Media releases

Federation University Australia’s Future Regions Research Centre will explore the cultural and structural reasons for gendered differences in workforce participation in Grampians public sector roles, as part of a new research project. 

The University has today welcomed funding from the Commission for Gender Equality in the Public Sector for the research project ‘Rurality and Workforce Participation: Exploring prevalence of part-time and insecure work in Grampians Public Service roles’.   

The research is among five successful Victorian projects that will analyse and contextualise workforce gender audit data and explore how rurality impacts on workforce outcomes. 

Project lead, Dr Cathy Tischler, said the regionally-focussed project would explore the challenges of living rurally and being able to work. 

The project will identify areas of gendered difference in workforce participation in public sector entities, including gendered prevalence of part-time and casual work in a rural setting, exploring issues around why the way in which people work (including part time and casual work) may be necessary in rural areas, and what structural barriers might also be impacting on people’s opportunity to work.  

The research will build on local efforts to understand workforce participation issues undertaken by local organisations including Women’s Health Grampians, ByFive and the Wimmera Development Association. 

Quotes attributable to Federation University’s Dr Cathy Tischler 

“A lot of the structures that are taken for granted in urban populations, such as childcare, are simply not available in rural communities to the extent they are needed, and this informs how people can work and the skills they can maintain.” 

“It is not just up to individual organisations to acknowledge and respond to the challenges of geography and opportunity in rural communities.” 

“If Victoria is to be a leader in equality we need to understand how to be inclusive of all of Victoria, and be clear about the challenges and opportunities created by rurality and how best to respond.” 

“We thank the Victorian Government and the Commission for Gender Equality in recognising the importance of this issue and making this investment.”