Social Determinants of Health
Precarious Employment and Housing as Determinants of Health in Australia: Bringing Ideas Together
Investigators:
| Professor Rebecca Bentley | Key Centre for Women's Health in Society |
| Professor Tony LaMontagne | McCaughey Centre, Melbourne School of Population Health |
| Dr Emma Baker | Faculty of Social Sciences, Flinders University |
| Dr Shelley Mallett | Research Manager, Law Courts Melbourne |
| Professor Anne Kavanagh | Key Centre for Women's Health in Society |
Summary
Employment and housing are inextricably bound, to form a powerful, yet under-researched determinant of health in Australia. Precariously employed people have casual or fixed term employment contracts and often lack paid leave entitlements. Precariously housed people either lack security of tenure, live in dwellings inadequate to meet their needs or are low-income people paying a high proportion of their income on housing costs. Precariously employed people are more likely to experience difficulties obtaining adequate housing, precariously housed people are less likely to obtain ongoing, secure employment, and the location of housing is likely to affect employment opportunities.