Crikey

The feminist exercise: achieving real gender equity

This is the time of the year when there is a brief flurry of interest in women's rights and roles. There will be some celebrations but not much political action. Is this acceptance of the status quo because there are some very prominent women in top positions

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How about asking Tent Embassy why they’re so angry?

Why do so few of the media reporters actually ask the Aboriginal demonstrators why they are so angry with being told to change tactics? Maybe the poor record of the past decades of more polite advocacy discourages beliefs that main party politicians listen to their needs and what works.

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40 years on and the equal pay gaps continue

It will be 40 years in December since the incoming Whitlam government asked the Arbitration Commission to reopen the equal pay case. The government sent Mary Gaudron to argue and the commission brought down the historic decision that women should be paid the male rates for the same jobs. A couple of years later the basic wage was applied to women as well as men.

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Who should get a government subsidy?

There are a series of political issues at present that show the commentariat and electorate are remarkably confused about who should benefit from government payments and concessions. Are such payments mainly designed to help those in need, or should we compensate people who pay tax for not using the public services on offer?

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Labor losing votes by neglecting social policy initiatives

How far should feminists be supporting Julia Gillard as PM because she is a woman and the first one in this job? I agree she has had some rough rides with some s-xist judgments and criticisms and unwarranted interest in her private life. However, these experiences have not seriously weakened her position as PM but the general direction of the party is a problem she and her supporters don't recognise.

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More women in cabinet, but social issues slip agenda

The Julia Gillard's "focus and firepower to pursue the government's priorities" do not offer much hope of a political agenda that focuses more on social rather than economic goals. The priorities she has stated clearly are economic growth and jobs. A useful indicator of the way she sees priorities can be gendered reallocated portfolios.

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Strong Futures demands are un-Australian

How un-Australian is it for the federal government to invite submissions and input from an affected population and then expect them to spend Christmas doing the submission?

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Broadening the Boardroom options

One of the failures of feminism has been our inability to change the culture of most workplaces. At all levels but especially at the top, the holders of power still believe the following myths:

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Why is equal pay so difficult to achieve?

Here we go again.

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Does new evidence from NT women undermine supposed benefits of income management?

The stated intentions of the income management program, as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response and the more recent revived program, were clearly aimed at better family functioning. Some surveys and statistics are quoted by the government to support the program and its various extensions but these give no statistically valid indicators  of  recipient benefits.

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