Gender Inequality in Australian Society

This essay discusses the process of gender inequality in the Australian nation, the history of the position of women in the society, and the nature of power division that exists between the masculine and the feminine gender.

Running head: GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
Gender Inequality in Australian Society
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1GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
Judith Butler in her monumental work “Gender Trouble” says that “gender is just a
construct which has been created to maintain the power balance within the society” (Butler
2011). It is seen that since the traditional times there has been an unequal distribution of
power within the society wherein the females have been relegated to the background (Altintas
and Sullivan 2016). In addition to this, it has been seen that the women inspite of doing all
the household choirs the female fraternity has never got the kind of respect or
acknowledgement that is rightfully theirs (Parpart and Stichter 2016). This can be attributed
to the process of gender inequality which forms an integral part of the social framework even
in the present times. This essay will discuss about the process of gender inequality in the
Australian nation.
Women empowerment is a much debated topic of the modern times and arguments
have been presented on both sides of the topic (Lyonette and Crompton 2015). The increasing
awareness of the people of the present times regarding the rights of the women and also the
need for their assertion of freedom has given rise to this particular concept. The net result of
this particular aspect is the fact that the women of the modern era exert the kind of
independence as well as freedom which was not permissible for the women of the other ages,
especially of the traditional times (Lyonette and Crompton 2015). The women of the present
times, thus, have access to not only better educational facilities, job prospects, property
rights, medical facilities, have an almost say in their marriage, regarding the choice of their
partner and other aspects than the women of the earlier ages (Hakim 2016). The scenario
becomes even more promising when an analysis of the position of women in the Australian is
undertaken.
An analysis of the history of the position of women in the society reveals a picture
which is almost similar to the ones of the other nations. For example, there were times, even
not one century back, when the women of the nation were not provided adequate education,

2GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
do not have access to suitable jobs, do not have property rights and others. As a matter of fact
women were not even allowed to contest in an election and were not even allowed to drink in
public bars (Pedulla and Thébaud 2015). However, at the same time, it needs to be said that
the condition of the women changed in a significant manner in the latter half of the 20th
century with the passing of legislations like Sex Discrimination Act and others
(Humanrights.gov.au 2018). This legislation opened new windows of opportunities for the
female fraternity, yet even in the present times, it is seen that, the female fraternity is
subjected to much discrimination in comparison to the male gender (Humanrights.gov.au
2018). For example, even in the 21st century the more than 17.5% women of the nation
inspite of having the required qualifications as well as expertise are being paid less in
comparison to the men who perform the same kind of job roles (Humanrights.gov.au 2018).
Thus, it can be said that although the condition of women has improved in a substantial
manner over the years yet there is room for much change.
The nature of power division that exists between the masculine and the feminine
gender gets manifested in the kind of word that individuals from both the sexes are required
to perform (Whatmore 2016). For example, the diverse theories of masculinity propound the
viewpoint that the male members of a family should be the bread earners of the family
whereas the female members of the family should concern themselves with the various
household choirs (Bertrand, Kamenica and Pan 2015). In addition to this, the decision making
role also is being attributed to the members of the family since the traditional times regardless
of their expertise or experience (Bertrand, Kamenica and Pan 2015). Thus, it can be said that
the masculinity or the femininity of an individual is dictated not by their gender but in the
kind of job roles that they perform within the family. This is perhaps one of the major reasons
why the men even of the 21st century refrain from doing various kinds of household choirs
(Whatmore 2016). However, the various feminine theories of the present times strongly

3GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
contest this particular viewpoint and state that the women members of a family should have
equal say in all the affairs of the family and at the same time they should hold equal rights as
well as power within the family (England 2017).
Yavorsky et al. (2015) are of the viewpoint that the home and the family of an
individual can be seen as a microcosm of the society and as a matter of fact the entire world
itself. In this regard, the kind of sexual or gender politics which is at play within a family or a
house becomes very significant to note. For example, even in the 21st century society of the
nation of Australia when the women of the nation hold equal kind of jobs in comparison to
the men members of the family and have the access to almost the same kinds of rights yet the
evil of gender inequality still exists (England 2017). The net result of this is the fact that the
male members of the family are still living under the shadow of traditional concepts of
masculinity and feel it that the various household choirs are feminine job roles and thus the
female members of the family should perform them (Hakim 2016). However, at the same
time, it needs to be said that status quo or the dynamics of the modern family or society, for
that matter, have shifted in a significant manner (Altintas and Sullivan 2016). This is not
manifested not only the kind of job roles that the women have in the Australian nation in the
present but also the equal amount of power that they hold in the family. Furthermore, it can
be said that this is need or the demand of the modern society wherein men as well as women
need to work on equal footing to not only support each other and their family but also to
improve the prospects of their family (Altintas and Sullivan 2016). Moreover, the scarcity of
time and the Herculean amount of work that the men and women of the modern times need to
perform has also necessity the sharing of the household choirs. Thus, it can be said that it is
time for the people to come out of the cocoon of the orthodox concepts of masculinity and
treat both men and women on equal footing.

4GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
To conclude, the notion of gender inequality has dominated the human society since
the traditional times and on the basis of this particular concept the women have not only been
discriminated but also deprived of some of their basic rights. Furthermore, the various
theories of masculinity and its associated concepts have much contributed towards the
popularity of this concept. In the present times with the rise of the concepts of women
empowerment and feminism the situation has much changed. However, it is seen that the
actions of the men and the female are still dictated by this particular orthodox notion. Thus, it
can be said that it is time for the men and the women to come out of the shadow of these
notions and act as per the demands of the situation and also treat each other as equals.

5GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
References
Altintas, E. and Sullivan, O., 2016. Fifty years of change updated: Cross-national gender
convergence in housework. Demographic Research, 35, pp.455-470.
Bertrand, M., Kamenica, E. and Pan, J., 2015. Gender identity and relative income within
households. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(2), pp.571-614.
Butler, J., 2011. Bodies that matter: On the discursive limits of sex. Routledge.
England, P., 2017. Households, employment, and gender: A social, economic, and
demographic view. Routledge.
Hakim, C., 2016. Key issues in women's work: Female diversity and the polarisation of
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Humanrights.gov.au. 2018. Women's Rights | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online]
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Pedulla, D.S. and Thébaud, S., 2015. Can we finish the revolution? Gender, work-family
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Whatmore, S., 2016. Farming women: Gender, work and family enterprise. Springer.

6GENDER INEQUALITY IN AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY
Yavorsky, J.E., Kamp Dush, C.M. and Schoppe‐Sullivan, S.J., 2015. The production of
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