Screws and Nuts

Hi 

Well, it has been a while since I have had anything to talk to you about. I have had some experiences over the past few days that have given pause for thought and I thought I might share them with you.  First of all I got a new bicycle yesterday.  As I am no longer in the flush of youth I found that my current bike was no longer suitable for the style of riding I wish to do.  Have you ever noticed that today's bikes for women are made so that we have to hoick our leg toes pointed up to the sky to get on the damn thing.  Well, I was OVER it.  I had had my previous bike for over 10 years and it has been well used.  When my children were younger it was my transport.  I had a covered trailer that attached to the back and I carried around both my children until they were well into their first years of school.  It was a sturdy mountain bike and it did well.  I was limber and slender for the most part.  However, now I am less fit and a bit wider.  I no longer feel the desire to demonstrate my flexibility by throwing my leg in the air to mount my bike.  I want to step onto a bike with an ample seat for my ample seat.  I wish to ride upright and see the world.  In other words rather than pelt, I wish to glide.  The new bicycle provides that for me.

This is my dream bike. It is an example of addressing the needs of the individual instead of generic design for all.  Equity is about getting what you need. It is not about getting the same thing as everyone else.  Even if we divide into gender there are specific needs of men and women that require consideration.    

The attainment of my bike has led me to another observation.  I decided to take the carrier from the back of my old bike and install it on the dream machine.  As I was speaking to a friend on the phone while sitting on the ground with bike parts, fasteners and tools spread all around me it occurred to us that the fasteners were named after male genitalia and sex.  Nuts & Screws. I wonder if this is coincidence or on purpose?  I would be most interested to find out from you in the blogosphere your ideas of gendered tools, instruments etc.  Leave your comments below.

Thanks for Reading

Bo.

Finally - Action

How many times have you suggested to a non-feminist that pay inequity exists between the sexes.  I have, but have been summarily dismissed and been told that this is a fallicy.  Well, here is some evidence to support your argument, my feminist friends.  Check out the link:http://www.perthnow.com.au/business/bosses-could-be-forced-to-act-on-womens-pay/story-e6frg2qc-1225850773515

Could someone please explain why, after 50 years of fighting for equity in pay, this is still an issue. 

Yours Disillusioned.

B...

The F Word.

Some food for thought

I love my partner and my children with passion. This neither defines nor detracts from my femininity or my femininism.  My femininity and feminism are a result and refelction of my thoughts and actions. 

 I feel the need to put this out there in the blogger-sphere.  I am getting really sick and tired of the expectation that as a feminist I will have a butch persona, hate men and withdraw from the care, love and support of my family.  I am sure that some feminists are butch whether this is a result of their feminism or their personal style.  The idea that ones personal style is intrinsically linked to ones feminism irritates me to the core.  Feminists are people who have to deal with normal everyday situations.  As a feminist I continue to learn about the suppression of women's rights and the political backfoot that women are placed in and need to address.  While feminism is the lens I envoke to view most issues with, I am not conciously a feminist most of the time.  I have absorbed the ideology and continue to quesiton much of it.  Feminism should not be dogma or stereotypical.  It should be dynamic and evolutionary. It should be questioned and refined.  Feminism is not static.  

The quote I placed above is a reminder to those out there who believe that their encounter with a feminist will follow some script or that the feminist they encounter will be stereotypical.  BEWARE:  we may be mothers, lovers, artisits, professionals. We may wear make-up and designer clothes or we may wear op-shop or bargain basket attire. We may be black, white, asian.  We are wealthy, poor, middleclass.  We may be beautiful or plain. We come from many cultural and religious backgrounds.  We are income earning or supported.  We can even be male or female.  The one thing we will be is vocal about equality. I am woman who loves her partner and children.  This does not define my femininity or my feminism.  My defininition of myself is a totality of my thoughts and actions.

Hollywood glass ceiling is shattered, but women are still losing out in film and TV - The F-Word

Hollywood glass ceiling is shattered, but women are still losing out in film and TV - The F-Word

I have cross posted this from The F-Word Blog in the UK. This blog is not affiliated with the UK site however our subject matter is synonymous.

International Women's Day

Tomorrow is International Women's Day.  According to the Office for Women's Policy, an Australian Government department, this day celebrates the achievements and gains made by women and draws attention to the gender equity gap that still exists.  This past week was also a celebration of my university cohort who celebrated their university graduation. For many of the women in my cohort it was also a celebration of success over adversity and marks new opportunities for women.  I guess you should be aware that for many of us we are over 25 and under 50.  For the older of us, myself included, it was especially celebratory because when we left school we thought our opportunity to study at university was all but lost. 

For my part I took the decision with my partner that our children should have a stay at home parent until they were ready for some independence.  That task fell to me because, as is the case with many women, my earning capacity was limited by my education.  My partner earned and was likely to earn more money.  Having him take on the role of earner and me carer was sensible.  I addressed my responsibilities with pride and was an active mother in preparing my children to be responsible citizens of the world.  It was clear that after 10 years of fulltime parenting and with children installed in school that it was time to focus on how I could make up ground in contributing financially and substantially to our family unit.  I decided, with the support and encouragement  of my partner, to pursue a long time goal of obtaining a university degree.  This entailed me pulling back on my domestic duties and my partner adding some of these duties to his load.  Mostly domesticity fell between the cracks of our ambition but the basics were done and we both made sure our children were encouraged to grow socially and psychologically.  It wasn't always easy but we got there in the end. 

Graduation this week was a feminist statement.  I received my degree in regalia designed for men from an instituion that recognised the rights of women and encouraged their enrolment and I am proud of my acheivement but recognise that if not for those who supported my endeavour my success would have been limited. The simple fact is that without my education, and continuing education in a Masters course, my ability to provide for myself and my family financially would not be possible given that I took the choice to be a full time carer for my children.  I take it to be my responsibility to pursue a career in a profession that will provide myself with satisfaction in work and provide the financial requisites for my ongoing financial independence.

My graduate cohort also included a woman of similar age to me and a commenter on this site.  Tracey is a woman who has worked, married, raised a child, divorced and excelled.  Tracey has attracted academic accolades and is a model for what is possible by women in the middle age.  Tracey was Valedictorian of our graduation group and also received a University Medal for her outstanding efforts in the academy.  Tracey accomplished her academic feat while she financially supported herself through the four year degree.  Such dedication to study takes a toll on social relationships and many of my cohort have found that, as mature age students, we come out of our degree with a different social network than the one we started our university experience with.  

It is through women like Tracey and others that provide me with inspiration and hope for women in Australia.  It is my fervant hope that on this International Women's Day, women are inspired to pursue their dream and that the inspiration leads to a successful accomplishment of that dream. 

Happy International Women's Day!

"Women claim Qantas sex bias"

"Qantas has been accused of sex discrimination after sacking 14 female aircraft cleaners and replacing the with male baggage handlers in a restructure that saw no women offered retraining in jobs traditionally done by men." (Sydney Morning Herald in The Weste Australian, Feb 13, 2010).

So it goes on.  Wow, haven't we come a long way in securing equality for women in Australia.  The TWU has loged a complaint with Fair Work Australia on this matter.  This action was made possible by new legislation that has been put in place to support gender equity and address sexual discrimination after an enquiry by a committee invoked by Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard in her role as Workplace Relations Minister.   The status of women in Australia has also been highlighted by  a World Ecomonic Forum report that placed Australia 20th in the world in terms of pay equity (AFR, 10 Nov, 2009).  This same news report stated that there is a gender pay gap of about 17 per cent favouring men for professions at graduate level. An example of the inequity that highlights the gap is in graduate architects.  It was stated that the pay difference in annual salary between men and women at graduate level is $3000. 

The need for such arbitration monitors raises serious issues about the way jobs are linked to tradtional gender roles and the way in which employment for the sexes has been managed.  It has been argued that if a job that is traditionally seen as a woman's domain and men begin to make headway into the profession the status and remuniration of that field will be improved.  However, the reverse occurs when women enter a tradtionally male held field.  In this case salaries and wages are said to decrease along with the status of the profession or job and conditions comensurate with that position (Greer, 1999).

In the case of the Qantas cleaners who lost their jobs, Qantas had reported that the loss of a cleaning contract had required that they let temporary staff go in order to protect the jobs of those permenant employees.  It seems women cop it all over.   Women, more often than men,  occupy more casual, contract and part-time positions. If temporary, contract and casual positions are being axed in favour of permenant employees, it is still a matter of discrimination given that it is more likely for a male to hold a permanent position than a female.  Enforcing and encouraging gender equity would protect the jobs and income of women in similar situations.

Seeking Contributors

I am looking for contributors to this blog.  It is a forum where you can put forward your arguments for gender equality or just comment on a situation you have observed or maybe a book that you have read that has offered an interesting perspective on the gender equality discussion.   The "F" Word is a forum for intelligent, respectful discussion of the issues surrounding gender equality from a non-partisan perspective.  That is, I advocate for the rights of women to particpate fully in society.  I also advocate for the rights of men to fully particpate in society.   I strongly argue that by following traditional gender roles, both men and women are missing out on experiences vital to understanding between the sexes and are denied experiences that can provide a more satisfying and insightful existence.

So, if you would like to contribute contact me at TheFWord@iinet.net.au for conditions of publication on this site. 

I look forward to your contributions.