Fiona is an example of a woman staying in her power and claiming her narrative despite the obstacles she’s faced.
Her story comes at a time when women over-50 become one of the fastest-growing groups of people facing homelessness, ageism affects workplaces and partner violence continues.
“I want to empower other women to see that it doesn’t matter what knocks you down, you can always get back up, so long as you embrace the people around you that want to help you and take the people out of your life that are not going to,” Fiona said.
ABS data showed 62.7 per cent of women aged 55-64 and 13.1 per cent of women aged 65 and over were employed in December 2024. This compared with 72.9 per cent and 19.9 per cent of men in the respective age categories.
The organisation’s Personal Safety Survey 2021-22 shows one in four women have experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15, compared with one in 14 men.
Fiona, who turns 51 in March, wants to go to university to become a psychologist. She’s completing computing and counselling courses to upskill herself and is receiving Centrelink support.
The Mount Gambier resident and mother of four separated from her husband five years ago. Fiona said during the relationship, her former partner was “domineering”, would not let her study or work, controlled the finances, and would not stop using substances.
“That wasn’t the life I wanted for my kids, and I didn’t want them to see… that I was going to stay there and put up with that crap,” she said.
She took part in EmpowHer, a program that addresses non-vocational barriers to employment such as low self-esteem, confidence and uncertainty about engaging with employment and community for women, especially those affected by family and domestic violence.
“They brought in women matriarchs that own pubs and run businesses and things like that to empower us to show us that they’ve been through what we’ve been through, and if they can achieve it, then we can,” she said.
Older Women’s Network NSW program Pathways to Employment helps women over 50 get back into the workforce.
Chief executive officer Yumi Lee said some employers are not open to hiring older women, and they need to embrace older workers, particularly as the population ages.
Ms Lee said hidden assets older female workers had were maturity, life experience and being less likely to job hop.
Housing Trust managing director Michele Adair said not every homeless person is a rough sleeper.
A lived experience she was aware of was a nurse in her 70s returning to the workforce who was staying in a garage, plus there were growing instances of women sleeping in their cars. Others may be initially securing accommodation then breaking the rules or unable to stay in caravan parks for extended durations.
Ms Adair said the money left over after a house is sold during a divorce isn’t enough to buy another property outright in today’s market, making it challenging to find housing. It became even more difficult if the couple were lifelong renters.
Published in The Senior – February 4 2025
