Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are less likely to be employed: 51.5 per cent workforce participation compared with 59.2 percent of non-Indigenous women. They are also more likely to be in part-time employment: 23 per cent compared with 14 per cent of Indigenous men (AHRC, p48). Addressing these inequities requires an investment in programs like Yanalangami that overcome deficit-discourses by focusing on Indigenous women’s strengths-based approaches, supporting their full participation, confidence and leadership.

A significant barrier to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s participation and progression into senior leadership and decision-making roles is the lack of investment in their inherent leadership skills on the ground. Many women lack the confidence or resources to pursue further professional or career progression, even though they are highly capable of doing so. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women’s confidence and participation is further exacerbated by the structural and systemic barriers that reinforce violence and deficient discourses towards them, thus preventing their equitable participation and leadership.

Our consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women across Australia reinforces the importance of strength-based frameworks that connect women together to support their personal and professional journeys to leadership roles, through self-governing frameworks. The Yanalangami program directly addresses intersections of oppression experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women through rigorous program development, that is created, led and delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. Centering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women as the knowledge holders and leaders of the programs that they undertake is non-negotiable for Yanalangami.