[Sweetie]

Originally Posted by Adora

And yet, women who get into politics are subjected to discrimination and prejudice unheard of in regards to male politicians. This is a symptom of male-dominated political culture. Or are you telling me people really care what Beattie wears as much as they do with Vanstone?

I agree with your statement of facts, but it doesn't have to be that way. The problem is, because modern female equality movements have focused primarily on the public spheres (ie- those outside the home which were predominantly male-dominated) it has ignored the private ones, and thus we still have problems like women doing just as much housework as they once did, yet also working full time, and the continuing problems of sexual and domestic violence, which by definition is hidden in the private sphere, and only dealt with in a token fashion by those in public. If society bothered to equalise the private sphere, the pressure on women to try and balance an imbalanced career and homelife would be less, and you would have more women with the time and energy to go into politics.

That's situational and I don't see that it has any relevance. Women have to do as much housework? Says who? Says those women and men in those relationship that agree with that.

The only real constant thing I have every heard about Australia is that the males are terribly chauvenistic.

When a father nurturing his children is depicted as something "special" and not simply a normal state of family life, you know there's something wrong, both in the public and the private spheres.

Right.

Allow them paid maternity leave?

Here, women get a year off paid for by the government, 65% percent of their wage through Employment Insurance.

Here, their jobs are held for at least six months.

Here, you may or your spouse may take the parental leave.

Lessen the cost of raising a child in general?

Here we have Child Tax Benefit.

The government is doing the same economic dance they did in England over 100 years ago: trying to trade off a happy baby-making population with the demands of economic powers. Unfortunately, the Liberal government is putting business first, and expecting the people to just do as they say for peanuts.

In some ways, I think you are confusing your part of the world with mine and lumping it all together.