Indigenous Homocide Victims

Rise in killings of remote Aboriginal women

“On average, 1.3 out of 100,000 Australians die each year as a result of murder or manslaughter. But if you were an Aboriginal woman living in the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara lands, you would take no comfort from those figures.”

The Australian

This just makes me really sad. 

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I’m doing my darndest to find stuff on how the latest budget is going to impact on women but wading through financial commentary is a daunting task, even at the best of times. Something on the budget will magically appear soon!

Sex Slavery Case

Anti-slavery laws face test in court

“The first person convicted of possessing and using sex slaves in Australia should soon find out whether she can plead her case at a retrial.”

The Sydney Morning Herald

What concerns me about these news articles is that they sensationalise some aspects of the sex work industry which just perpetuates stereotypes about sex workers that aren’t true. 

Maternity Leave Op-Ed

The delivery we’re waiting for

“The comparison may be extreme. But the fact that our developed nation does not extend such a basic right to working mothers while developing nations with dubious records on the treatment of women do, isn’t a good look.”

The Sydney Morning Herald

Quality of Maternity Care

Pregnant women ‘lie’ to get hospital beds

“DESPERATE pregnant women are using fake addresses so they can give birth at Melbourne’s leading maternity hospitals.”

Herald Sun

I can appreciate the argument about reserving beds for high-risk pregnancies but the fact that the level of care is so different between institutions is pretty distressing. 

Work At Home Mums

More mums working from home: ABS

“The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) show mothers are increasingly doing paid work from the family home, while juggling the responsibilities of raising children and earning an income.”

ABC News

Women in Football

Late to the ball on women’s role in footy

“F this was a shirtfront it came very hard. It was well aimed, too. But it was also delivered too late, much too late. AFL chief executive officer Andrew Demetriou is on report.

Demetriou has finally tackled the issue of the role of women in football. It is not that the league has been inflexible on the matter. It has scripted a policy for respect and responsibility towards women and trumpets the document as ground-breaking. But that does not mean it is effective or taken seriously. Ground-breaking just means the AFL is very pleased with itself.”

The Australian

First cricket, now football. One can only hope that this is the start of something big. 

Women in Mental Health Care

Women in mental wards face grave risk of abuse

“NEARLY two-thirds of female patients surveyed in psychiatric wards in Victoria have been sexually abused or harassed by male patients, new figures show.”

The Age

As someone with a chronic mental health condition the fear of ending up in a mental health institution is very real. This article is just another reason why women, especially young women, or queer women, avoid seeking mental health assistance when they really need it. 

Culture & Birth

There’s more than one way to say happy Mother’s Day

“Giving birth may have become clinical, but it is always deeply cultural. Melbourne’s public hospitals have had to adapt more than most; while slightly more than 22% of mothers in Australia are overseas-born, at the Royal Women’s it’s more than 46%. At the Mercy it’s 32%. That’s 165 countries, 60 languages and 42 religious faiths”

The Age

Women Gamers

Game girls

“More than 40% of game players in Australia are female, yet most games on the store shelves are of little interest to them”

Sydney Morning Herald

I’m not necessarily desperate to see a whole bunch of “women’s” games per se but more gender neutral games would be nice.

Club 21

Ugly truth of school bullying and Club 21

“A group of Year 11 students from Mackay’s St Patrick’s College created the club, also known as Big 21, in which they ranked themselves according to their looks, their weight and popularity with boys. “

news.com.au

Wow, this is really scary. Even the girls that I went to school with weren’t this extreme and that was only four years ago.

This is quite an interesting opinion piece related to the article from All For Women

Club 21, “girl world” exposed: binge drinking, bullying, low self esteem and distorted body image.

“Queensland school girls have formed an exclusive club, known as Club 21, which encourages members to be ranked between 1 and 21 based on their thinness, good looks, binge drinking escapades and popularity with boys… This story has caused significant shock in the media. However it is unlikely this type of bullying – of each other and those who didn’t make it into the club – came as a shock to many teen girls. It was likely no surprise to their teachers either, who witness the various manifestations of the “Compare and Despair” game that teen girls are so good at playing, in playgrounds right across Australia.”