Waverley Council’s newly formed Women’s Council to the Mayor has identified access to safe and affordable housing as one of the top three challenges facing women, young women and girls in Waverley.
Council established the Women’s Council to the Mayor in July to advise the Mayor on matters that are relevant to women and girls in the local area to help guide actions by Council to better support this section of the community.
The Council to the Mayor held its first roundtable last month where its 20 founding members identified three key challenges affecting women and girls in Waverley:
- Providing affordable, social and women’s refuge housing.
- Connections, mentoring and building healthy relationships.
- Mental health and wellbeing.
Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos said while women’s rights had come a long way in the last 100 years, there are still many areas in which women and girls experience discrimination and unequal treatment.
“Waverley Council is well-known for its forward stance and innovative approach to matters affecting our community and it behoves us to support our Waverley women,” Mayor Masselos said.
“In Waverley, we are seeing an increase in older, unpartnered women, experiencing financial and housing insecurity, with a number living in their cars, so it came as no surprise that our members identified access to safe and affordable as the top challenge facing our women.
“In Waverley, violence against women is an ongoing concern, and although rates are under the state average, during the 12 months to March 2022, domestic violence assaults in Waverley were higher than for either Randwick or Woollahra.
“The Mayor’s Council of Women provides a safe space for our members to talk openly about some very serious issues facing our women and young women and girls and this feedback will help inform how we respond as an organisation.”
More than half (51.5%) of Waverley’s population (68,605) is female and females ages 0 to 19 make up almost 10% of the total population.
