Better late than never: my post for Blogging Against Sexism, submitted before International Womens Day slips off the International Date Line.
With various ideas about this, I finally decided that I would just reflect on the sexism that I have observed in my adopted country, Australia.
I should begin by saying that I live in a rural community - what I have observed may not reflect the situation in the cities here (at least the more cosmopolitan bits of the cities).
After having realised that I had missed the boat for International Womens Day, at least in my time zone, I decided to let things go and wait until next year. It was then that a local woman of my acquaintance (ie: my wife) made a comment - an assumption that a librarian was a woman - that I thought that maybe I should have a voice, at least to say how deeply ingrained sexism is in the rural culture.
In a small town, not far from here, there is a clothes shop. It sells mens and womens clothes. It offers a free alterations service - for mens clothes only. When I first heard of this, liberal minded Brit that I am, my jaw just dropped. Had I not only moved to another continent, but also into a previous century?
A closer look at the roles of women in the workplace and other roles by gender does not paint a nice picture; I understand 19th Century attitudes in older people, but it is not just older people that I am observing. The communities hereabouts are horribly and distressingly sexist. Possibly I am just a foreigner misunderstanding the culture in which I am now living, but it really does look bad to me.
I can only hope that increased penetration of the Internet into rural areas will help rid us of sexism and all the other "isms" as well.
Here ends my piece. I just wish that it could have been more positive - and on time!
Further Social Inclusion posts should follow on the 1st of May - Blogging for Disablism Day.
