Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are empowering themselves more than ever before, data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals.
ABS Centre of Excellence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statistics Director Debbie Goodwin said, "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are increasingly investing in themselves through education, with a 45 per cent increase in non-school qualification attainment between 2008 and 2014–15."
The findings have been released among previously unpublished data, which celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, timed to coincide with NAIDOC Week and its theme, "Because of her, we can!"
In other findings, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women continue to be key contributors in the community, with three in ten (30 per cent) providing unpaid care to people in their family and community (to a person with disability, long-term health condition or old age).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have an important role in leading and connecting with culture. Between 2002 and 2014–15, the proportion of women reporting a connection to homelands has increased from 70 to 75 per cent.
The full results are featured in the ABS publication, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women Celebrated.