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Challenges in Australian culture
Gender inequality in contemporary australia
Australia is a culturally diverse society
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Recommended: Challenges in Australian culture
Introduction:
Australia is a widely diverse and unique nation. From extensive exposed spaces in boiling arid conditions to the dense urban population of the capital cities, our nation has grown into a unique and multicultural country. There are countless features that create Australian culture and identity.
The Australian Identity:
Through history, Australia has created an identity of being the “lucky country”. Horne argues that Australians are often taken by surprise by these events and successes of other Australians. Horne would also argue that Australia’s wealth and prosperity is often based off luck and not off the people themselves. Much of Australia’s prospects are often based off ‘luck’ such as the geographical isolation, rich resources,
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This is due to the sexism of the past. Through women’s right movements such as the Suffragettes and the feminist right movements of the 60s-70s, Australian women have now more power and authority within society.
However, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2012, only 65.3% of women were in the labour force compared to their male counterpart at 79.7% . This emphasizes the lack of respect towards women to be seen as equal to their male counterparts. This also emphasizes that more men are being employed than women in the work force.
That statistic is consistent with the question, 53% of people opposed in the questionnaire that Australian women are provided a “fair go”. This is reliable to the amount of people in the Focus group that were evenly divided about the issue also.
Yet, it was generally established that women are proceeding to develop an equivalent opportunity to their male counterparts, such as the example of Australia’s first female prime minister in 2010. This case displays the mounting support towards women within Australian society. With further emphasis of women in society, Australian women may soon become equal to their male counterparts, and then allowing equal power among the
Strachan, G., 2013. Still working for the man? Women's employment experiences in Australia since 1950. [Online]
During the World War II era, the outlook on the role of women in Australian society revolutionised. As a majority of men were at war, Australian women were encouraged to rise above and beyond their stereotypical ‘housewife’ status. They were required to take on the tasks that were once considered predominantly male roles, and also allowed the opportunity to join the armed services as well as enlist in the Women’s Land Army. Many women who doubted their abilities played their part by entering voluntary work. Women had the privilege of contributing in Australian society in many ways that they had never been able before. Thus, it is manifest that the role of women in Australian society had drastically changed.
Australia is a very unique place, along with our multiculturalism there is also a strong heritage surrounding us. At first thought of Australian heritage we think about such landmarks as Uluru, The Sydney harbour bridge and The Sydney opera house, The Great Barrier reef and other internationally recognised places. But our heritage goes much deeper than that; it is far more than outstanding icons. Along with these icons there are also unsung places like the old cattle stations, Aboriginal missions, migrant hostels, War memorials, our unique wetlands and the towns and cities we have built. Adding all of these things together, helps to tell the story of who we are and how we have shaped this land in the unique identity it has today.
MacDermott, D. (1993). As we see you. In D. Grant & G. Seal (Eds.), Australia in the world (pp. 86-91). Perth: Black Swan Press
T Australians can be represented in a positive way by celebrating its diversity as a united nation, between its people and the land. Nevertheless, Australia can also be seen in a negative way, as being harsh and cruel. S – This presentation will be analysing one Australian song, I am Australian by Bruce
Australia Human Rights Commission (2011) ‘Sex discrimination’, Attorney-General of Australia, Canberra, viewed 5 October 2011 .
In today’s society there are many words that are used or said without giving it complete thought. For example, the word “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or even considered how I identify myself.
Feminism, the theory of the social, political and economic equality of the sexes, is a topic today either accepted by many or rejected in a newer version (Mainstream post-feminism). Whether a feminist or not, looking at the number of women involved in Canadian politics it is obvious that equality has not reached this work field, where Canada ranks 63rd in terms of female politicians in the world. Many barriers are stopping women from participating in politics, even in 2016. From having self-doubt in the skills needed in politics, to a culture portraying the “traditional” role of woman as the housewife, Canadian women need to be shown that in today’s society these barriers can be overcome and they can make a difference in their communities as
There is a reference to our multiculturalism in the lines ‘All cultures together as one. Yet, individual until the game is won’. These lines acknowledge the fact that even though Australia is an increasingly Multicultural society, all Australians, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, share the same values, principles and national identity.
Ever since the 1970s, Australia has become a multicultural nation. Australia’s multiculturalism is a way to explain the variety of ethnic backgrounds within the Australian people. “It implies that there are many ways of being Australian, not just one ‘Australian way of life’” (Carter 333). Multiculturalism has majorly changed the way that people view Australian history and identity.
In many ways today's society, even though women have come a long way, we still live in a patriarchal world. There are many examples of this in everyday life, whether it be that there aren't very many women CEO's or the mere fact that we've yet to have a woman president. No matter where you live, there is the presence of a male dominated world. It especially extends into the working fields. There are professions that are categorically 'women's' jobs like nursing, school teacher, or secretarial jobs. The rest of the professional world is mainly male dominated, i.e. engineering, CEO's of major companies, and Law Firms. Which brings us to the movie I picked to watch, Legally Blonde.
Collective Identity is an individual or groups set beliefs and rituals that make up there own personal identity. It is how one can belong or feel accepted by a group or create how a person is. Indigenous people here in Australia are an example of a very strong version of collective identity. Indigenous people belong to tribes or clans, and all the separate clans have different collective identities but they are all similar in some ways. An indigenous clan that you are apart of determines on where you are born and also your language group. There are many different things that make up the aboriginal identity one of the main thing being the Dreaming, which is the creation story of the aboriginals. The originally known as the Dream Time is the
This does not represent equality or a fair say in decisions affecting all Australians lives. Different strategies get adopted around the world to help gain more female representation such as the gender quota and policies of change to occur within the parliament. The true meaning of democracy has been
Many feminists define the notion of patriarchy as the role of male dominance over female in politics, economic and social structure (Jones 2001, p. 1197), which is characterised as unjust and oppressive to women (Makama 2013, p. 117). This theory of patriarchy may explain the lack of women participation in politics and full time employment. This is because the existence of patriarchal belief has caused the different gender roles in our society, which strengthens inequality. Both men and women are victims of strict patriarchal divisions as constrained identities are formed (Singh 2016, p. 29). This may be reflected in the division of work and family life balance caused by gender. As women are more likely than men to dedicate time to house chores and childcare (Parker & Wang 2013), this may result in the unequal work restrictions due to family responsibilities. For instance, an analysis of the American 2000 census has found that single women are more likely to be in the labour force than married ones, and those who became mothers are less likely to work full time (Cotter et al. 2005, p. 109). In Australia, 69.1 per cent of men are employed in full-time positions, while only 40.7 per cent of women work full-time (WGEA 2016, p. 8). These gaps in the labour market reinforce the existence of gender inequality. Furthermore, a Princeton
In the workplace, women do not receive the same benefits that men do. Some women do the same job, for the same amount of hours, and still do not receive the same pay for their work. Is there a specific reason behind this? No, it is just one of the many inequalities that goes on on the job. As pointed out in the essay by Susan Faludi, Blame it on Feminism, women earn less. The average women’s paycheck is twenty percent less than their male counterparts. Men with only high school education’s make more than some women who have graduated college. Most women are still working the traditional “female” jobs: secretaries, teachers, and nurses for example. Construction work, engineering, and doctor’s, are considered “out of our reach” and men’s jobs. Women are very capable of doing these jobs, but most times when applying for a “man’s job” are not taken seriously. American women are more likely not to receive health insurance and twice as likely not to draw pension then American men. They face the biggest gender-biased pay gap in the world.