JOURNAL WEEK 16
Part 1.
The issues faced for work in the future for me would be some sort of flexibility as I care for a teenager with a disability. My hours would have to be part-time and I would have to have time off for various appointments with Doctors. My best bet would be to. have a job I could do partly from home and partly from the work base
Part 2.
1. Briefly summarise why women were paid less than men.
Men where seen as the main provider for the family and women only needed to work if they had no male to support them. Therefore they were probably seen as desperate and would take any job at any wage. Yet they still had to support their family and still had the same responsibilities as the main provider.
2. What were the significant achievements by Unions regarding Equal Pay in the following years?
.1960
.1969
.1972
.1973
In 1960 equal pay for work of equal value was awarded, although specifically female work was not included and the issue of equal pay for women remained a source of hot debate throughout the 1960s
In 1969, the ACTU mounted a test case to get rid of the 25% difference that existed between pay rates for women and those for men. The court ruled that as of 1 October women would get at least 85% of the male wage; their pay would then go up in steps until 1 January 1972 when they would be rewarded with equal pay - 100% of the male wage.
This decision of the Arbitration Commission said that women who were performing the same work as men should get the same award rate of pay. This affected about 18% of women. It meant you could no longer have lower female rates for the same job
In 1972 the equal pay case was reopened. The argument presented by barrister Mary Gaudron was in line with the principles of the 1951 ILO Convention: equal pay for work of equal value.
On the 15 December 1972, the Arbitration Commission ruled that women performing predominantly women's work would get the same pay as men! In the textile , the lowest women's wages were $40 - $42 per week. After the decision and by early 1974 the lowest wage for women was $54 - that's a 35% increase!
The Arbitration Commission's decision automatically applied to women employed under federal awards but this only covered about 40 per cent of women in the workforce. This meant the beginning of an enormous campaign by unions to change the various state awards too. This was made particularly complicated because claims had to be formally heard by industrial commissions or wages boards on a state by state basis.
1973, the Commission set a minimum wage for all adults and then in 1974 it dropped the concept of 'family support' as part of the wage system.
Workers and unions are still striving for equality in actual rates of pay. This would cover inconsistencies such as over awards - when women are paid the award rate while their male colleagues receive a rate higher than the award.
3. Give three reasons why women still earn less than men.
· More women than men work part-time and therefore earn only a proportion of full-time earnings.
· Women are less likely to get paid over the award
· More men than women work because they work in areas where overtime is an option and women generally have more responsibilities in the home.
4. Which strategy to achieve equal pay do you think would be the most effective?
Join unions: female union members earn more money on average than females who don't belong to a union.
Make sure part-time workers get full pro-rata employment benefits.
.
Encourage men to share family responsibilities.
Make work more family friendly so more women and men with children can stay at work.
Ensure equal opportunity at work through a fair selection process and promotional procedures for senior jobs.
Seek equal pay for women getting lower over-award payments than men doing work of equal value
5 .Name the issue and write one fact that you discovered.
Tattoos, dreadlocks and body piercing
What’s fair fashion at work?
It could be fashion. It could be a loud statement of your individuality. It could be both. Fashion and work can collide when your boss isn’t happy with the way you look. But who’s right and what’s fair?
This is one of those tricky issues. Employers can set ‘reasonable dress standards’ but that doesn’t take away their responsibility to treat you fairly.
Check for discrimination
Employers are breaking the law if they discriminate on the basis of sex, race, disability or age. The equal opportunity laws also say employers should not discriminate because of sexual preference, religion, criminal record, political opinion or trade union activity.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
JOURNAL 14
WOMEN’S STUDIES JOURNAL – WEEK 14.
WOMEN’S ACTIVISM
Task 1.
What have women campaigned for/against?
From the video Apron Strings & Atom Bombs
THEN
- Price of gas
- Free speech
- Peace/withdraw from Vietnam
- Affirmation Action
- Education
- Class sizes, more school buildings, qualified teachers
- Equal pay
- War toys
- Conscription
- Cost of living
TODAY
- Paid maternity leave
- Violence against women
- Refugees
- Work AWA
- Environment
- Housing
- Health / Body image
- Ageism
What were / are some of the ways women make their voices heard?
From the video Apron Strings & Atom Bombs
Before today
- Aprons
- Marches
- Folk songs
- Petitions
- Door knocked
- Vigils
- Chained each other to buildings
- Leaflets
- Tram day 75%
- Made themselves seen at sporting events and train stations
- Walked in single file
- Met with politicians
Today
- Lobbing
- Boycotting
- Civil disobedience
- Non violent confrontation
- Media
- Protest music – Bob Dylan etc
- Voluntary simplicity
- Strike action
- Craftivism
What does the Union of Australian Women work for?
The Union of Australian Women is a national organisation formed to work for the status and well being of women in a peaceful and environmentally safe world. Their aim is to improve the lives of women through focussing on issues such as equity and social justice.
What are the current campaigns?
Currently they are campaigning for,
Elimination of violence against women
Abortion law reform and reproductive rights
Rights for asylum seekers
Affordable public housing and health
Definition of Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which unites environmentalism and feminism, which some currents linking deep ecology and feminism. Ecofeminists argue that a relationship exits between the oppression of women and the degradation of nature.
What sorts of issues would an ecofeminist campaign for or against?
Safe cosmetics
Safe cleaning products
Protecting Health
Mercury and Reproductive Justice
Protecting the Forest
Solar Power
CHRIS HICKS
14-11-2007.
WOMEN’S ACTIVISM
Task 1.
What have women campaigned for/against?
From the video Apron Strings & Atom Bombs
THEN
- Price of gas
- Free speech
- Peace/withdraw from Vietnam
- Affirmation Action
- Education
- Class sizes, more school buildings, qualified teachers
- Equal pay
- War toys
- Conscription
- Cost of living
TODAY
- Paid maternity leave
- Violence against women
- Refugees
- Work AWA
- Environment
- Housing
- Health / Body image
- Ageism
What were / are some of the ways women make their voices heard?
From the video Apron Strings & Atom Bombs
Before today
- Aprons
- Marches
- Folk songs
- Petitions
- Door knocked
- Vigils
- Chained each other to buildings
- Leaflets
- Tram day 75%
- Made themselves seen at sporting events and train stations
- Walked in single file
- Met with politicians
Today
- Lobbing
- Boycotting
- Civil disobedience
- Non violent confrontation
- Media
- Protest music – Bob Dylan etc
- Voluntary simplicity
- Strike action
- Craftivism
What does the Union of Australian Women work for?
The Union of Australian Women is a national organisation formed to work for the status and well being of women in a peaceful and environmentally safe world. Their aim is to improve the lives of women through focussing on issues such as equity and social justice.
What are the current campaigns?
Currently they are campaigning for,
Elimination of violence against women
Abortion law reform and reproductive rights
Rights for asylum seekers
Affordable public housing and health
Definition of Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which unites environmentalism and feminism, which some currents linking deep ecology and feminism. Ecofeminists argue that a relationship exits between the oppression of women and the degradation of nature.
What sorts of issues would an ecofeminist campaign for or against?
Safe cosmetics
Safe cleaning products
Protecting Health
Mercury and Reproductive Justice
Protecting the Forest
Solar Power
CHRIS HICKS
14-11-2007.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Journal Week 13
WOMEN’S STUDIES 1
Journal – Week 13.
FEMOCRACY
A Story of WEL
Beatrice Faust believed that up until this point women’s liberation had so far consisted of too much talk and not enough action. In 1972 The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) was formed just before the Federal election. The women believed their was still big discrepancies between the status of men and those of women. They didn’t wait they took action and began to get the message out about The Women’s Liberation Movement by bringing it to the people.
It took Beatrice Faust to incite Australian women into action, by a political survey of all candidates in all jurisdictions in Australia. WEL’s first survey of political candidates revealed a big lack of knowledge or even interest in the many issues. Further surveys gained public notice and encouraged the establishment of branches in all capital cities. Since then, winning in government has often been associated to the women’s vote. Over the years, WEL has continued to provide well-researched reports to both sides of the political arena on a range of issues from economics and employment to health and human relationships. WEL policies have been based on the assumption of women’s right to choose and to control her own destiny; WEL’s approach has been to demand that right be entrenched into legislation and embedded in political, economic and social structures.
The WEL campaign in 1972 was based on the six demands formulated by women’s liberation; equal pay, equal employment opportunity, free contraceptive services, abortion on demand and free 24hr childcare. Action groups began work in these areas creating the basis for the well-researched submissions for which WEL was to become famous.
The 1972 Federal Election must go down in history as the first in which the average women is really interested. Much of this interest is due to WEL. The Whitlam government won office and came to power amid great hopes and a prevailing sentiment that this really was the birth of a new age of tolerance and increased recognition of the equality of women in Australia.
The period between 1972 and 1975 was one of rapid and major change in Australia, with the election of the Whitlam Government. Elizabeth Reid was appointed as the assistant to the Prime Minister on Women’s Issues in 1973.There was also the Women’s Affairs section introduced in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Government assisted financially to the United Nations International Women’s Year, 1975. This money went towards rape crisis and health centres. There were also a number of conferences looking at women’s issues. The Government also gave funding to support non-profit childcare centres. Eventually after much lobbying, women were awarded the male rate of pay, no matter what job they did, on 15th December 1972. The issue was raised for sexual harassment at work, the need for changeover stations for fathers to have access to children in the custody of separated wives. Many women were guttered when the Whitlam Government was dropped in 1975.and replaced by the Fraser Government, many women saw this as the end of the period of reform and development Australia had been set upon. Fortunately the few brief years had gained enough popular support that the trend was irreversible.
In the Fraser years, WEL had campaigned for and won the Office of the Status of Women, an office within the prime Minister’s Department which was charged with the task of developing policy which took notice of women’s meeds, which evaluated all policy and legislation in light of its impact upon women and which began to push for and develop pro-active strategies for redressing some of the long standing problems facing women. This was a great step forward because for the first time women were guaranteed some formal say in the development of policy and legislation.
WEL affirms article 10 of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which states women should have the same access to education in all forms as men, and that such access should not be barred on the basis of stereotyped conceptions of the roles of men and women. WEL calls on governments to redress inequities and discrimination in education against women and girls.
WEL affirms the responsibility of government to provide free education from preschool through tertiary and post-secondary levels, funded from general revenue. In fulfilling this responsibility, governments must recognise that individuals’ access to free education depends on the provision of adequate income support and appropriate infrastructure.
WEL opposes funding arrangements that benefit private schools at the expense of the public school system.
WEL believes all schools which receive government funding, whether public or private, should abide by relevant legislation such as anti-discrimination legislation.
WEL recognises the value of the Adult and Community Education sector in providing women with knowledge, skills and competencies to return to learning and to employment.
WEL supports programs which stress equality between men and women and that all students should be given opportunities to study gender equality issues and develop a wide range of communication skills, through assertiveness training and anger management programs for example.
WEL supports mandatory gender equity programs for all students.
WEL believes that the political institutions and process of the three levels of government should be taught in primary and secondary schools as compulsory curriculum so students understand their voting rights before they leave school.
WEL supports the principles of lifelong learning and recognises the needs of women of all ages to be able to access education and retraining.
WEL believes that all students should be encouraged and supported to excel in the subjects in which they demonstrate aptitude.
WEL acknowledges and is concerned that women’s and girls’ traditional choice of education leads to career paths that are lower paid.
WEL is concerned that ‘traditional’ careers of women e.g. teaching, child-care are undervalued in Australian society. Careers advisers should be required to alert girls to the financial and social implications of their career choices.
WEL recognises the need to encourage girls and boys into non-traditional areas
My views on this situation are that if you want an education or to update your learning skills this choice should be available to all women and girls. Unfortunately some of the courses through TAFE are rather expensive so many women would have trouble affording the costs involved. It was suggested to me that maybe a programme like the Universities have eg HECS fees could be introduced. This supports education first, and an interest free loan on course fees, until employment is started. I’m sure this would attract a lot more students to expensive courses which were out of reach for them financially. Some courses studied by women such as Electricians or Technicians where mainly male dominated courses, but now many women are enrolled and enjoying the challenge.
Journal – Week 13.
FEMOCRACY
A Story of WEL
Beatrice Faust believed that up until this point women’s liberation had so far consisted of too much talk and not enough action. In 1972 The Women’s Electoral Lobby (WEL) was formed just before the Federal election. The women believed their was still big discrepancies between the status of men and those of women. They didn’t wait they took action and began to get the message out about The Women’s Liberation Movement by bringing it to the people.
It took Beatrice Faust to incite Australian women into action, by a political survey of all candidates in all jurisdictions in Australia. WEL’s first survey of political candidates revealed a big lack of knowledge or even interest in the many issues. Further surveys gained public notice and encouraged the establishment of branches in all capital cities. Since then, winning in government has often been associated to the women’s vote. Over the years, WEL has continued to provide well-researched reports to both sides of the political arena on a range of issues from economics and employment to health and human relationships. WEL policies have been based on the assumption of women’s right to choose and to control her own destiny; WEL’s approach has been to demand that right be entrenched into legislation and embedded in political, economic and social structures.
The WEL campaign in 1972 was based on the six demands formulated by women’s liberation; equal pay, equal employment opportunity, free contraceptive services, abortion on demand and free 24hr childcare. Action groups began work in these areas creating the basis for the well-researched submissions for which WEL was to become famous.
The 1972 Federal Election must go down in history as the first in which the average women is really interested. Much of this interest is due to WEL. The Whitlam government won office and came to power amid great hopes and a prevailing sentiment that this really was the birth of a new age of tolerance and increased recognition of the equality of women in Australia.
The period between 1972 and 1975 was one of rapid and major change in Australia, with the election of the Whitlam Government. Elizabeth Reid was appointed as the assistant to the Prime Minister on Women’s Issues in 1973.There was also the Women’s Affairs section introduced in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Government assisted financially to the United Nations International Women’s Year, 1975. This money went towards rape crisis and health centres. There were also a number of conferences looking at women’s issues. The Government also gave funding to support non-profit childcare centres. Eventually after much lobbying, women were awarded the male rate of pay, no matter what job they did, on 15th December 1972. The issue was raised for sexual harassment at work, the need for changeover stations for fathers to have access to children in the custody of separated wives. Many women were guttered when the Whitlam Government was dropped in 1975.and replaced by the Fraser Government, many women saw this as the end of the period of reform and development Australia had been set upon. Fortunately the few brief years had gained enough popular support that the trend was irreversible.
In the Fraser years, WEL had campaigned for and won the Office of the Status of Women, an office within the prime Minister’s Department which was charged with the task of developing policy which took notice of women’s meeds, which evaluated all policy and legislation in light of its impact upon women and which began to push for and develop pro-active strategies for redressing some of the long standing problems facing women. This was a great step forward because for the first time women were guaranteed some formal say in the development of policy and legislation.
WEL affirms article 10 of Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which states women should have the same access to education in all forms as men, and that such access should not be barred on the basis of stereotyped conceptions of the roles of men and women. WEL calls on governments to redress inequities and discrimination in education against women and girls.
WEL affirms the responsibility of government to provide free education from preschool through tertiary and post-secondary levels, funded from general revenue. In fulfilling this responsibility, governments must recognise that individuals’ access to free education depends on the provision of adequate income support and appropriate infrastructure.
WEL opposes funding arrangements that benefit private schools at the expense of the public school system.
WEL believes all schools which receive government funding, whether public or private, should abide by relevant legislation such as anti-discrimination legislation.
WEL recognises the value of the Adult and Community Education sector in providing women with knowledge, skills and competencies to return to learning and to employment.
WEL supports programs which stress equality between men and women and that all students should be given opportunities to study gender equality issues and develop a wide range of communication skills, through assertiveness training and anger management programs for example.
WEL supports mandatory gender equity programs for all students.
WEL believes that the political institutions and process of the three levels of government should be taught in primary and secondary schools as compulsory curriculum so students understand their voting rights before they leave school.
WEL supports the principles of lifelong learning and recognises the needs of women of all ages to be able to access education and retraining.
WEL believes that all students should be encouraged and supported to excel in the subjects in which they demonstrate aptitude.
WEL acknowledges and is concerned that women’s and girls’ traditional choice of education leads to career paths that are lower paid.
WEL is concerned that ‘traditional’ careers of women e.g. teaching, child-care are undervalued in Australian society. Careers advisers should be required to alert girls to the financial and social implications of their career choices.
WEL recognises the need to encourage girls and boys into non-traditional areas
My views on this situation are that if you want an education or to update your learning skills this choice should be available to all women and girls. Unfortunately some of the courses through TAFE are rather expensive so many women would have trouble affording the costs involved. It was suggested to me that maybe a programme like the Universities have eg HECS fees could be introduced. This supports education first, and an interest free loan on course fees, until employment is started. I’m sure this would attract a lot more students to expensive courses which were out of reach for them financially. Some courses studied by women such as Electricians or Technicians where mainly male dominated courses, but now many women are enrolled and enjoying the challenge.
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