There is an opportunity to address disparities between people of different genders in terms of health outcomes for the community and within the NSW Health workforce. Whilst gender inequality affects everyone it disproportionately impacts some groups more than others.
Closing gender disparity gaps in health enables people of all genders to live longer, healthier lives and be more productive which boosts economic prosperity.1,2 Improving outcomes for people of all genders is a NSW Government commitment, and all departments are required to have gender equality action plans.
Building a workforce that is equitable and inclusive for people of all genders, and that reflects the community enables us to deliver more effective services. Addressing disparities in pay, opportunities and experiences ensures our staff are valued for their differences and creates an inclusive environment.
Actions taken by NSW Health organisations to drive improved gender equality outcomes vary. The extent to which the different impacts of gender are considered in the development of policies, programs and services also varies.[#] During the development of the plan, staff asked for more resources and clarity to support gender equality consistently.
Respect is one of our CORE Values in NSW Health. Respectful communication is a core part of creating an environment where everyone feels welcome. Through our engagement with people to develop the plan we heard that NSW Health organisations only use gender inclusive language about half the time.
The literature shows there is limited recognition of diversity which is inclusive of all genders and limited reporting of gender-specific data. There is also limited gender data collected across NSW Health workforce and our patient systems. When gender differences are not investigated, analysed, reported and addressed the impact of diseases and conditions for people of different genders is not well understood. This can result in underestimation and underinvestment.1,2
Our plan supports the delivery of Future Health. It complements and builds on existing strategies that address our workforce and the health needs of specific population groups. Examples include the NSW Women’s Health Framework 2019, NSW Men’s Health Framework 2018, NSW LGBTIQ+ Health Strategy 2022-2027, NSW Health Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Domestic and Family Violence 2021-2026 and the NSW Aboriginal Health Plan 2024-2034. Some NSW Health organisations also have their own local plans which may overlap with gender equality. These plans adapt system-wide goals and priorities to the specific context of their organisation that can be informed and reinforced by this Action Plan.
Many parts of NSW Health already consider gender impacts in their work. Change is underway to:
“There is good intent towards achieving gender equality amongst employees. However, our organisation lacks consistency in systematically applying a gender lens to our policies, services, programs and workplace.” regional Local Health District
“There is good intent towards achieving gender equality amongst employees. However, our organisation lacks consistency in systematically applying a gender lens to our policies, services, programs and workplace.”
There are opportunities for improving health outcomes across the community and within our NSW Health workforce. The snapshot below highlights that population data for gender diverse people is limited.
Statistics reflect a combination of NSW specific and national data. Unless specified, statistics are from internal NSW Health sources including: workforce data, People Matters Employee Survey 2024 or self-reported by health organisations.
Rated their health as excellent, very good or good;
* Senior executive band 1 or above.
† Data discoverable through NSW Bureau of Health Information data portal