Quick questions on Health inequities by gender and sexuality in Australia: HSC PDHPE Equity and Health

LGBTIQ+ Australians experience substantially higher rates of mental illness, self-harm, and suicide than non-LGBTIQ+ Australians. The Writing Themselves In studies (La Trobe University, conducted multiple years) consistently document:

LGBTIQ+ Australians report higher rates of poor healthcare experiences than non-LGBTIQ+ counterparts. Some have specific clinics and services (e.g., Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Thorne Harbour Health in Victoria). Mainstream services vary in cultural safety.

Specific inequities including:

Women's cardiovascular disease is under-diagnosed and under-treated. Symptoms presenting differently than the "classic" male pattern lead to delayed diagnosis. Women are less likely to receive guideline-directed treatment after cardiac events.

Around 1 in 4 Australian women experiences intimate partner violence over their lifetime (ABS Personal Safety Survey). The health consequences are substantial - mental illness, chronic pain, injuries, and elevated risk of premature death.

The gender pay gap in Australia is around 12-14% across the workforce. Lower lifetime earnings mean lower superannuation balances at retirement, contributing to older women being the fastest-growing homelessness cohort.

Men complete suicide at roughly three times the rate of women. Men access mental health services at lower rates than women relative to need.

Men have higher workplace injury and fatality rates because they are concentrated in construction, mining, transport, and agriculture - the highest-risk industries.

Higher rates of alcohol use, harmful alcohol use, illicit drug use, and substance use disorders.

Men make up over 90% of the Australian prison population. Incarceration produces direct health harms (mental illness, infectious disease, premature mortality) and indirect harms (family disruption, employment loss).