Category: gender & sexism

gender & sexism

Australia, the gender pay gap, and everyday sexism

Sexism made explicit In the past it was easier to not notice the everyday sexism and misogyny that permeates life in Australia. But with the advent of Julia Gillard as Prime Minister it seemed that it was permitted to openly denigrate women. It shocked me. It was breathtaking. I spent the entire Gillard regime gobsmacked at what people, mostly men, felt that it okay to say in public about … Continue reading Australia, the gender pay gap, and everyday sexism

Kate Carruthers
gender & sexism

Sexism in Australia – the Ernies show clearly that it’s not going away

A friend invited to me to attend the 21st Ernies Awards for Sexist Remarks and, since it was a thing I’d always meant to see, I went along. While it was a raucous and boozy night filled with good humour and old friends catching up, the continuing slather of horrible, vile, demeaning sexist remarks was depressing. As a number of attendees noted, the list of … Continue reading Sexism in Australia – the Ernies show clearly that it’s not going away

Kate Carruthers7 Comments
ethics, gender & sexism, women

Why do bad leaders happen to good people? #notw #hackergate

There have been astonishing revelations in London about leaders in the News International group of companies and in the UK Parliament. Perhaps even more shocking is the disclosure of the deep and complex relationships between the two groups? It is a classic case study of power and the old-fashioned dispensation of favour. News International controlled the media, and thus they controlled politician’s access to the … Continue reading Why do bad leaders happen to good people? #notw #hackergate

Kate Carruthers1 Comment
gender & sexism, women

International Women’s Day – some things to celebrate but more work to do

It is International Women’s Day again and surveying the scene here in Australia for women I find much to celebrate. Yet there remains much work to do for the women of Australia. Here we see, for the first time, a crop of women in senior political leadership positions. GOVERNOR GENERAL & STATE GOVERNORS Quentin Bryce – Governor General Marie Bashir – Governor of NSW Penelope … Continue reading International Women’s Day – some things to celebrate but more work to do

Kate Carruthers4 Comments
gender & sexism, women

Inspiring women: Louisa Lawson – women’s suffrage activist and publisher

The fight for women to get the vote was a monument to cooperation, ingenuity and collaboration on the part of many women in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These women educated themselves and their peers about women’s issues and agitated for women’s rights. And the women of Australia owe a debt to these women of the past who achieved the privileges of full … Continue reading Inspiring women: Louisa Lawson – women’s suffrage activist and publisher

Kate Carruthers1 Comment
gender & sexism, women

Gender parity in Australia

Bain & Company have just released a brief titled “Level the playing field: A call for action on gender parity in Australia”. The key findings are: Australian men are 1.4 times more likely to believe that gender parity should be a strategic priority than men surveyed in the US and Europe 9 in 10 women and 7 in 10 men believe that gender parity should … Continue reading Gender parity in Australia

Kate Carruthers1 Comment
gender & sexism, women

More on Women, housework & the 21st century

My post the other day on this topic revealed my complete ignorance of house & home magazines (this deficiency in my reading was kindly pointed out in a recent comment). I have rushed to the store to get hold of a bunch of womens’ magazines and have been reading them with a critical eye for ‘housework mania‘ inducing words and imagery. Well I must confess … Continue reading More on Women, housework & the 21st century

Kate Carruthers
gender & sexism, women

Women, housework & the 21st century

It is astonishing that many women in the west still seem to be obsessed with housework and cleaning in spite of the advances women have made in the past 100 years. A recent series of visits to various online women’s groups (that are ostensibly about something else) showed a focus, in an almost unhealthy way, upon housework. Many of the women in these groups express … Continue reading Women, housework & the 21st century

Kate Carruthers
gender & sexism, women

The great maternity leave debate

I do not have children, nor do I plan to reproduce – so I suppose you could say I have no skin in this particular game. But I’ve been thinking about the debates around maternity leave and the low birthrate that have occurred recently in Australia. The key problem does not actually seem to be paid maternity leave for a number of weeks after the … Continue reading The great maternity leave debate

Kate Carruthers