The coronavirus recession's disproportionate impact on women has fuelled fresh calls for an urgent rethink of pandemic recovery.
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National Foundation for Australian Women's Sally Moyle said changes to JobKeeper wage subsidies due to come into place next week would hit women harder than men.
"Twice as many women as men will now have their wage subsidy payments halved because of the cuts for part-timers," she told a Senate inquiry on Tuesday.
"At the same time, new stimulus proposals would have men gain twice as much as women from tax cuts."
Payments for full-time staff are being cut from $1500 to $1200 per fortnight, while people who usually worked less than 20 hours a week before the coronavirus pandemic will receive just $750.
Associate Professor Moyle said childcare workers - 95 per cent of whom are female - were the first to be excluded from JobKeeper.
"The government prioritised assistance to the construction industry," she said.
"So it is regrettable to say the least that - despite women bearing the brunt of the pandemic - men are being increasingly targeted for government stimulus support."
The foundation is calling for a women's recovery plan to target emerging inequality and look at stimulus packages.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins told the hearing gender expertise needed to inform pandemic recovery decisions.
"Job creation activities are important but care must be taken to make sure they do not solely target male-dominated industries like construction," she said.
"All stimulus activities should be analysed for their differing impacts on male and female-dominated industries. Feminised industries should not be left behind."
She said the pace of government action during the pandemic showed how policy could be overhauled.
"I want to seize this moment to advance gender equality in Australia," Ms Jenkins said.
Workplace Gender Equality Agency director Libby Lyons said the recovery must be viewed through a gender lens to ensure equal access to getting back to work.
She said the gender pay gap jumped two percentage points during the global financial crisis and took 10 years to claw back.
"We need to be absolutely focused that we don't discriminate against one or the other as we move into recovery," Ms Lyons said.
Women in Super national chair Catherine Wood noted the high numbers of people under 34 taking up the government's offer of early retirement savings access.
"The timing is diabolical for young women," she said.
She said many women temporarily left the workforce to have children at that age.
Australian Associated Press
