International Women’s Day 2026: Balancing the scales for safe homes

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a moment to celebrate the strength, leadership and contribution of women across Australia – our mothers, daughters, colleagues and the women who turn to Mission Australia for support. It’s also a moment to reflect on where the scales are still tipped against women, and what it will take to rebalance them.

At Mission Australia, women are central to everything we do. Women lead our organisation, make up the majority of our workforce, and are on the frontline delivering housing, homelessness and community services. Every day, we work alongside women who are rebuilding their lives amidst housing instability, poverty and trauma – and whose courage and determination continue to inspire us. Together with the women we support, our partners and communities, we're focused not just on responding to crisis, but on building hope, stability and real possibility for the future.

Balancing the scales means moving from intention to action

This year’s International Women’s Day theme set by UN Women Australia, “Balance the Scales,” is a reminder that equality doesn’t happen by chance. It requires deliberate choices and sustained action. Particularly in systems like housing and income support, where the impacts of inequality are most obvious.

Right now, the scales aren’t balanced for too many women, particularly the women Mission Australia serves. We see on the frontline how lower incomes, rising living costs, housing insecurity, and family and domestic violence continue to limit women’s safety, independence and opportunities.

The growing reality of women’s homelessness

Across Australia, women are becoming homeless in increasing numbers.

Women aged 55 and over are one of the fastest growing groups experiencing homelessness. At Mission Australia, the number of women in this age group seeking our support has more than doubled since 2020. Many have spent decades working, caring for families or supporting others, only to find themselves without a secure home due to many circumstances including low superannuation, rising rents, ill health, job loss or relationship breakdown.

For these women, even a small life shock can flip the scales from stability into crisis.

When violence and housing insecurity intersect

Family and domestic violence remains one of the leading causes of homelessness for women. Over the past five years, the number of women escaping violence and turning to Mission Australia for help has also more than doubled.

Too often, women are forced to choose between staying in unsafe situations or facing homelessness. A severe shortage of genuinely affordable housing, combined with inadequate income support, makes leaving violence far harder than it should be. Balancing the scales means ensuring safety does not come at the cost of homelessness.

Women’s stories: belief, safety and a place to call home

Behind these statistics are women with courage, hope and determination. Women like Laura, who needed someone to believe in her as she rebuilt her life after housing instability. And women like those supported through our Easter Appeal, including young women who have experienced violence, hardship or the challenges of leaving care. With a safe place to stay and tailored support from Mission Australia, they’re rebuilding confidence, independence and a sense of control over their future.

These stories show what’s possible when women are met with belief, safety and the right support. If you’re able to, support Mission Australia through a donation, you can help people like Laura and Hayma find safety, stability and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

What needs to change to truly balance the scales

As CEO of Mission Australia, I make it my business to advocate for policies that address the ways inequality affects women particularly in housing, homelessness and poverty. Advocacy for a fairer Australia must sit alongside the work our frontline services do, if we are serious about long-term change.

To rebalance the system, Australia needs to:

• Ensure at least 1 in 10 new homes are social or affordable, so people and families on low and modest incomes have a real chance of securing safe, long-term housing.
• Create a National Housing and Homelessness Plan that prioritises prevention and stability, not just crisis response.
• Establish a $500 million Homelessness Prevention Transformation Fund to shift our system from crisis response to early intervention and prevention.
• Increase JobSeeker and other income support payments to at least $589 a week to help people including women cover the basics and stay housed.
• Increase the maximum thresholds of Commonwealth Rent Assistance (CRA) by 60% to better support struggling renters.

These changes would help prevent homelessness, hardship and poverty before it starts, and benefit everyone.

Practising gender equality within Mission Australia

Balancing the scales also means looking inward. At Mission Australia, we’re committed to gender equality in our own workplace.

Our median gender pay gap is 5.3%, and we know there is more to do. We’ve undertaken a detailed gender pay analysis and are taking targeted action to close this gap. This includes increasing women’s representation in leadership, supporting flexible work, and strengthening pay and leave.

This includes reproductive health leave, increased domestic and family violence leave, enhanced parental leave, wellbeing days, salary increases and improved flexibility, alongside a continued focus on creating a safe, inclusive and respectful culture for everyone.

Real change takes intention, courage and sustained effort, and we remain committed to doing this important work.

A call to action this International Women’s Day

This International Women’s Day, let’s turn intentions into action. Every woman should have a safe home, feel supported and have access to opportunities to lead their best lives. Together, we can make that happen.