Gender is part of how people understand who they are and how they interact with other people.
Sex characteristics refer to physical characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs.
Using gender inclusive language is important to create a gender inclusive environment. Language evolves over time to reflect changes in society and will continue to change into the future.
In this plan the terms “women” and “men” refer to both transgender and cisgender women and men. We acknowledge gender equality is experienced differently for cis and trans people.
Gender diverse is the term used in this plan to refer to people whose gender is not exclusively female or male, including people who are non‑binary, genderqueer or who use another term.
This plan also relates to the needs and experiences of intersex people within the health system. Intersex people are impacted by changes to how the health system addresses sex characteristics.
The NSW Health Gender Equality Action Plan aims to improve equality of access, experiences, outcomes and workforce opportunities for people of all genders.
Our plan identifies priorities and actions for NSW Health to progress towards gender equality in healthcare.
Inequality based on gender or sex can have a significant impact on our workforce and the people we care for. Evidence shows that improving gender equality has positive health outcomes and economic benefits.
The Action Plan is for everyone: women, men, non‑binary people and other gender diverse people because gender inequality affects people of all genders.
Gender disparities are often greater when they are combined with other characteristics such as Aboriginality, age, disability, cultural background, language, sexual orientation or income. The way that gender interacts with other characteristics is often described as “intersectionality”.
The 4 priorities in the plan demonstrate our commitment to equality for people of all genders by:
The actions strengthen NSW Health’s commitment to gender equality. We must systematically address gender in policies, programs, services, research, infrastructure and in our workforce to drive long-term sustainable change. We will be able to support our workforce and serve our patients and the community better if we provide equal access and opportunities across NSW Health to people of all genders.