Breaking Barriers: A study of Women's Participation and Representation in Local Government

Women’s equal representation in all tiers of government is far from parity. In Australia, about a third (38%) of the federal House of Representative seats are occupied by women. This makes Australia 36th in the world, up from 57th in 2019, for women’s parliamentary representation but a significant fall from 15th in 1999. One bright spot for women’s representation is local government, which tends to have higher than average rates of women’s representation, with women currently at 43.8% in the state of Victoria and 39.3% nationwide. However, local government is often overlooked as a key area for increasing women’s representation. It tends to hold less power, is more regional and rural, and garners less media attention. Yet, it is crucial to understanding women’s experiences in local government, and the reasons they drop out, mitigating the barriers to equal gender representation at all levels of government. Breaking Barriers provides that detailed view of women's experiences in local government through interviews with Victorian councillors.