Your hour can change her life.
About Empower Hour
This International Women’s Day (8 March) and the month of March, Dress for Success is on a mission to empower more than 700 women to face their job search with the confidence, clothing, and tools to get hired.
The ask is simple, but the impact is huge – for the month of March to celebrate International Women's Day, Dress for Success is asking Australians to pledge one hour of pay to help a woman overcome the barrier of unemployment, supporting her journey to financial independence.
Dress for Success works to bridge the gap for vulnerable women by addressing unconscious bias and creating fairness and equality for jobseekers who identify as female; empowering them to not only ‘get the job’ but to ‘thrive in the job’.
Meet our Client Advocates
In Australia, 2.7 million women are missing from the labour force. The barriers to get back into the workforce can feel insurmountable.
Our incredible 2023 Empower Hour Client Advocates share how they overcame barriers to enter and re-enter the workforce.
Alex from Adelaide
New mum Alex was forced to close her business and return to the workforce when the pandemic hit.
Lara from Brisbane
After a devastating house fire, Lara moved to Brisbane for a fresh start including starting her own business.
Lulu from Hobart
New graduate Lulu was exasperated with her job search, trying to break into the world of data science.
Barbara from Melbourne
Barbara has gone from the highs of family life and her own business to losing it all during the pandemic.
Annabelle from Perth
After a workplace injury, Annabelle, mum of five, was anxious as to how to make a career change.
Naima from Sydney
Single mum Naima has kept her sights set despite a rocky road including homelessness and surviving domestic violence.
Dress for Success services are more important than ever as women, especially vulnerable women, continue to be disproportionally affected by economic downturn.
Why Empower Hour is so critical right now
With the costs of living steadily increasing and the ramifications from the pandemic to be felt for years to come, economic participation is one of the greatest enablers for women to have control over their lives and the choices they make. Moving away from underemployment and unemployment lifts living standards now and ensures a secure future as they age.
The gender gap in Australia
Women face several barriers in entering the workforce and particularly re-entering work after time off for caring roles. Australia’s gender-segregated workforce, the gender pay gap, overrepresentation in lower paid roles, part-time work, and time out of the workforce due to disproportionate caring responsibilities – all these factors compound to push down women’s earnings – and their super balances – and increase the risk of aged poverty.
The cost of living in Australia
Australia, like the world, is facing an inflation crisis with women set to pay the biggest price. The crisis threatens to not only unravel social progress on closing the gender pay gap but will steadily increase the percentage of the biggest homeless cohort – women over age 55.
Financial insecurity threatens women’s health & wellbeing
Underemployment, unemployment, insecurity, and debt are all forms of financial stress that affect women's safety and wellbeing. Unfortunately, poor health and safety can also adversely affect women's workforce participation. When these factors are combined with an economic downturn, as we have seen in Australia following the pandemic, this can compound the stress and negative outcomes experienced by already marginalised women.
The average full-time employee works around 2,000 hours a year.
We're asking for one hour for investment in the future - because when women work, families thrive, communities prosper, and the economy grows.
The impact of your donation
Dress for Success works to bridge the gap for vulnerable women by addressing unconscious bias and creating fairness and equality for jobseekers who identify as female; instilling confidence, building resilience, and restoring dignity to not only ‘get the job’ but to ‘thrive in the job’.
