.
100 Women is bringing the voices and needs of women and girls to the table for social change. At 100 Women, we ask our members to step up, raise the bar and help create the future of women-led change. Will you join us?
