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The Forum > Article Comments > Gender equality in Australia – what are the issues? > Comments

Gender equality in Australia – what are the issues? : Comments

By Rose Espinola, published 1/7/2011

It is in our best interests to ensure that we continually make progress towards gender equality.

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you are never going to grow balls and men are never going to bear children.
David,
Good tax payer's money is being spent on finding ways of changing that.
Posted by individual, Saturday, 2 July 2011 10:18:37 AM
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What do we mean by equality? Equality doesn't mean 50/50. There may be natural proclivities in men and women that are not all-encompassing but may seen more men go into engineering and more women into teaching.

The author talks about a higher proportion of women in part-time work but not analysed the why behind that statistic. More women choose part-time work so they can still participate more in the raising of children.

Men might equally argue they are disadvantaged in access to family 'work' because it is traditional for men to be the primary income earner.

It all depends on your POV and what you see as a burden or a disadvantage. My opinion is that I don't see spending more time with children as an inequality but a privilege. More and more families can no longer afford to forgo a second income (even a small one) while housing prices continue to rise and the level of personal debt has grown out of proportion to income (as compared to 20 years ago).

It is not equality but freedom for all people to be able to make choices. The only limits on choice appear to be economic ones mainly influenced by the system or individuals - not gender.

It is true that women are more sexualised but I don't believe this equates with men thinking of women only in sexual terms. Men have become more sexualised over the years given the growth of the beauty and cosmetic surgery industries. I wonder how long it will be before the natural face and body will no longer be perceived as enough. What impact will these sorts of pressures have in the long term.

There still seems to be a large group of sensible people around who choose not to go for botox, the brazillian (what is wrong with hair?) or the face lift etc, and who are comfortable in their own skin. Some of the most extreme examples of plastic surgery are quite hideous and distorted and the excess of collagen in some lips looks positively unnatural.
Posted by pelican, Saturday, 2 July 2011 1:53:13 PM
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Women are less represented in political life in Australia but how many have sought political posts and been denied or is it just less women compete for these posts, choosing instead different priorities?

I agree with the author that there should be equality in accessing opportunities to participate in all spheres of life. However the one sphere constantly ignored is the home-maker or stay-at-home mother or father. It is as though these roles have become redundant or less worthy in today's push for economic growth no matter the long term social consequences.

I reckon we need a more egalitarian approach - including men and women in the debate around choices and access and what are the issues that are being avoided. I remember one commentator on Q&A once said "who would want to stay at home with kids anyway" or words to that effect, as though she had assumed every women must think the same way. When we start making policy on that premise, freedom of choice goes down a slippery slope.
Posted by pelican, Saturday, 2 July 2011 2:01:27 PM
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Equality doesn't mean 50/50.
Pelican,
very valid point. Two 56 kilo leftie females don't necessarily make as much sense as one 112 kilo male Greenie & vice versa.
Posted by individual, Saturday, 2 July 2011 6:05:48 PM
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pelican beautifuuly put.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Saturday, 2 July 2011 6:58:53 PM
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assumed every women must think the same way.
pelican,
I believe most women do, it's only the females who are different for the sake of being different just like men & males.
I actually worked with such females & I can tell you they would be much better placed on another planet along with many of their male counterparts.
I noticed that the females were the control freaks however incompetent & they were always at odds with the women & men.
Posted by individual, Sunday, 3 July 2011 9:06:00 AM
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