{"id":6989,"date":"2020-12-06T19:00:44","date_gmt":"2020-12-06T19:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.broadagenda.com.au\/?p=8357"},"modified":"2020-12-06T19:00:44","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T19:00:44","slug":"women-in-politics-pursuing-progressive-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/06\/women-in-politics-pursuing-progressive-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in politics: Pursuing progressive policies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Since 1972, the Women\u2019s Electoral Lobby has made the case that women should be at the political decision-making table.<\/p>\n
Nearly five decades later, a record number of women have been elected into the ACT Legislative Assembly, as 14 women take their place at the 25-seat table, and make up the majority in Cabinet.<\/p>\n
We have now had a woman as Prime Minister, as Governor General, and as the Premier or Chief Minister of most state and territory governments. But what we have always demanded are progressive policies that are good for women, not just women in political leadership.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why women campaigned for a Whitlam Labor Government in 1972. It\u2019s why we lobby and advocate for better Federal Budget outcomes for women in 2020, rather than just a woman as Treasurer. Having a woman making decisions is all very nice, but it\u2019s meaningless if those decisions are not lifting up all the women who aren\u2019t part of the decision-making process. Free university education, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, subsidised childcare, and legislating against discrimination have made a lasting difference to the lives of millions of Australian women.<\/p>\n
A smart woman once said that gender doesn\u2019t explain everything, it doesn\u2019t explain nothing, it explains some things.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A smart woman once said that gender doesn\u2019t explain everything, it doesn\u2019t explain nothing, it explains some things. Political leadership that doesn\u2019t include life experiences common to half the population is likely to be less empathetic to the difficulties women face.<\/p>\n
This week, the ACT Legislative Assembly established a Standing Committee on Economics and Gender and Economic Inequality. This committee is charged with considering the gendered impacts of all ACT Government programs and policies. It\u2019s a tool we can use to transform gendered stereotypes about paid and unpaid work, transport use, housing access, small business ownership, the arts, education, and much more. Over time, being able to examine the gendered impacts of government decisions will help policymakers evolve their processes to consider these issues before implementing them.<\/p>\n