Single mum-of-four Jacqualine Elwell worked in the hospitality industry for decades doing all sorts of jobs to survive.

Family violence forced her to constantly move to women's shelters with her children, seeking safety. This experience led Ms Elwell to question not only her skills but her worth.

"I felt like it had tarnished me," Ms Elwell says of that time.

But with time, and COVID presenting an opportunity for change, the Arrernte woman decided to apply for her first desk job.

She tells the ABC she could have become "a statistic" but is proud to have transformed her life.

"If I had gone down the path of where I was … this battered wife, no-one would have batted an eyelid. However, I wanted more for myself and my kids," she shares.

Nine years later, Ms Elwell is now living free of danger, in control of her career and her destiny.

She now works as a project advisor for the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation in Noongar boodja country, Perth.

"I'm proud of myself, that I could show other women … that there is life after."

Ms Elwell is part of an online community called Ember Connect, where women swap life experiences, providing work advice and mentorship to each other.

Exposure to the website pushed Ms Elwell outside her comfort zone unlocking new interests, including commentating for the Women's FIFA competition and Solomon Islands Pacific Games.

Described as a combination of LinkedIn and Facebook, Ember Connect includes job and scholarship opportunities, a search function to find mentors, forums and online events.

"It's not what you know, it's who you know," says Ember Connect general manager Narelle Henry, reflecting on her career.

"How do we connect people across the regions, across the country?

"We think about, how do we close the gap on opportunities that are available, in spaces that are really safe and nurturing for everybody," the Noongar woman explains.

"We want to take away the fear of reaching out."

How to have a life of choice

Analysis of the census data tells us there is a workforce participation gap between Australian women from different cultural backgrounds. Data from three years ago shows, that seven out of 10 non-Indigenous women worked, a higher rate in comparison to five out of 10 First Nations women who worked.

Since 2022, more than 3,200 people have registered to share their stories and experiences on the free website, and most identify as being Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

"I think we've created an environment where we as women are there for each other, for unequivocal, support and connection and elevation," Ms Henry says from her home in Whadjuk Country, Perth.

But they encourage allies to get involved and have some uncomfortable conversations.

"If we didn't have space for allies and partners and employers, then we kind of would be saying that the problem is all on our side when it's not," Ms Henry explains.

"How do we have a life of choice where we can choose the path that we want to go rather than … this is what I've got to accept."

Culturally safe workplaces part of 'Count Her In'

This year the theme for the UN International Women's Day is "Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress".

The first official UN International Women's Day in Australia was held in 1975, the same year the Racial Discrimination Act was passed in Australia to make it unlawful to discriminate against a person because of their race or descent.

"First Nations women suffer the double whammy of being women and being Indigenous," Nareen Young, a Gadigal descendant, explains.

The UTS Business School associate dean (Indigenous leadership and engagement) believes "Count Her In" is about addressing the current issues and barriers within workplaces.

The 2021 Gari Yala report, which surveyed 1,000 people, found women who weren't in culturally safe work environments were 20 times more likely to hear racial or ethnic slurs regularly at work than the women who were in more supportive environments.

"We need to be able to identify with our culture and who we are at work freely, without fear of ridicule," Professor Young says.

"We need our cultures and identities to be embraced and promoted at our workplaces."

But it's a complex picture because those who are comfortable to identify at work can also take on extra roles increasing their emotional impact.

They talk about the "identity strain" that can occur when the worker's identity doesn't meet the expectations of the workplace culture, as well as "cultural load" which can mean speaking on behalf of First Nations people in the workplace.

Professor Young explains that cultural load can also include "being the black Google, as we refer to ourselves in the workplace — being asked all the questions".

The Gari Yala report revealed that "women in management positions had the highest cultural load and women in lower positions were the most lacking in support".

Government announces strategy to achieve gender equality

The current pay gap revealed last week shows that for every dollar on average a man makes, women earn 78 cents.

But this compulsory declaration for companies with more than 100 employees doesn't identify the pay gaps with First Nations women or other minority groups.

On Thursday the Australian government announced their 10-year plan to achieve gender equality, acknowledging this "cannot be achieved without reconciliation and equality for First Nations women and girls".

Its strategy includes plans after the next election to pay superannuation to those on government-funded paid parental leave.

Ms Elwell says the value of sharing their cultural knowledge should be compensated in some form because this knowledge has been gifted from their Elders.

"As an Indigenous woman, you have a lot of hats," Ms Elwell says.

"You stick hats on when you have to because you need to be there for your mob."