Jenni's blog

Tony Abbott wants paid maternity leave

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:08:45 +1100

Who'd believe it - but hallelujah, hallelujah! At last, an Australian political party is listening to what women have been saying they want for a long, long time. Just take a look at some of my blogs from 2008...and 2009...

Abbott has obviously had an epiphany - today, on International Women's Day, Mr Abbott has had a change of heart from his previous position of saying "no" to paid maternity leave, and has proposed a paid maternity leave scheme that is almost identical to the schemes recommended by many women’s organisations in their submissions to the Productivity Commission.

Take a look - the National Foundation for Australian Women’s web site states that their submission recommended:

A minimum period of six months paid maternal leave
Income replacement, rather than a minimalist welfare payment
Four weeks paid paternal leave (at paternal wage level) and
Financing through a mix of Government, employer and employee contributions, comparable to the financing of retirement incomes

And this is pretty much what Abbott is offering – in stark contrast to the miserly scheme that the Labor government came up with, offering no better than welfare payments for 18 weeks - a much shorter period - no superannuation payments and no baby bonus!

I must say, I found it pretty difficult to believe that Labor could be so out of touch with women when this proposal was agreed, but perhaps they were just being a little too complacent.

I almost hesitate to say it, but I think that this could be a significant vote swinger for the Liberals.

Maybe Abbott is a lot smarter than I thought! No time now to be complacent, Mr Rudd.

A vow of silence

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:40:07 +1100

Since writing yesterday’s post, it also occurs to me that perhaps Julia Gillard has it good. After all, she does get to speak on issues about this government’s agenda, while the women in the Liberal party appear to have taken a vow of silence.

Is this anything to do with the fact that there is an Abbott and two Bishops in the party cloisters and males only are permitted in the scriptorium?

How very mediaeval Mr Abbott.

At least Julia gets the chance to speak occasionally.

Sour looks tell a story

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:32:54 +1100

I am tired of seeing the sour look on Kevin Rudd’s face whenever he stands next Julia Gillard and the cameras are trained on her, not him.

I keep thinking that it wouldn’t be too hard for him to look interested and maybe even supportive of what she is saying …?

But then, maybe I’ve got it wrong. After all, if he isn’t interested, it could be extremely difficult to look as if he is.

So I guess all he can do is to wait patiently for the camera to roll back to him, the only person of any consequence, so that the truly significant messages can be relayed to his adoring public.

Sharing can be tough.

A sorry story

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:03:33 +1100

Tony Abbott may be disappointed to learn that Pauline Hanson is moving to the UK, but on reading the findings of the Review into the Equal Opportunities in the Workplace Legislation I am almost tempted to go with her.

Hanson says in her defence that “the land of opportunity is no more applicable” and maybe she is right. No - I haven’t quite gone to Planet Pauline – there are just too many differences - but I also feel disappointed with the way Australia has changed, specifically in regard to the treatment of women.

Deeply disappointed.

I find it difficult to understand why half the population continues to experience discrimination, and why our political masters think it is OK to continue to ignore the evidence.

And the depressing evidence is there under their noses.

The description of the current trends and characteristics of women in the labour force provided in the government’s Consultation Report on the Review of the Equal Opportunity Legislation has really brought me down.

The report states that the following sorry story (be warned, it is a long list):

The Australian paid workforce is highly gender segregated, and female dominated industries have been historically undervalued;
Occupational segregation between men and women continues to exist, and male-dominated occupations continue to attract higher remuneration than female-dominated occupations;
Women are less likely to be in leadership positions within organisations;
Only 10.7 percent of executive managers in the ASX200 are women;
At the board director level, there are more than 10 men to every one woman;
At CEO level, there are 49 male CEOs for every female CEOs in the ASX200;
Australia has a lower participation rate for mothers with young children than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries of Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States;
Women are much less likely to work full-time than men (54.9 percent compared to 84.1 percent), and comprise over 70 percent of the part-time workforce;
Despite gains in participation rates over time, women's earnings remain persistently lower than men's…Over a lifetime, pay inequity places women at a considerable disadvantage compared with men;
Studies suggest that about 50 percent of the pay gap cannot be fully explained by differences in these factors and can be attributed to discrimination in the workplace;
Long and inflexible working hours may preclude many workers with family responsibilities from pursuing particular career paths or job opportunities;
When the combined impact of paid and unpaid work is considered, overall, women work longer hours than men;
Maintaining a connection to the paid workforce following the birth of a child is a determinant of future employment patterns and earnings;
Experiences of sex discrimination and sexual harassment, fuelled by discriminatory stereotypes about gender roles, continue to pervade women's experiences of paid work… The Australian Human Rights Commission conducted a national telephone survey in 2008 and found that 22 percent of women aged 18 to 64 years have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace during their lifetime;
Nearly one in every five pregnant women experiences at least one difficulty in their workplace in relation to being pregnant;
Australia lags behind many other developed countries in terms of women's workforce participation rates;
When compared to other OECD countries with similar tertiary education levels, Australia has the fifth largest pay gap;
Australia's ranking in the Global Gender Index of the World Economic Forum (a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities and tracking their progress) has slipped from 15th place in 2006 to 20th place in 2009…On these measures, Australia is significantly behind New Zealand (5th place), South Africa (6th place) and United Kingdom (15th place)

The report also tells you why it is important to change all this:

Australian women's increased workforce participation has been a major factor in leading to better economic security for women. Paid work gives women the opportunity to ensure their own financial security, contribute to the family budget and secure their economic future into retirement.
While paid work improves women's choices and independence, it is also fundamental to workplace productivity and economic growth.
Paid work is also widely recognised as key to addressing disadvantage and to contributing to social inclusion.

So there it is. A very sorry story indeed. No wonder I feel like running away sometimes. But not with Pauline.

Small breasted women

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:02:40 +1100

You just have to read Marieke Hardy's article about Barnaby Joyce on The Drum. What on earth does he think he is doing and who on earth does he think he is doing it for?

I first read about this issue a week ago in one of the American feminist blogs. From that article, I concluded that the Australian Sex Party had grabbed some media coverage talking about - believe it or not - breasts.

But it looks like their media campaign may have succeeded in grabbing the attention of a few blokes, including .... Barnaby Joyce.

After reading about the issue, Barnaby decided to 'round up' some adult magazines to check whether the portrayal of small breasted women is encouraging paedophilia, as claimed by the Australian Sex Party.

Clearly, Barnaby thought that this was a subject worth researching.

I confess, when I read the Broadsheet article originally, I didn't pay a lot of attention to it.

Mainly because I wasn't sure what they meant.

After all, isn't small-breasted a relative term, particularly when it comes to porn versus real life?

I agree wholeheartedly with what Kids Free 2B Kids is trying to achieve, but it is pretty clear that their organisation doesn't have a lot in common with the Australian Sex Party.

It is also clear that the Australian Sex Party has won the PR war on this subject.

And that is all it is, as far as I can see.

Silly Barnaby Joyce.

Silly, silly, boy.

What dimples? What creases?

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:38:00 +1100

Oh look – lots more publicity is being given to the Marie Claire magazine as a result of a nude cover page photo of Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins, in the February 2010 issue. Well done guys – moving this sort of stuff from page 3 of the newspapers has to be an advance for women, doesn’t it? And it’s all in a good cause too – even better.

Oh, in case you hadn’t noticed (perhaps your glasses were too steamed up) the cause is all about promoting a healthy body image.

Hold on! I just had a flash! Wasn’t it the women’s mags who created the situation where promoting a healthy body image is now an exception to the rule?

Well, isn't it nice to see them trying to fix the mess they got us into...

But somehow I can’t help thinking that placing an un-photo-shopped nude photograph of Miss Universe on the cover proves only one thing: that nudes on covers sell more magazines.

Celebrate the new year with a quiz

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:22:24 +1100

Given that it is holiday time, and hopefully you are all relaxing with your friends or family at the beach or at home, I thought a quiz could be a good way to kick off 2010, so wondered if you know the answers to the following:
1. What do these countries have in common?
Argentina, The Federation of Bosnia, Chile, Finland, Germany, India, Ireland, Liberia, Lithuania, The Philippines
2. What do these countries have in common?
Croatia, Haiti, Mozambique, Iceland, Ukraine, Bangladesh
3. What do these countries have in common?
The Gambia, Kiribati, Macedonia, Malawi, Peru, Spain, Syria, Vietnam, Zimbabwe
4. What do these countries have in common?
Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Guinea-Bissau, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Montenegro, Namibia, Norway, Senegal, Sweden, Swaziland, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Give up? The answers are:
1. They all have women Presidents
2. They all have women Prime Ministers
3. They all have women Vice Presidents
4. The all have women Deputy Prime Ministers

So how predictable am I?

But who knows, maybe in the next year or two Australia will be included in the answers to question 2 – or even question 1 – could be exciting!

Happy New Year everyone

The true story about Christmas reindeer

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:30:53 +1100

This is interesting - according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December.

Female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. Therefore, according to every historical rendition depicting Santa's reindeer, every single one of them, from Rudolph to Blitzen, had to be a girl.

We should have known.....

Only women would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost!

Merry Christmas to you all

A good woman

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:55:00 +1100

I am extremely pleased to learn that a good woman has been appointed as the CEO of the public service organisation that most Australians have personal contact with: Centrelink, which will soon be merged with Medicare.

But at the risk of being a bit churlish about the process followed for this appointment I would also like to point out that the last two Centrelink CEOs were men, and they were appointed via a much more common process - that is, they were just appointed to the jobs because someone in power thought they would be the best person - just like that. No advertising, no interviewing, no process, just "have a job!".

There have been three appointments for Centrelink's CEO in nearly as many years, and only once was the job advertised.

Carolyn Hogg, who won the job this time around, has been acting in the role. On and off, for some time.

In fact, she was acting in the CEO role on the previous two occasions when the job was just handed to a bloke.

This time the job was advertised. And a woman got it. OK? Get my point?

Thanks guys.

The Un-United Federation of Australia

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:22:00 +1100

I'm a bit slow at times, I know, but now that I've read Annabel Crabb's most enlightening analysis about Australia's current political leaders, I finally understand why none of them really do it for me.

She describes Rudd as The Nerd and Abbott as The Jock and she is dead right! And of course, Australians love a stoush between jocks and nerds, don't they. Well, some Australians do.

The problem is, neither jocks nor nerds have the leadership qualities of empathy, understanding, compassion, caring or nurturing which are absolutely essential to transforming anything, particularly a country. And this country needs a bit of transformation if you ask most women.

Both nerds and jocks are stereotypes, and male stereotypes at that. The jock is your command and control type of leader, and the nerd can't do anything without having commissioned at least 50 research articles arguing the pros and cons and then commissioning another 50 researchers to analyse the first 50 articles. That is, they usually can't do anything.

It is sort of like having an extremist-to-the-very-far-right who gives a stuff James Kirk on one side (Abbott), and an even more emotionally detached and logical Dr Spock (Rudd) on the other - without any respect or love between them.

I guess that would make us the Most Un-United Federation of Australia, with women playing the part of the aliens.

What hope is there? Beam me up Scotty.

Women's rights are human rights

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:14:59 +1100

Securing a more equal footing for women in Australia cannot occur in isolation. I strongly believe that we need a Human Rights Act to strengthen the position of women and at the same time to address human rights abuses.

The reasons for this lie in the following two facts.

Fact#1:
Women are more likely than men to experience poverty, abuse and discrimination.

Fact#2:
Women are over-represented in Australia among the poor, the disabled, the marginally employed, the sick, the isolated, and those whose responsibilities for caring for others exclude them from community life.

Now is the time to act!
Support for a Human Rights Act or Charter is high - in March 2009, over 80% of Australians supported the introduction of a new law to protect human rights, 85% of them believing that this should be a high priority for government.

However, call me a pessimist, I can't help feeling that if we don't make a lot of noise about this right now, it will slither away from us in the same way that so many other grand ideas have slithered away over the past few years.

I strongly support a Human Rights Act. If you do too, why don't you state your support by signing our petition.

Sex, holidays and Schoolies

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:34:39 +1100

When my kids were at high school, we had a little checklist before they went out. Money? ID? Hankie? Condom? It was sort of a joke, but it was also a reminder that whatever they were doing, I wanted to be sure they were safe.

In an effort to make sure more Australians stay safe, Marie Stopes International has organised Australia’s first Sexual Health Week from November 9-15 this year, in an effort to teach men, women and schoolies how to look after their sexual health.

This week is timed to coincide with the end of year festivities. Office parties, New Year celebrations and the dreaded Schoolies Week will all take place over the next few months.

During Schoolies Week lots of kids party on, and many experience sex for the first time as they test out the limits of their freedom. Sexual Health Week aims to make sure that there are a minimum number of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies occurring.

Sexualhealthweek.com.au provides a lot of information, including some suggestions for sexual decision-making.

There is also some fun stuff – a Kiss and Tell survey and a really silly game called Love Bugs Battle!

It takes a while to load, but check it out, Schoolies! Check out the rest of the web site - you never know, you might even learn something.

Have fun, and stay safe.

Educating girls and eradicating poverty

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:09:37 +1100

October 17 2009 is set aside by the United Nationals as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year is the twentieth anniversary, and we still have a way to go.

The day is set aside to highlight the effort and struggle of people living in poverty and to promote awareness of the need to eradicate it. But how?

The data tells us that educating girls increases economic productivity and improves family nutrition. It reduces infant mortality. For every year beyond fourth grade that girls go to school, family size drops 20% and wages rise by 20%.

That’s why a whole lot of non-government organisations, including 2020women, have released a statement organised by UNIFEM Australia supporting action to ensure girls’ rights during childhood; giving girls access to quality education and to the knowledge skills and opportunities they need to realise their full potential.

We can’t achieve gender equality without these things, and without giving girls a good education we won’t eradicate poverty.

So much to do, so little time!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:57:08 +1100

It’s not often that I get upfront and personal in this blog, but lately I have been busier than a lizard being chased by a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, if you’ll pardon my addled adages!

It’s just that so much is happening, and it is all exciting. There’s the most recent 2020women survey, the women’s conference in Manila and the book of working mothers’ stories. They all require action of some sort. It is time to stop and set some priorities.

First, the survey: we received over 700 responses to our first survey on pay equity, and then another 90 or so women shared in more detail what they think about the problem. Amongst other things, they tell us that pay equity is still out of their reach, and they are losing out in pay negotiations. We just have to get this information incorporated into our submission to the EOWA review to make sure that the point is driven home.

Secondly, Manila: Asia Pacific Women’s Watch are conducting an NGO forum on Beijing+15, and in spite of the floods, I will be there.

Beijing+15 was an exciting time for women. It was the Fourth UN Conference for Women, held in 1995. At that Conference 12 areas of concern were identified: poverty, education and training, health, the economy, power and decision-making, human rights, armed conflict, institutional mechanisms, the environment, violence against women and the girl child.

Actions were to be taken in all these areas, and the conference in Manila is bringing women from the Asia Pacific region to discuss progress on these issues and to share stories about what is happening for women throughout the Region.

Lastly, there is the great book I was sent by an EMC, an international consulting and IT company. It tells the stories of the working mothers that they employ.

Just take a look at the following excerpt from the introduction, and you will see why it has inspired me:

If the professionals at EMC are star performers, the company’s working mothers are superstars who glide along the tightrope stretched between their work and family lives, deftly juggling responsibilities, demands, and interests. They’re the ones who make it look easy, consistently turning in top performances at work and home, doing it all with style, grace, and that ever-necessary safety net – humor. Sometimes a crowd of adoring fans cheers them on as they skillfully move across the high wire of their lives. But, all too often, they act in silence, their audiences unaware of the skill, strength, commitment, and perseverance it takes to move through their days with such agility.

You can see why we really need to get more stories from Australia’s working mothers, can’t you? And you can see why, on a scale from busy to out of control, currently I am at the too much to do and frustrated because I want to do it all now stage… aaaargh.

By the way, EMC have given me permission to share their stories with you.

You can download the book if you want to read the stories.

Sexual assault prevention tips guaranteed to work!

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:09:00 +1000

The author of the blog Femin-Ally wrote this thought-provoking list:

Sexual Assault Prevention Tips Guaranteed to Work!

Don’t put drugs in people’s drinks in order to control their behavior.
When you see someone walking by themselves, leave them alone!
If you pull over to help someone with car problems, remember not to assault them!
NEVER open an unlocked door or window uninvited.
If you are in an elevator and someone else gets in, DON’T ASSAULT THEM!
Remember, people go to laundry to do their laundry, do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public.
Always be honest with people! Don’t pretend to be a caring friend in order to gain the trust of someone you want to assault. Consider telling them you plan to assault them. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the other person may take that as a sign that you do not plan to rape them.
Don’t forget: you can’t have sex with someone unless they are awake!
Carry a whistle! If you are worried you might assault someone “on accident” you can hand it to the person you are with, so they can blow it if you do.

And, ALWAYS REMEMBER: if you didn't ask permission and then respect the answer the first time, you are committing a crime; no matter how 'into it' others appear to be.

Good, isn't it?

Australian women at the front

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:29:44 +1000

There has been quite a bit of chatter in the media recently because the Minister for Defence suggested that the current physical employment standards for the Australian Defence Forces might be changed in a couple of years time.

This would result in the removal of gender and age criteria from their recruitment processes. When and if this happens, women will be eligible for all categories of employment in the military, including jobs like working in tanks, and firing some heavy duty artillery.

Good. If a woman chooses to do jobs such as these, and is fit enough and strong enough to be selected, why not?

Can someone please just make sure that they are paid on an equal basis to the men doing the same work?

Okay?

Feminism is not a popular word

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:08:25 +1000

My dictionary defines feminism as the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social and economic equality to men. In 2006 I discovered just how negatively this word is regarded by many young women through a survey conducted for a feminist organisation. I was recently reminded of this when 2020women’s youngest Board member suggested that we refer to ourselves as a women’s organisation rather than a feminist organisation.

I confess that my first reaction was defensive. I am a feminist, and proud of it, so why should I agree to use different terminology? After a little more thought I climbed off my high horse and started thinking.

Early Australian feminists were ordinary women who fought to gain women’s basic rights, including the right to vote and to own property.

In the 1970s feminism took a sharp turn. Women at that time were unhappy with their lot, and wanted change. Feminists were middle-class, highly educated and willing to tackle more difficult issues affecting the equality of women. These more controversial issues included reproductive rights, equal rights at work, and the right to be more than just someone who was an accessory to men functioning in a male-centred society.

Many things taken for granted now were won at that time. For example, women no longer have to leave work when they get married, equal pay for equal work is a no-brainer. It is also no longer legal for men to beat their wives.

In the battle to win these important gains some feminists became highly radicalised as they fought against a system of male power that was used, consciously or unconsciously, to oppress women. The media loved them, but their black and white approach to egalitarianism challenged more conservative women. Around this time, unspoken rules developed about what a good feminist could do.

Could you shave your legs and be a feminist? Could you wear lipstick and be a feminist? Could you be heterosexual and be a feminist? Could you be a good mother and be a feminist? Could you be uneducated, working class, and a feminist?

Well actually to all of the above the answer is, yes! yes! yes! yes! and yes! But for some time, you did these things at the risk of being scorned by the women who had become institutionalised by the media as the feminist movement.

No wonder young women have negative connotations with the term.

I would like to redefine feminism for these young women. I would like the so-called feminist movement (is there one?) to move away from academic debate and more into action.

I would like to see women joining together to help each other achieve political, social and economic equality to men.

This would mean finding out how women define their problems. Ordinary, every day women. Women like me. Women like you. Then, to take those problems, work together and fix them. Is this too much to ask? Am I dreaming? I think not.

It can be done if young women join in the discussion. I will willingly reject the term feminism if it is a barrier to this goal.

Feminism and motherhood

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:15:04 +1000

I have just spent a week with a wonderful 16-month-old baby. On arriving back home one of the first things I read was a blog article about whether or not you can be a feminist and still have maternal instincts. Both these events got me thinking about my time as a young mother.

Unlike mothers today, I had my children in my early twenties. The trend to have children later in life means that many mothers now are already grown up when they have their children.

Maybe I was a late-starter, but as a very young 21-year-old with a baby, the question of whether I had a philosophy about motherhood versus feminism just didn’t exist for me. I was too busy growing up with my children.

Not only are young mothers now under the pressure to be perfect at everything they do (see below) they also are expected to have formed opinions about a whole lot of things that I never had to think about.

How hard is that?

So these are my thoughts on the motherhood/feminism discussion:

Thought #1: Our culture expects women to be beautiful, witty, intelligent, super-capable, successful at work and good mothers.

Therefore many women – mothers included – strive to achieve everything and often just end up feeling inadequate.

Thought #2: Our culture also tends to confuse good mothering with full-time mothering.

Regardless of this, and for different reasons, some women end up as full-time mothers and some balance good mothering with employment.

Thought #3: Very few women who are full-time mothers are rejecting feminism. They are just being full-time mothers.

Similarly, very few women who work when their children are young are acting out a feminist imperative.

Thought #4: Regardless of whether they are a full-time mothers or not, most women strive to be good mothers and still end up feeling inadequate – see above.

Conclusion: Feminism and mothering are not incompatible activities. In fact, the experience of mothering can stir the feminist spirit for many women.

Plus 63: women work 63 days more than men just to keep up

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:20:00 +1000

On September 1, 2009 it will be Equal Pay Day again. The first Equal Pay Day was set by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in 2008.

The way EOWA set it up, the date for Equal Pay Day changes each year as it is calculated by counting the extra days many women would have to work after the end of the financial year (30 June) in order to earn the same as men.

In 2008, Equal Pay Day fell on August 27. That was 58 days extra that EOWA estimated most women worked in 2008 to earn the same as most men.

In 2009 the gender pay gap increased to 17.2%, so five extra days will be added to the gap between the end of the 2009 financial year and Equal Pay Day.

Equal Pay Day 2009 will fall on 1st September: 63 days after 30 June. In 2009, women worked on average 63 days just to earn the same pay as men.

Not long to go till September 1 - and Australian women are counting the days. Is anyone else?

Who remembers Mr Ed?

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:08:00 +1000

I couldn't help thinking about Mr Ed (you know, the talking horse from the '60s) the other day when I read that not only is 1st August the horses' birthday, it is also the 25th anniversary of the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act in Australia.

Now I understand what a Horse Laugh is all about!

Try this for size....

If the Rudd Government was true to its promise, on 1 August this year we would be celebrating a Sex Discrimination Act that truly empowered the Sex Discrimination Commissioner and eliminated sex discrimination in Australia!

Sorry.