EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AMENDMENT

The Equal Opportunity (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill 2008 was passed in the South Australian Parliament July 14th 2009 and will come into effect at a date to be fixed. Among the amendments is one that makes it illegal to refuse to sell goods and services, including education, to a breastfeeding mother. Another amendment protects against discrimination on the grounds of sexuality, although religious schools are exempt. Anti-discrimination on the basis of religious dress such as burqas and head scarves is also included as well as a broadening of the scope of the sexual harassment laws.

-Jo

Gender Inequality and Urban Planning

Danielle has sent us this really interesting link on how gender is not being considered in public planning. 

Why don’t architects double the amount of women’s toilets compared to men’s toilets? All women have lined up in a toilet queue at some stage so why do we accept this as the norm and not demand change?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/19/women.planning

Thanks Danielle for this link.

Related WSRC Resources Include:

Weisman, Leslie Discrimination by design 1992

Matrix Making space: women and the man-made environment 1984

Badcock, Blair Unfairly structured cities 1984

Coleman, Alice Utopia on trial: vision and reality in planned housing 1985

Kirkham, Pat A view from the interior: feminism, women and design 1989

Women in building – the missing 51%: a report on employer practice, 1993

EQUAL PAY DAY 27-8-08

Wednesday 27th August has been declared Equal Pay Day by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) in order to highlight the gender gap in pay equity existing in Australia. Currently, women’s pay is eighty four cents to the man’s dollar for work of equal value. As explained in the EOWA media release, 27th August (being fifty eight days after the end of the financial year) is the day when women doing work of equal value to men catch up, ie receive the same amount of pay as the men. Anna McPhee, the Director of EOWA speaks about this and other issues related to workplace gender equity on Radio National’s Life Matters program on the same day. 

-Jo

Equal Opportunity Legislation

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LEGISLATION

It’s time to lobby

The Government’s Equal Opportunity Bill is currently being considered by the Liberal party room.  It is important that members of the community lobby their local Members of Parliament, and other important Liberal figures, to ensure that this legislation is passed.  A list of Liberals is included at the bottom of this email.

This legislation proposes a number of changes to bring our anti-discrimination laws in line with interstate and Federal law.  Key changes include:

• Caring responsibilities – S.A. is the only state where this protection is not available
• Broadening the definition of disability to cover mental illness – again S.A. is the only state not to cover this type of disability
• Strengthening sexual harassment provisions, particularly at work and in schools

Most of the Bill is aimed at catching S.A. up with the rest of the country.  Indeed business already has to comply with many of the proposed changes as they are already covered by Federal law.

South Australians deserve to be protected by modern discrimination laws.

I urge you to contact the Liberals to have your voice heard [Please make sure that any lobbying emails to Members of Parliament are sent from personal (not work-based) email addresses].

If you have any queries about the legislation, you can direct them to Janet Giles at jgiles@saunions.org.au

List of Liberals  [*Members of the House of Assembly are listed alphabetically by electorate]

Vickie Chapman                                   Iain Evans                                                  Liz Penfold
Member for Bragg                             Member for Davenport                                Member for Flinders
bragg@parliament.sa.gov.au                  davenport@parliament.sa.gov.au              flinders@parliament.sa.gov.au

Michael Pengilly                                   Rob Kerin                                                    Steven Griffiths
Member for Finniss                                 Member for Frome                               Member for Goyder
finniss@parliament.sa.gov.au                frome@parliament.sa.gov.au          goyder@parliament.sa.gov.au

Adrian Pederick                                    Isobel Redmond                                       Mark Goldsworthy 
Member for Hammond                             Member for Heysen                             Member for Kavel  
hammond@parliament.sa.gov.au heysen@parliament.sa.gov.au               kavel@parliament.sa.gov.au

Michael Willliams                                 Duncan McFetridge                                   Ivan Venning
Member for MacKillop                             Member for Morphett                            Member for Schubert
mackillop@parliament.sa.gov.au  morphett@parliament.sa.gov.au        schubert@parliament.sa.gov.au

Graham Gunn                                                                       David Pisoni
Member for Stuart                                                                                Member for Unley                             
stuart.portaugusta@parliament.sa.gov.au                                         unley@parliament.sa.gov.au 

Martin Hamilton-Smith          Michelle Lensink                                        Stephen Wade
Member for Waite                    Member of the Legislative Council      Member of the Legislative Council 
waite@parliament.sa.gov.au    michelle.lensink@parliament.sa.gov.au     stephen.wade@parliament.sa.gov.au

 

Backlash

Kira Cochrane from The Guardian has written some interesting articles about the current state of feminism.

This article on the discrimination of women at work and

This article which discusses the current backlash against feminism.

The WSRC has copies of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities commission papers: ‘Striking the balance: women, men, work and family’ and ‘Its about Time; women, men, work and family’ available from the sex and age discrimination unit.  

Check out our online catalogue to find many resources looking at the current state of feminism. We also have a copy of Susan Faludi’s ‘Backlash’ to give away to an interested reader.

Thank you to Danielle for these links

- Cat

Equal Opportunity

The Equal Opportunity Commission provides information, and education about equal opportunity, which is the basis of feminism. The EOC also assesses and resolves complaints involving equal opportunity and the law.

 

Le Fevre high school students visited the WSRC on Wednesday and one of the many topics we discussed was the importance of maternity and paternity leave, and how it provides the opportunity to remove one instance of discrimination against women.

 

Read the Equal Opportunity Commission’s submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parenting Leave.” 

 

“Includes EOC Commissioner Linda Matthews comments on enquiries from women who are sacked or find their employment hours reduced because they are pregnant or who are unable to return to their position after they have taken maternity leave. “

 

We also talked about Sweden, a country with a long record of gender equity, read this extract from Sweden.se, Sweden’s official website. 

 

- Cat