The Queen's Fund invites you to celebrate International Women's Day 2023

8 March 2023

Happy International Women's Day! Today, we celebrate the incredible achievements of women and acknowledge the need for continued action towards gender equality. In Australia, women still face significant barriers to economic and educational equality, especially those from diverse backgrounds.

At The Queen's Fund, our mission is to create an inclusive world. We've been empowering single women and mothers in crisis for over 135 years by providing emergency financial relief and educational opportunities. Through our work with various community support services and networks across Victoria, we've gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by women in our community. If we can help lighten the financial strain for even a moment so a woman can pay the rent, or buy school books for their children, then we will have moved a step closer to our goal.

Sadly, one of the most significant challenges we see in our referrals for crisis relief is: domestic and family violence. This month alone, we've seen the trend continue, where almost 40% of our applications cite domestic violence as the main reason for the crisis. The structural and societal inequalities that women face contribute to this ongoing narrative of domestic violence in our society, and we need to address it urgently.

But we can change this story. Through investing in innovation and education, dismantling structural inequality, changing policies, and increasing funding, we can build equitable communities, worto kplaces and institutions. By doing so, we will rewrite the narrative of our society, reduce the incidence of domestic violence and unlock the full potential of women everywhere.

Let's make International Women's Day a day of action. Big or small - every bit helps.