For the next few Fridays I am going to try and review a book that discusses feminism or discuss some of the issues facing women.
A lot of what Anne Goldworthy writes in her essay in The Quarterly is nothing
new but it showed how much progress there still has to be made. When she says
that ‘what men should do and what women should be remains a persistent bias of
our culture even as it bears no resemblance to the actual divisions of labour’.
Her article documents the gender issues surrounding the prime ministership of
Julia Gillard and describes the state of play of the role of women in public
life. It seems outrageous that what women do and look like is still important
in 2014.
This essay covers everything from how language is used to degrade women as
well as the concept of the gender card. Not only does she look at female
politicians but also at women scholars, miners and novelists.
There is also an interesting discussion on the female body as a unit of shame and hate as well as its role in popular
culture.
Goldsworthy states that ‘the shame of the original sin was the shame of a
woman. The psychology of shame is feminine: blushing, withdrawal. It prompts us
to make ourselves smaller, through dieting or modesty of bearing. Shame
underlines our compliance, our fixed grin, our need to please.’ From the moment
we’re born we seemed to be conditioned to behave in a subservient way and is
amazing to see how ingrained it is.
Much of the essay looks at Gillard’s famous misogyny speech, where
she points out that what caught people’s attention around the world was that it
was more than Julia vs. Tony or Labor vs. Liberal but women vs. misogyny.
Her article made me sad, it made me angry that despite the progress
that women have made that Australia’s first prime minister would be such a
target of vitriolic abuse from shock jocks and “commentators” and have to deliver
such a speech in order to be taken seriously.
I have always been into politics and being a political geek means
spending a lot of time reading books about politics well into the night and
well after ALP branch meeting have finished and conferences have wrapped up.
It must be tough running a country. With what Jacqueline Kent
describes as a ‘sullen and disengaged electorate’, alongside a 24 hour news
cycle and an increasingly globalised world it is not easy to have rational and
sensible discussions about the decisions that are being made in Canberra.
Below are just a few books and essays on the challenges that the
government faces in managing Australia’s prosperity while ensuring a fair and decent country
for all citizens.
Sideshow – dumbing down of democracy (Lindsay
Tanner)
I don’t know where to start with this book, not to say that it was
bad in anyway but that Lindsay Tanner brought up so any good points that I could almost
write an essay.
But basically political spin has increased over the decades and
Tanner seemed to imply that the main reason because the main purpose of
commercial media was to make a profit and therefore giving people consumers
what they want, i.e. entertainment. As he points out ‘news is now often judged
on its entertainment value; and that there is an increasing emphasis on visual
imagery. This means that everything has
to be seen as ‘fun’ and the physical appearance of politicians
(more often than not, female politicians) is more important than the difficult discussions surrounding inequality, Aboriginal disadvantage and refugees. As a result anything serious and
of substance is a lot harder to get covered by the media.
This idea is shared by Mark Latham in this book (see review below)
who writes, ‘for most people news bulletins and current affairs shows have just
become another form of infotainment, a forum for escapism and light relief,
rather than hard news content.’ It is all a bit depressing really. The challenge
of including the electorate in the discussions and decisions that directly
affects them has to be one of bigger ones that face the government.
So in this current environment, the media focus on words and events
that would entertain their viewers and readers. Just think of the stunts that
Steve Fielding pulled or any situations that were described as fiasco, turmoil,
row, crisis or chaos and any of such situations are not nearly as big as they
are made out to be. The 24 hour news
cycle doesn’t help either.
I found his arguments surrounding the role that media plays in the
disengagement with politics and the widening gap between those who are “into”
politics and those who aren’t very interesting and a point that I wished he’d
developed further.
Tales from the Political Trenches (Maxine
McKew)
As an ALP hack and in Sydney during the 2007 election
campaign, I found it interesting to read her story about her time in Politics
as well as why we didn't hear more from her. It soon became apparent that it
was the party machine's slight obsession with keeping on message at all costs
But as I got through the book I found that it was as much about her story as it
was about the current problems with the party and politics in general.
It was often painful to see the dirty laundry of
the party whose values (working for the common good, equality, improving the
lives of working people etc) that I believe in aired in public but hopefully books such as Maxine's will get read and will learn from the mistakes that she discusses.
No wonder that the apparatchiks don't want to
read this book because it has the repercussions of their work staring back at
them.
The Making of Julia Gillard (Jacqueline Kent)
Simply written but an easy read! While it interesting to find
out more about Julia Gillard's life, I didn't learn anything that I couldn't
find out on the internet; my attitudes weren't shifted in any way. It does read
like a bible for any future political ALP hack or apparatchik, so if you are
thinking of running for parliament this is a good book for you.
Not Dead Yet: Labor’s Post-Left Future(Mark
Latham)
Latham’s essay describes a party with an identity that is in
conflict with itself and the changing nature of Australian society. Australia
is very different to the Australia that gave birth to the Australian Labor
Party in the 1890s. Australia’s working class no longer is necessarily
economically disadvantaged or even supporters of the labour movement. Latham correctly
identifies that civil society has changed and developed to a post political
party environment; meaning that individuals opt to participate in civil society
groups, even though they might be political in nature, rather than participating in the
mainstream political process.
Mark Latham laments that while union membership is at around 16%,
the ALP is still controlled by an “oligarchy of union-based factional leaders”
whose unquestioned power extends to who gets pre-selected, which issues get
“debated” at party state/national conferences and how delegates to these
conferences vote. This, he argues, has lead to disengagement by the rank and
file membership who struggle to participate in a party that seems to be full of
“the aging party faithful, plus party members of parliament and their staff and
hustling aspirants for elected office”.
Of all Latham’s recommendations it was his focus on using education
as a tool to economic and social empowerment which also included improving the
status of the teaching profession, using the Asian model of education
(encouraging and supporting parents in the education of the children) and
improving pre-school education. Also his focus on poverty in Australia was a
good reminder Australia is not a lucky country for everyone.
The Political Bubble (Mark Latham)
You mention Mark Latham to rusted on
Labor supporters and they will dismiss him as a once crazy leader who crashed
and burned. But after reading his latest book I have developed a new respect
for Latham.
For a while I thought his time out of politics had
mellowed him and given him a sense of perspective but his article on feminism
in November 2014 in the Financial Review made me not so sure.
But sometimes I just think he gets
it and maybe the reason why some ALP people hate him so much is because Latham
writes some uncomfortable things about the political game that they play. Like
when he argues ‘It operates as a tribal situation, a closed club in which the
comfort of its members is a bigger priority than the interest of outsiders’.
I found the discussion around the government’s
decreasing control over the economy interesting and how governments like to
claim more control over the economy. I think he’s
correct when he writes ‘increasingly in public life, there is a disconnection
between political rhetoric and the power of the government. While party leaders
continue to make promises they can’t keep, the influence and authority of the
nation state continues to be marginalised’.
I also found his reading of the Australian public
quite interesting. He argues that Australians have become (through better
access to education and jobs) socially mobile and self sufficient as a result.
This has meant that there has been a shift in how citizens view the political
establishment.
He argues that ‘the weight of influence in Western
nations has shifted to individual agents: well-educated, highly skilled people who
have little reason to rely on collective organisations….elsewhere, capacity has
dispersed to a growing group of self-sufficient citizens, people with the
skills and resources to bypass traditional institutions. While I think his
reading of the general public is by in large correct, he doesn’t discuss the
sense of entitlement that goes with that and the common attitude of ‘the
government owes me’ or ‘what does the government done for me?’
It is a good read, especially if you are into
party politics, although your level of discomfort will be linked to your level
cynicism.
Latham’s World: The new politics of the
outsiders(Margaret Simons)
The first thing that struck me about this article
was how much Simons was a fan of Mark Latham and I wondered how much
objectivity she would have.
Mark Latham was a Labor Party leader in the
early to mid naughties and was a ‘loose cannon’. He was hated by many and not
considered prime minister material by many more.
The article taught me a lot about how Latham's
past influenced his politics and behaviour. I now appreciate what he stands for
and can see past the roguish behaviour to his values that drive him to be a
player in the political game.
Often Restaurants in
Australia that offer food from other countries adapt their food to the local pallet.
While they do it for business reasons, I often look out for places that pull
crowds from that country as it is usually a sign of being true to their roots.
Mom’s Dumpling House
in Victoria Park is great like this. Situated near Vic Park's famous 'Kidney Roundabout', it is an unassuming restaurant that specialises in Northern Chinese food.
While they have the
standard fare such as dumplings, sweet and sour pork and the like, their menu
is full of dishes that I had never heard of and weren’t particularly appealing
to the Aussie taste such as ox tongue in chilli sauce, beef and ox tripe in
chilli sauce, hot & spicy pork ear as well as poached pork liver.
To celebrate the end
of the working week my friends and I visited Mom’s Dumpling House and after
some discussion we chose quite the feast.
We went for kailan
in oyster sauce, spicy seaweed salad, spring rolls and chives, pork and shrimp dumplings
(steamed) to start off with and which we loved. Although the dumplings came out
much later which was a shame as we would have appreciated them if they came out
before we were half way through our meal.
The butter chicken was
chosen by my young friend who loved it as it wasn’t spicy and had simple
flavours.
The hot & spicy
pigs ear was served cold on a bed of shaved cucumber; with its multiple layers
of flavour, it was an unexpected favourite.
The chicken,
mushroom vermicelli claypot was a surprise and wasn’t what we expected. This
dish was heavy and resembled comfort food that you would have in the middle of
winter in Russia rather than on a late spring everning in Western Australia.
It quite easy to order too much food but luckily, the
staff were happy to provide containers for you to take food home. Overall, the
service was great and I will defiantly be back to enjoy their Northern Chinese menu.
Like
most people, my life is super busy and so often I wish I could have a wife.
Someone who does the domestic things while I go out and have a fulfilling life
without the inconvenience of having to the mundane errands and waiting around!
What
stuck a cord me while reading Annabel Crabb’s new book The Wife Drought was that it offered such a different angle on the
gender and work debate. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh
perspective on the women and work discussion.
She
wrote this book to fill a gap in the discussion about gender and work. There is
so much literature about how women are disadvantaged in the world of work and
how the current paradigm favours men as well as how women should make the
system work for them.
But
there isn’t much written about men in the world of work and this book asks if men
are happy with the current system. She writes ‘we focus our attention on who wins
and who loses at work, but we don’t join it up with what is happening at home.
As long as we assume that women are the only losers in this situation, nothing
will change. Because the truth is that everyone loses in a system like this.
Women feel hard done by, men who feel trapped at work, children who don’t see
enough of their fathers.’
So, why are wives
so important?
According
to Crabb, a wife (it doesn’t always have to be a female, there have been male
“wives”) is someone who works a lot less in order to successfully manage the
domestic sphere and handles all the things that pop up in everyday life such as
visits from the plumber/electrician, goes shopping, chooses a new fridge, spend
hours on the phone to the internet provider, and, not to mention looking after
kids, elderly parents and associated pets.
Having
such support allow men to focus on their careers, which includes staying back
in the office, being available to travel (after all they have a wife and, as
men, they are not primary responsible for their children) and attend out of
hours networking functions.
You
couldn’t do all is if you didn’t have a wife to manage your domestic life.
Different
experiences and expectations
While
other books on this topic focus on the experiences of women, Crabb’s book
includes a look at the role of men in family life and society attitude towards
this role.
She
rightly notices that while the role of women has changed dramatically over
time, men’s role in society has remained stagnant. It is still assumed that
they are the main bread winner and the mother of their children will be their
primary carer.
Any
deviation for that narrative creates huge burdens for everyone. Women feel like
there are neglecting their children if they work while also being made to feel
like they are not quite present in the workplace.
On
the other hand, marriage grounds men – the bachelor lifestyle with its flamboyant
is supposed to stop once a guy marries and has children.
The
highlight of Annabel’s discussion was around the lack of opportunity for men to
access flexible working arrangements as well as the societal expectation that
men won’t make much of a change to his working hours after he has children.
I
thought it interesting when she quoted George Megalogenis who said ‘Women have
trouble asking for pay rises, and men have trouble asking for time off’. The
reason being that it is uncool for men to scale back for the sake of their
family or ‘work-life balance’ and doing so makes them look like they are not
serious about their career.
What makes this
book different?
While
there are a plethora of books and articles on this topic, what Crabb’s book
adds to the debate is a unique investigation of the effects of the gender roles
and how ‘having a wife’ benefits men. It benefits them economically as well as
in regards to their ability to participate in business and public life.
What
I also like about Crabb’s book is that, unlike other books on this topic, there
is a strong emphasis on men’s role in balancing work and family rather than
just only on women and the problems that they face in this area.
You
just have to switch on the TV or read the newspapers to notice that the
individuals running the companies and in government are men and what often goes
unnoticed is the level of support that they require to become captains of
industry and government ministers.
Just so you know…..
This
book isn’t so much about hating the patriarchy; it is about encouraging men to as
for flexibility at work and participate equally in the lives of their family.
As Annabel Crabb writes, ‘This is not a book of rage on the whole. And – on the
whole – it is not a book about women. Because in all the research and argument
and thought that’s been expended over the past five decades on the question of
why women don’t succeed at work like men do there’ a great, gaping hole. It is
a men shaped hole.
That’s
why I liked this book (other than that it is super easy to read and is full of
the usual Annabel Crabb charm, wit and grace) because it acknowledges that the
problem not just one facing women that has to be solved by women or be dealt
with by corporations for their female employees but that men are as much part
of the solution as they are part of the problem. Allowing both men and women
flexibility at work to have a life out of employment and look after children
makes for a better society.
Why read ‘The Wife
Drought’?
I
could go on and on about this book as well as quote every idea that I
highlighted but I hope I gave you enough of an idea to give this book a try.
It
is super easy to read, highly relevant and easily relatable.
If
you live somewhere for long enough you develop certain ideas about where the
cool places are and you want to spend your time off. As time goes by cities and
suburbs change without you noticing unless something grabs your attention and
changes your views.
Until
recently, Perth’s entertainment hub of Northbridge, with its seedy undertones, has inspired images in my mind of drunken teenagers and out of control Bogans
and has put me off spending much time there.
This
was before I went on a Foot Loose Tour which is essentially a long walk around
Northbridge’s best restaurants. It is run by well known Perth blogger with
years of industry experience and these tours are designed to be a snapshot giving
you an opportunity to try several places in one night.
We
met under the big screen in the neighbourhood’s piazza and then, after a short
introduction by our guide, we made a move.
First
stop was Darlings Supper Club, one
of Northbridge’s new kids on the block. As
we tried various dumpling we made a mental note to come back and explore more
of their menu.
Next
we got to try another new kid place called Lot Twenty,
although it was on a different block, but it was as cool. The vibe
was great and somewhere I’d return to.
When
we seriously thought we couldn’t eat any more we shuffled over to a burger
joint that I never new existed. Varsity
Burgers is down a pedestrian side street and, given the name, had an American
feel to it. Think deep fried, think burger after a night on the town. They seem
different to the burgers that you get at other burger places but we loved our
double cheese burger and fried peanut butter thing.
At
this point we couldn’t eat anymore so we piked but I think the group went to
visit more places.
On
the whole, we had a great time and we discovered some great places to eat and
look forward to going back to spend some more time at these places. It looks
like Northbridge is changing for the better and making it somewhere that people would visit rather than avoid.
I’m
part of French Meet-up group and we do all sorts of stuff together and
last night we met at Shilla’s Korean BBQ for dinner and conversation, in French
of course.
As
it turned out it was an ideal place for such an event because it wasn’t too
noisy that we couldn’t hear each other and the food was great. We had a great
table with a nice view of the river and we chatted away in French about all
sorts of things, including how we were the only Anglos in the restaurant, which
we thought was a good sign.
They
are also great value and cheap and while the food isn’t usually 5 stars, it’s
honest, authentic, satisfying and genuine.
Since
markets are usually crowd pullers, they are great places for a good place for a
relaxed night out with friends as well as a perfect spot for people
watching.
So
when the Town of Victoria Park started its own Hawker’s Market on a Friday night
(in the laneway off Albany Highway but will be moving to near the Victoria Park
Library) I was super excited. I had these visions that it would be similar to
the markets that I had visited in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
It
took me a few months before finally making it to this lane way sandwiched between a supermarket and a restaurant. Immediately, I got taken in by the
relaxed vibe. Just like the markets that I had visited overseas, the place was
full of people celebrating the end of the working week; there were families
with kids, guys on their way home from work in Perth and a every other
demographic that you could think of. People just eating food and enjoying each
other’s company in their local community!
The
first thing to do when you get there is to wonder down the lane and decide what
to eat as the choices are varied but not as wide as the bigger markets
elsewhere.
The
stalls range from Persian, Moroccan, and Japanese to Filipino, Italian and
French. You can enjoy something substantial or go just for desert. The good
thing about its location is that you can go to many of Vic Park’s cool cafes
and bars after for a post dinner coffee or glass of wine.
My
first time visiting the markets I had the Persian Kebab which was nice and the
following time I had the Spanish meatballs with creamy parmesan polenta and
salsa verde which was really nice but for the portion size a little too
expensive.
Take away Turkish desserts make for lovely treats at home
This
made me think and made a little disappointed. As someone who is obsessed with travel, I so wanted to be back overseas and I was kinda hoping that these
Hawker’s Market were reminiscent of markets overseas where the portions were
big, the food wasn’t made for a foreign taste buds and the price doesn’t seem
inflated. But then again, this Perth where everything is inflated and
everything is expensive.
Vic
Park’s TGIF Hawker’s Market is a great thing to do on a Friday night, even if
it is not as gritty, edgy or as cheap as overseas. I am just glad that’s it’s
on.
While chatting to dad recently, it came up in
conversation that he thought that my identity was somehow wrapped up in going
epic adventures overseas.
Although I think he is right to some degree,
as I often get asked where my next holiday is, he comments reminded me of the
complex nature of identity politics and what leads people to do what they do.
This got me thinking on why I have this
inherent need for travel but I can comfortably assure people that I don’t do it
because it is preserved as cool or for the kudos. I do it because it is
ingrained in deep within my soul.
Coming from an “Anglo-Swiss” heritage with a
bit of Dutch, Scandinavian and
Indonesian (way back) thrown in and born in
Australia, I had a global outlook pretty early on. Ever since I was little, I’ve
been interested in what was happening in the wider world (I’ve got dad to thank
for that) right from politics, food, books and to how people lived differently
to me.
Moving to the world’s most isolated and boring
city of Perth aged 14 (also, got Dad to thank for that) did nothing but inspire
me in wanting to leave as soon as possible. Right from the get go I wanted to
leave this dullsville town and be part of something bigger.
These experiences stayed with me for the rest
of my life. International Relations (among things) was a major theme throughout
university studies and I continued to travelled as much as possible.
Backpacking around Europe, development projects in Thailand and Romania,
internships in Malaysia and China as well as a journalism project in India,
study programmes at the UN were all highlights of a life spent travelling.
There is so much about travelling that I love.
It makes me feel so alive, it has opened my eyes and taught me so many things
about the world and myself. I can’t help but see travelling as a positive
experience.
But more recently when I have been in more of
a financial position to go travelling is when that it has become more of my
identity.
Of course you need money to travel so having a
permanent job with paid holidays is a fundamental requirement but, more
importantly, it is the job’s inherent mundane and repetitive nature of the
position that inspires me to make sure that the time I spend away from work is full
of things that I love and make me happy.
After all, everyone needs something to look
forward to in order to survive the mundane.
But wouldn’t you agree that you are more than
the job that you do or even defined by the more negative challenges that you
face in your life?
While I do a mind numbing job that is soul destroying
at best and I refuse to be drawn by it as much as I refuse to de defined by my
physical disability; there is just more to life.
But there is more to my life than my
job-to-pay-the-rent and my well used passport. I’m an avid reader, political
hack, a choir girl and, not to mention, a home owner. I guess it is just that
travelling is the most extreme thing that I do.
Travel will always be a part of my life. It
drives me to work multiple jobs so that I may meet my financial
responsibilities and go on epic adventures overseas. I don’t plan to stop
anytime soon and I am always planning my next adventure, trust me!
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