Extract from The Guardian
State of the Family report reveals older women more vulnerable to
poverty, citing unpaid caring responsibilities, lower savings and lack
of affordable housing
According to the report, older women of retirement age have 57% less
superannuation savings than men, due to caring responsibilities through
the course of their lives.
Photograph: Chris Helgren/Reuters
Older single women are the new face of homelessness in Australia,
welfare group Anglicare has revealed in a new report that looks at the
groups falling through the cracks in society.
The State of the Family report, released on Monday, found that older single women were much more vulnerable to poverty and homelessness due to lower workplace participation, lifelong unpaid caring responsibilities and lack of affordable housing.
Many found themselves without stable long-term accommodation when they left abusive relationships after their adult children had moved out.
“Older single women represent the changing face of homelessness; experiencing homelessness for the first time later in life,” the report said. “Most have limited financial resources and assets meaning they are unable to hold their place in a housing market which is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
“Anecdotally, we know that the instances of older women experiencing unstable housing are on the rise.”
The report said statistics did not necessarily reflect the trend of older women living in their cars or seeking temporary shelter with friends and family. “Such arrangements are often not captured within the official counts of homelessness, but there is no disputing this is an emerging trend, and one that must be urgently addressed.”
According to the report, women of retirement age had 57% less superannuation savings than men due to greater caring responsibilities through the course of their lives. Taking time out from paid employment to look after children and ageing parents meant they had less superannuation.
The State of the Family report also highlighted other groups who were vulnerable to poverty.
It noted that refugees and asylum seekers struggled to find secure accommodation in the competitive rental market due to a combination of lower income, poor English skills, lack of knowledge of the process and racism and discrimination.
People with a disability are also more susceptible to poverty, as they face several barriers in getting into paid employment.
As of August, Australia’s unemployment rate was 6.2%. For people living with a disability, that rate was 9.4%.
The report also revealed that gains in the broader community were made at the expense of people living with disability.
“Workforce participation rates for people with disability have declined at the same time as national participation rates have improved,” it said. “One fifth of the people with a disability who are not participating in the work force has reported that their disability is not the reason that they are not participating.”
Anglicare recorded data from over 36,600 people who accessed its six emergency relief centres in Sydney and the Illawarra between 2007 and 2014.
Unemployment and housing stress were two key factors.
Only 5% of the people who accessed the centre had full or part time work, and the majority – 62% of people seeking relief from the centres – had a fortnightly income of $1,000 or less. A massive 94% of single people who accessed the centre had a fortnightly income of $1,000 or less.
“For the two-year period [between] 2013-14, 68% of emergency relief clients from lone person households fell within or below the December 2013 poverty line,” the report said. “Almost one in three (30%) were approaching severe housing stress by spending more than 45% of their low income on accommodation costs.”
The State of the Family report, released on Monday, found that older single women were much more vulnerable to poverty and homelessness due to lower workplace participation, lifelong unpaid caring responsibilities and lack of affordable housing.
Many found themselves without stable long-term accommodation when they left abusive relationships after their adult children had moved out.
“Older single women represent the changing face of homelessness; experiencing homelessness for the first time later in life,” the report said. “Most have limited financial resources and assets meaning they are unable to hold their place in a housing market which is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
“Anecdotally, we know that the instances of older women experiencing unstable housing are on the rise.”
The report said statistics did not necessarily reflect the trend of older women living in their cars or seeking temporary shelter with friends and family. “Such arrangements are often not captured within the official counts of homelessness, but there is no disputing this is an emerging trend, and one that must be urgently addressed.”
According to the report, women of retirement age had 57% less superannuation savings than men due to greater caring responsibilities through the course of their lives. Taking time out from paid employment to look after children and ageing parents meant they had less superannuation.
The State of the Family report also highlighted other groups who were vulnerable to poverty.
It noted that refugees and asylum seekers struggled to find secure accommodation in the competitive rental market due to a combination of lower income, poor English skills, lack of knowledge of the process and racism and discrimination.
People with a disability are also more susceptible to poverty, as they face several barriers in getting into paid employment.
As of August, Australia’s unemployment rate was 6.2%. For people living with a disability, that rate was 9.4%.
The report also revealed that gains in the broader community were made at the expense of people living with disability.
“Workforce participation rates for people with disability have declined at the same time as national participation rates have improved,” it said. “One fifth of the people with a disability who are not participating in the work force has reported that their disability is not the reason that they are not participating.”
Anglicare recorded data from over 36,600 people who accessed its six emergency relief centres in Sydney and the Illawarra between 2007 and 2014.
Unemployment and housing stress were two key factors.
Only 5% of the people who accessed the centre had full or part time work, and the majority – 62% of people seeking relief from the centres – had a fortnightly income of $1,000 or less. A massive 94% of single people who accessed the centre had a fortnightly income of $1,000 or less.
“For the two-year period [between] 2013-14, 68% of emergency relief clients from lone person households fell within or below the December 2013 poverty line,” the report said. “Almost one in three (30%) were approaching severe housing stress by spending more than 45% of their low income on accommodation costs.”
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