A new report has positioned women as a central economic and social force shaping how generosity is practised, sustained and grown across Australian society.
Professor Leanne Lester, from the Centre for Social Impact at The University of Western Australia, was lead researcher of She Gives: Growing Women's Giving in Australia, which drew on insights from more than 2,000 women across the country.
The study – conducted by She Gives in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact at UWA – is the largest mixed-methods study of women's giving in Australian history. She Gives is a national campaign highlighting the vital role women play in philanthropy.
It found women already shaped much of Australia's charitable decision-making and were set to control the majority of the nation's $5.4 trillion wealth transfer.
"For decades, national datasets have aggregated giving behaviours in ways that render gender largely invisible," Professor Lester said.
"Women have always been central to giving – influencing household decisions, extensive volunteering, shaping community responses – yet their participation has not been examined with the depth or intentionality it deserves."
Researchers looked at insights from more than 2,000 women through surveys, roundtables and in-depth stories and found the majority of women wanted to give more.
"For a sector focused on growing philanthropy that is not a marginal insight, it is strategic intelligence," Professor Lester said.
Many of the women did not see themselves as "philanthropists", despite having significant impact. They consistently said they sought collaboration, confidence, visibility and values alignment and wanted transparency, long-term impact and systems that reflected the diversity of women in Australia.
They also described structural barriers – from financial insecurity to cultural norms that discouraged visibility.
"If we want to grow giving, we must respond to this evidence – not rhetorically, but structurally," Professor Lester said.
"We need to recognise that women are already shaping Australia's philanthropic future and ensure our institutions are designed to support that leadership at scale."
The Australian Government's goal is to double giving by 2030, recognising that despite being one of the world's wealthiest nations, Australians gave $13.4 billion to charity in the 2022 financial year, representing just 0.81 per cent of GDP.
