Australia has a unique history that has shaped the diversity of its peoples, their cultures and lifestyles today. Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Members of the Toowoomba Regional Council Harmony Day Committee, thank you for the opportunity to present to you an issue of prejudice that is still highly prevalent in our society, gender inequality. Over your lifetime you have probably been confronted by the idea that men are paid more than women. But what does this mean and why does this division exist? Why do we devalue the economic contribution of a woman to the extent that we pay her less? No country in the world can yet say that they have achieved gender equality. In almost every country, women are paid less for an hour’s work than men. The fact the gender pay gap persists is horrendous. In Australia, the principle of "equal pay for equal work" was introduced in 1969 by the Australian Government, anti-discrimination on the basis of sex was legislated in 1984 (Commonwealth of Australia 1998). Nevertheless, pay discrepancies based on the gender of an employee still exists. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency claims ‘removing the gap’ could take up to 50 years in Australia, (Peetz, Murrary 2017). Members of the Harmony Day Committee, it is evident that we need to curtail our beliefs and values towards pay equality and furthermore, we need to support our values, we need to make a tangible change. This can be done by advocating to close the ‘pay gap’
Western women have traditionally been perceived as the inferior sex, or the domestic partner, subjected wholly to the private sphere, and stripped of legal rights and standing. Meanwhile, men are depicted as the breadwinner, the strong, masculine and dominant partner, who belongs primarily to the public sphere. These historic gender norms have been deeply imbedded within Australia’s social foundation, and although society has gradually shifted away from these roles, evidence suggests that this gender inequality still riddles the modern day workplace. Liberal feminist groups have embraced this issue, and have classified it as being a true barrier to achieving the ultimate gender equality goal. Consequently, these liberal feminists along
Social inequality is a problematic phenomenon that occurs all around the world and affects both the developed and developing nations. It is defined as “the unequal distribution of social, political and economic resources within a social collective” (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 205). Inequality is closely connected with social stratification, a system of social hierarchy that positions individuals and groups into categories according to social variables such as class or ethnicity (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 485). This stratification has a significant impact on the opportunity that an individual may have to move up the hierarchy of inequality (Gill 2017a).
There are hundreds and thousands of athletes all around the world but the main problem in the athlete world is gender inequality, women are not shown equal as men. They are discriminated in many ways such as pay, employment opportunities, value of women 's sport, media coverage etc. Despite the federal law passed called Title IX that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination." there is still gender inequality women are considered less than men. No matter what happens people will always have inequality against men and women because of the environment they live in and how they were raised. Women are
Over the last two decades the Australian population has faced a number of economic instabilities that has seen the gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ increase. To determine who the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ are an in-depth investigation will be performed examining the circumstances under which the gap can be manipulated. The economic wellbeing of individuals is largely determined by their command over economic resources (ABS, 2009). The wellbeing of individuals who are classified as ‘haves’ are usually people who are asset rich, contain bonds, shares and are fairly affluent. The wellbeing of individuals who are classified as ‘have nots’ are usually the working poor, who have little assets and little investments i.e. bonds. These
The short-term costs of implementing a Nordic Model in Australia is likely to lead to a resistance from a cost conscious voting public (Pickering, C 2014). Inequality is rising against a background of social immobility. Reductions in inequality can follow from a leveling in either direction – by elevating the poor or pushing down the wealthy. However, it is the plight of the poor that we most need to improve. The answer to bridging the gap between Australia’s wealthy and poor is likely to be found in increasing social mobility and increasing opportunities for the disadvantaged. Improving the rate of upward income mobility is an important issue for policy makers not just because it is one of the core principles of Australian society but also
Kenway’s article Challenging Inequality in Australia: Gonski and Beyond is a critical analysis of how Australian governments have evaluated and responded to the issue of educational disadvantage. The piece primarily focuses its critique on how the Review of Funding for Schooling Final Report (Gonski et al, 2011) recognises, and presents solutions for, educational disadvantage within the national education system. The central argument is that, despite the report’s shortcomings, it should be supported as it emphasises issues of socio-educational disadvantage which urgently need to be addressed. It is noted that the Gonski Report, in its description of the “imperatives” of addressing educational disadvantage, reminds the reader that Australian
Aside from unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and substance use are also parts of unhealthy lives in aboriginal Australians that predominantly leading to increased disease burden (Péloquin, Doering, Alley & Rebar, 2017). In 2012-2013, only 38% of Aboriginal adults in urban area had sufficient physical activity that met the health guideline recommendation (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2014). Factors that impact physical activity include colonisation and low socio-economic status caused by colonisation among aboriginal Australians (Macniven et al., 2016). As mentioned previously, aboriginal Australians lived in hunter-gatherer lifestyles that required them to have sufficient physical activity, nevertheless, with the process of colonisation and urbanisation, most aboriginal people are grown in urban area where the traditional activity of hunting and gathering are disrupted (Nelson, Abbott & Macdonald,
Through the Contemporary Women’s Issues in Canada course, various topics related to gender inequality were discussed. Due to a long history, of sexism and misogyny in many aspects of Canadian society, outdated behaviours and thoughts have prevailed in many aspects of society. Three main topics that are central to achieving gender equality are gendered violence, gender roles and socialization, and child care.
There has been a major development in women’s equal rights since the Equality Act 2010 was introduced that includes gender equality as one of the strands which states people under this act cannot discriminate or harass and victimise another individual( Ref). The gender pay gap between men and women has been on debate for many years. This essay will examine whether or not in this modern day society their still remain gender inequalities through the use of relevant theories this essay is determined to establish whether these inequalities still exist in employment by exploring social, biological and cultural explanations and differences between men and women. Why women are more likely to be discriminated and oppressed and how I can use this awareness to challenge and address gender inequalities in employment.
Women remain at an economic disadvantage compared to men due to the fact that some occupations still pay women less than their male counterparts. This unequal pay reinforces the thinking that it is okay for men to make more than women just because of their gender. This is an obstacle within the workplace which prevents a woman from advancing her career and allows for higher positions to continue consisting almost entirely of men. Present day in the labour market, “Canadian women earn 23% less than men regardless of their age, education or occupation” (Struman, 2015). Even though women have been quite successful in seeking employment and many possess a decent education, women continue to face a difference in pay because of their gender. In order to be seen as equals women need to be earning the same amount as their male coworkers because they possess the necessary skills needed to complete the job. Differences in pay should be based on an individual’s qualifications and job experience not their gender. The difference in pay prevents women from achieving success and reinforces the point that women remain at an economic disadvantage. Gender based pay is problematic and “[t]he Canadian gender pay gap is the fifth largest among the 34 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries… [and] the pay gap is particularly pronounced for single mothers, racialized women, First Nations women, and women with disabilities” (Struman, 2015). Gender
Gender inequality plays a critical role when it comes to social progress. As a woman,
Our society has the belief that women have always been portrayed as weak, emotional, and powerless. Throughout this article by Tavia Grant, it shows how women do not get the same opportunities men receive. Statistically shown, women are still earning less money than men regardless to the amount of education they possess (Grant). Women are accepted to hold obligations regarding family tasks while the men do the providing in the family. The article shows the disadvantages women have in Canada compared to men, however, it also shows gender inequality and gender discrimination.
In Australia over the last 20 years, it is documented that a person’s income and wages, differs based on one’s gender, known as the gender pay gap (The Conversation, 2017; Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), 2017c). This paper will discuss what a gender pay gap is, various economic explanations for this gap, summarise sociological responses, and identify possible policy recommendations and their implications.
While the world has unanimously advanced and is more accepting of change, the workplace continues to be a place of discrimination, prejudice and inequality. Discrimination is broadly defined to ‘distinguish unfavourably’, isolate; and is context based (Pagura, 2012). Abrahams (1991) described the workplace as an ‘inhospitable place’ where gender disparity and wage gaps persist (Stamarski & Son Hing, 2015). Among other states and countries, the Australian government actively implements and passes laws to protect and maintain equal employment rights. While the objective of these laws is ‘to eliminate discrimination,’ the regulatory mechanisms in the legislation are largely ineffective at achieving this ultimate goal (Smith, 2008). However,
According to the data published by Australian Bureau of Statistics in May 2015, the full time average earnings of women is $284.20 or 17.9% less than the full time average earnings for men, this figure is calculated on the full time employees’ average weekly ordinary time earnings. The gender pay gap has hovered between 15% and 19% over the past two decades. The gender pay gap is the different between average weekly full time equivalent earnings of male and female, expressed as a percentage of earnings of male. The Workplace Gender Equality Agency highlights that the gender pay gap is resulting from a combination of factors, including the female graduates start on a lower wages then male graduates, even they are in the same industries and workplace and this is maintained throughout their careers, women are under presented in leadership and senior management position, women’s traditional caring role combined with lack of flexible work options that force them into casual an non-career part time jobs, men receive bigger attraction and performance bonuses than women and male dominated work has historically been better paid