Extract from The Guardian
In an environment where to succeed women must play by masculine
rules, it’s unrealistic to expect mere numbers of women to bring about
much change
The news from Queensland is very interesting for those interested in gender equity in power. Not only is Annastacia Palaszczuk
the first female party leader to win from opposition, Queensland is the
only state that has had two female premiers. The ACT has had more than
one but the states so far have rested on the record of only one. All
states, bar South Australia, have had one female leader, and all those
women have represented the Australian Labor party. Palaszczuk’s win is a
good sign of continued gender shifts but what is much more interesting
is the gender balance of her cabinet.
Eight of the 14 new ministers sworn in on Monday are women, more than half. The deputy leader is also female, another first. A mix of old and new faces, five of the women in cabinet are newbies, but so are many other members. The cabinet experience of members is at least as good as the last cabinet, so gender is not the factor there. The allocation of portfolios is also diverse and not gender-based with Jackie Trad, for instance, named minister for transport, infrastructure, local government and planning and trade, and the first Indigenous female member, Leeanne Enoch, having been allocated housing, public works, innovation and science. Yvette D’Ath is the attorney general.
Assuming that the selection is based on merit, it is significant that there are more women in cabinet than their proportion in caucus. The majority female numbers will hopefully not be used as ammunition by those wanting to undermine the new government, but as evidence that there is a plethora of underused female talent that is finally being recognised. The experience of our first female PM, Julia Gillard, and the flak now flying against Peta Credlin suggest that media and critics will continue to target prominent powerful women more viciously and personally than their male peers, so we will have to wait and see the response to this strong female presence in Queensland government.
What we need to look out for now is whether the predominance of women in cabinet, though only just a majority, will make a difference to policies. There are real risks in raising expectations that numbers alone will make much of a difference, especially in the present politically volatile environment.
The experience of the 40 years since the UN International Women’s Year in 1975 are not very positive. We have had a scattering of female leaders, but few are followed by other women. The dominance of neoliberal market models has meant economics-driven macho interests have redefined all areas of policy. Even child care and domestic violence policies have been defined by their costs and benefits to GDP.
In an environment where women can only succeed by competing on masculine terms, it is problematic to assume that mere numbers of women alone will bring policies that can improve women’s lives. At best, we can hope that social issues and care are higher on the agenda than they generally are.
Any higher expectations of gender policy shifts in a very fragile new government might just be unrealistic and damaging to more radical future changes.
Eight of the 14 new ministers sworn in on Monday are women, more than half. The deputy leader is also female, another first. A mix of old and new faces, five of the women in cabinet are newbies, but so are many other members. The cabinet experience of members is at least as good as the last cabinet, so gender is not the factor there. The allocation of portfolios is also diverse and not gender-based with Jackie Trad, for instance, named minister for transport, infrastructure, local government and planning and trade, and the first Indigenous female member, Leeanne Enoch, having been allocated housing, public works, innovation and science. Yvette D’Ath is the attorney general.
Assuming that the selection is based on merit, it is significant that there are more women in cabinet than their proportion in caucus. The majority female numbers will hopefully not be used as ammunition by those wanting to undermine the new government, but as evidence that there is a plethora of underused female talent that is finally being recognised. The experience of our first female PM, Julia Gillard, and the flak now flying against Peta Credlin suggest that media and critics will continue to target prominent powerful women more viciously and personally than their male peers, so we will have to wait and see the response to this strong female presence in Queensland government.
What we need to look out for now is whether the predominance of women in cabinet, though only just a majority, will make a difference to policies. There are real risks in raising expectations that numbers alone will make much of a difference, especially in the present politically volatile environment.
The experience of the 40 years since the UN International Women’s Year in 1975 are not very positive. We have had a scattering of female leaders, but few are followed by other women. The dominance of neoliberal market models has meant economics-driven macho interests have redefined all areas of policy. Even child care and domestic violence policies have been defined by their costs and benefits to GDP.
In an environment where women can only succeed by competing on masculine terms, it is problematic to assume that mere numbers of women alone will bring policies that can improve women’s lives. At best, we can hope that social issues and care are higher on the agenda than they generally are.
Any higher expectations of gender policy shifts in a very fragile new government might just be unrealistic and damaging to more radical future changes.
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