Between 1982 and 1993, the number of women on local government councils in Australia more than doubled. A study compared data from 1982 and 1993 and found that in 1993, female councillors were better educated and more likely to be working for pay. This challenges the idea that female councillors are mainly middle-aged, middle-class housewives. The study shows that female councillors are more diverse than commonly thought, but still don't fully represent all women in the community.