Securing Women's Economic Security, Safety, and Freedom: The Role of Universal Basic Income in Australia

by Zoe Staines

Overview

Universal basic income (UBI) as a policy measure for supporting economic security has attracted worldwide attention. This book contributes to the discussion by focusing on UBI’s potential impacts for women, including women of colour and First Nations women.

Utilizing a “scenario interviewing” approach, the author worked with 26 diverse Australian women to imagine the potential implications of UBI for their own lives, as well as for women more broadly. The women talked about a range of possible impacts including poverty reduction, economic security, improved autonomy, and freedom from violence, which are sorted into overarching themes and chapters. Integrating these women’s narratives into the key arguments for and against UBI, this book provides a robust and readable introduction to relevant literature.

This book is suitable for a wide audience including scholars and students across the social sciences, as well as policymakers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040413814
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/25/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	136
File size:	669 KB

About the Author

Zoe Staines is a senior lecturer and researcher at The University of Queensland, School of Social Science. Her research and qualifications, including PhD, span social policy, gender and work, critical criminology, and intersectionality. Her professional experiences extend across academia, government, and the non-profit sector.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: Introduction
What is known about a UBI for women?
UBI for women: Australia as a case study
Aims and approach of this book

Chapter 2: Putting UBI into context
Setting the scene: the Australian context
Australian social assistance: shifting sands
Australia and a UBI: A missed opportunity in 1975?
Conclusion

Chapter 3: Women’s economic (in)security
An Australian UBI and women’s overall economic security
UBI and caregiving
UBI and unpaid care
UBI and commodified care
Improving paid work
Supplementing shrinking and harmful social security nets
Increasing material support
Conclusion

Chapter 4: Violence against women
Escaping domestic & family violence
Escaping insecure and unsafe housing
Conclusion

Chapter 5: Women’s health
UBI, resource scarcity, and health behaviours
UBI and people with disability
UBI and chronic stress
UBI and avoiding social security stigma
Conclusion

Chapter 6: Looking to the future
Getting the wider policy & program architecture right for Australian women
Reassessing Australia’s couple rule
Improving access to escaping violence payments
Improving access to commodified care options
Amending existing Australian social security
(Re)prioritising collective bargaining
Concluding remarks

References

Appendices
Appendix 1 – Detailed summary of research methodology
Appendix 2 – Australian social expenditure (a)
Appendix 3 – Australian social expenditure (b)
Appendix 4 – Proportion of female employees by industry type
Appendix 5 – Remuneration by sex across female-dominated, male-dominated, and mixed industries