Community engagement refers to interaction that a person has with others in their community and the community as a whole. Community engagement provides the opportunity for social connectedness, which enables people to achieve shared goals. Social connectedness is linked not only to the health of individuals but to the health of communities. Because of the ways gender roles have traditionally been defined, community engagement has meant different things for women and men. In some engagements, women and men contribute equally, but in other areas, such as volunteering or giving support, women and men engage differently.
Some information about women and community connectedness includes:
- Between 2001 and 2003, 83% of women had some time in paid work, compared to 95% for men.
- Almost double the percentage of women than men had spent time ‘not in the labour force’ (40% and 21% respectively). These differences are partly attributed to the demands of childrearing, which still rest more heavily with women.
- 84% of Victorian women surveyed report having access to a vehicle and being able to travel to places they need to.
- One in three Victorians report volunteering in a local group, with women aged 35-44 the highest category doing this, followed by women aged 45-54.
- 35% of women volunteered in the last twelve months, just over 5% more than men. Women are reported to spend more time volunteering than men overall, and while men generally volunteer with sporting/recreational organisations, women volunteer with education/training organisations.
- Work performed in a voluntary capacity appears to mirror social gender roles, with women more likely to serve food than men (39% and 22% respectively), and men almost three times more likely than women to perform repairs, maintenance and gardening work, and twice as likely to coach and referee.
- Another way of giving time is through support, and 31% of women reported giving others emotional support, where only 19% of men did the same.
- Sport is also a way women participate in community, with a similar number of women and men participating in sport or some form of recreational activity (62% and 63% respectively). 32% of women participated in some form of sporting activity more than twice a week. Women doing this were more likely to be aged 55-64, while men’s peak age for sporting participation was 15-24.
- Attendance numbers recorded for cultural venues and events such as the theatre, art galleries, libraries, botanic gardens, opera and the cinema are higher among women (2,054,300) than men (1,973,500).
Women with disabilities
- Having a disability and requiring assistance may influence whether people engage in community. 86% of people reporting a disability (3,387,900) were limited in the core activities of self care, mobility or communication, or restricted in schooling or employment.
- In 2003, 61% of the 3.8 million people with a disability reported needing assistance to manage their health conditions or cope with the activities of everyday life.
Women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds
- Attendance numbers recorded for cultural venues and events such as the theatre, art galleries, libraries, botanic gardens, opera and the cinema are highest among Victorians born in Australia, but 918,600 people who were born in a country where English is not the primary language, also attended. The number of women was not reported.
- Over 210,000 women born in a country where English is not the primary language, participated in sports and physical recreation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women
- In 2002, 90% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, aged 15 years and over, reported that they had been involved in social activities in the last three months; nearly half (49%) had participated in sport or physical recreation activities in the last 12 months and 28% had undertaken voluntary work in the last 12 months.
Same-sex attracted women
- While little information is available regarding same-sex attracted (SSA) women’s participation in the community, it is known that reduced social support and alienation from community is known to be an important predictor of depression in SSA women.
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