Belonging and sexual citizenship among gender and sexual minority youth. In the context of well-documented threats to the mental health and well-being of minority young people, this project will examine the experiences of two different generations of gender and sexual minority youth growing up in Australia, and the sources of support they have found most useful. Innovative contextual analysis will involve documentary and archival research alongside individual and group interviews. Through a focu ....Belonging and sexual citizenship among gender and sexual minority youth. In the context of well-documented threats to the mental health and well-being of minority young people, this project will examine the experiences of two different generations of gender and sexual minority youth growing up in Australia, and the sources of support they have found most useful. Innovative contextual analysis will involve documentary and archival research alongside individual and group interviews. Through a focus on the promotion of well-being and participatory citizenship in a rapidly changing social world, the findings aim to contribute new theory concerning transitions from youth to adulthood, improved methodology for the study of marginal and sometimes hard-to-reach populations, and better quality policy and practice.Read moreRead less
Understanding anger and its consequences amongst women in conflict-affected Timor Leste: Implications for enhancing sustainable development. An Australian national priority goal is to understand our region...(its) societies, politics and cultures. AusAID highlights gender within its key theme Investing in People, emphasizing that 'gender equality is integral to growth, governance and stability'. Australia has made a massive investment in the stabilization of East Timor and other post-conflict c ....Understanding anger and its consequences amongst women in conflict-affected Timor Leste: Implications for enhancing sustainable development. An Australian national priority goal is to understand our region...(its) societies, politics and cultures. AusAID highlights gender within its key theme Investing in People, emphasizing that 'gender equality is integral to growth, governance and stability'. Australia has made a massive investment in the stabilization of East Timor and other post-conflict countries including aid for women's organizations. Yet there is a notable gap in the empirical base for designing programs for women. The proposed study focusing on women's anger has the potential to ground psychosocial programming for women on a firm empirical base. The results may be transferable to other traumatized and disadvantaged communities.
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The Smith Family VIEW Clubs of Australia: From Philanthropy towards Social Enterprise. This project offers the opportunity to do original and innovative research with one of Australia's most successful women's community service organisations, The Smith Family VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) Clubs. The research will investigate the clubs' response to The Smith Family plan for them to play a new role in social development and social change, and whether this response differs among cl ....The Smith Family VIEW Clubs of Australia: From Philanthropy towards Social Enterprise. This project offers the opportunity to do original and innovative research with one of Australia's most successful women's community service organisations, The Smith Family VIEW (Voice, Interests and Education of Women) Clubs. The research will investigate the clubs' response to The Smith Family plan for them to play a new role in social development and social change, and whether this response differs among clubs in rural and regional and metropolitan areas. Conducted in collaboration with a major national community organisation, the project will provide multi-disciplinary training in social policy in the specialist research environment of the Social Policy Research Centre.Read moreRead less
Gendered violence and citizenship: the complex effects of intimate partner violence on mental health, housing and employment. This project will examine how intimate partner violence (IPV) impacts on women's citizenship through its effects on the interconnected dimensions of mental health, housing and employment over time. It will produce evidence on women's active and diverse responses to IPV, and provide new understandings of gender, violence and citizenship.
The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic ....The causes and consequences of marital separation and divorce in Australia. This project will use longitudinal Australian data to investigate the causes and consequences of marriage breakdown. Most previous Australian divorce research has concentrated on describing overall trends, or has used samples of separated and divorced populations only. This study will use data from representative population samples to first develop a conceptual framework for understanding the structural and demographic determinants of marriage breakdown in Australia, second gain a greater understanding of the financial and health implications of separation and divorce over time, and third identify issues that arise from the research that are relevant for informing social policy relating to marital breakdown. The main outcomes will be a significant advance in our understanding of the factors contributing to divorce and the consequences of divorce in Australia and the provision of essential knowledge to better inform policies relating to marital separation and divorce.Read moreRead less
FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inte ....FINANCIAL (IN)SECURITY IN LATER LIFE: WOMEN, WORK , SUPERANNUATION AND AUSTRALIA'S RETIREMENT INCOME SYSTEM. An ageing population is expected to contribute to significant demographic, social and labour market shifts, which, together with fiscal stresses, will affect the future mix of state and private retirement income provisions. However, gender-based issues associated with these changes remain under-researched. Using a life-course approach qualitative methodologies will be used to explore inter-relationships between: women's workforce participation, education, marital status, fertility, financial literacy; retirement incomes;concessions, benefits; and women's economic security in later years. The research will make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of retirement income policy and the debate on gender equity in the labour market. Read moreRead less
Prospects for quality work and gender equality in frontline care work. Despite policy concerns about unmet demand for paid care, frontline care workers generally have poorer conditions than workers in other feminised sectors. This project will investigate the regulatory options to improve the quality of care work to build Australian expertise and knowledge about the links between job quality and quality of care services.
History of the Victorian Women's Refuge Movement, 1974-2004. Using a rich archive of source material and in-depth interviews, this PhD project will trace the unique history of the women's refuge movement in Victoria, from its initiation in 1974 through to a period of significant change in 2004. In doing so, the project will consider the ways that a diverse range of organisations worked together to achieve significant social change. These changes will be located within the wider domestic violence ....History of the Victorian Women's Refuge Movement, 1974-2004. Using a rich archive of source material and in-depth interviews, this PhD project will trace the unique history of the women's refuge movement in Victoria, from its initiation in 1974 through to a period of significant change in 2004. In doing so, the project will consider the ways that a diverse range of organisations worked together to achieve significant social change. These changes will be located within the wider domestic violence policy context and the research will inform future policy development through the careful consideration of services provided in the past.Read moreRead less
The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget st ....The Costs of Foster Care in Australia. The aim of the study is to determine adequate and appropriate levels of reimbursement for carers by undertaking empirical research on the economic and social costs associated with fostering. For the first time in Australia the indirect costs to carers will be examined and a model developed for reimbursing foster carers similar to other paid carers in the community. In collaboration with the Industry Partner it will explore the feasibility of using budget standards methodology to estimate the direct costs of care of children by refining and adapting budgets to reflect costs specific to different types of foster care.Read moreRead less
Work, care, retirement and health: ageing agendas. This project will undertake a gendered analysis of how Australians can retire well, taking account of their key resources (such as work, superannuation, the aged pension, and other assets) and key demands (such as to work longer and to care for others in the context of an ageing population and a more feminised workforce).