IWD2026: When Systems Give, Women Gain

By Elaine Jolliffe – Manager, Partnerships & Public Relations

Discussions of gender equality often focus on participation rates, leadership representation, or program uptake. While these outcomes matter, they result from deeper system design choices. Gender equality is shaped less by individual effort and more by whether systems are willing to recognise and accommodate different economic realities, responsibilities and sources of authority. 

The Give to Gain theme for International Women’s Day invites a more fundamental question: what must systems give to enable women to participate, lead, and thrive on their own terms? 

First Nations Economics’ work is grounded in Aboriginal-led economic and governance advisory practice. We engage with policy, investment, and institutional systems from the standpoint of First Nations communities navigating decisions that affect Country, culture, and intergenerational prosperity. This perspective recognises that economic participation for First Nations women is not separate from care, community, or cultural authority — it is shaped by them. 

Recent research by FNE, in collaboration with the University of Sydney, provides important insights into the economic participation and leadership of First Nations women. The research examines Australian policy settings alongside international examples and identifies persistent structural and intersectional barriers shaping women’s economic opportunities. These include access to capital, fragmented policy frameworks, caregiving responsibilities, geographic isolation, and limited influence over economic decision-making. 

Crucially, the evidence shows that these barriers are not about individual capability or ambition. They are systemic. Where support is short-term, program-based, or symbolic, for example, initiatives that offer visibility without authority or funding without pathways, outcomes tend to be limited and difficult to sustain. This finding is consistent across jurisdictions and sectors. 

The research shows that more sustainable outcomes occur when systems are willing to provide what is often withheld – power, time, long-term resources, and trust. When First Nations women are supported in accessing decision-making roles, leadership opportunities, and meaningful economic participation, both immediate and structural benefits are maintained over time. 

In this context, “Give to Gain” is more than just a rhetorical device; it embodies a First Nations perspective on reciprocity and shared responsibility. Providing access to leadership, capital, infrastructure, mentoring, and culturally relevant pathways is not a concession but rather an investment. This investment fosters stronger governance, more resilient communities, and more adaptable economies. 

When First Nations women thrive as leaders, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers, the benefits extend well beyond the individuals themselves. Families are more secure. Communities are more resilient. Organisations are better governed. Economies are more adaptive. 

This International Women’s Day, Give to Gain urges governments, institutions, and organisations to look beyond their intentions and assess how their systems are structured. The critical question is not whether we can afford to provide more support for women’s participation, but rather whether we can continue to operate systems that deny the evidence of what works. When women thrive, we all benefit, and what we gain far exceeds what we contribute. 

Gurminder Saro

Interim Chair

Associate Professor Rick Macourt is a proud, queer Gumbaynggirr man, lawyer, and economic specialist. He leads First Nations Economics as Managing Director of Strategy and Foundation and serves as Associate Dean of First Nations Strategy and Services at the University of Sydney.

With over 15 years of experience spanning government, corporate, and not-for-profit sectors, Rick is deeply committed to advancing the economic development of First Peoples. As the former Director of First Nations Expenditure and Outcomes at NSW Treasury, he spearheaded the state’s inaugural Indigenous expenditure reporting processes and established the groundbreaking First Nations budget process in 2021/22. Previously, Rick held an executive role at the Westpac Group, overseeing First Nations affairs, and has a rich history in government, monitoring, evaluation, and negotiation, with senior positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, City of Sydney, and Standards Australia.

Rick is a published author with Oxford University Press, a member of the First Nations Advisory Board of Siemens Australia, and a Non-Executive Director on the board of Barnardos Australia.