So here we are again. At another International Women’s Day. Each year we mark the day, march for our rights and implore the rest of humanity to take their commitment to equality that one step further. Each year we attend events, we wish ourselves and other women enthusiastically proclaiming ‘Happy International Women’s Day’. We attend rallies and hear about all the impressive things that women are doing worldwide and the gains they are making in changing their own lives for the better. Each year on this day we stop and mark the occasion. For most years in the past, I have taken an inherently hopeful stance and believed whole heartedly, that this year for the broader world, the penny would drop, those who refuse to align themselves as feminists would think twice and that the struggle for equality would be shared by the general public and world leaders alike.
But as I sit down to write this article today, it feels like a sense of the same stagnation that has held us hostage throughout history. The gender pay gap is nowhere near being closed. Here is Australia a recent study undertaken by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency indicated that on average women typically earn about AUD25,000 less than men. This takes into account not just someone’s take home salary packet, but also looks at discrepancies in superannuation. For women who take extended time off to have a baby, they are not only losing out on salary but also missing out on years of superannuation contributions compared to their male partners.
Rates of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence continue to be staggeringly high in this country. One in three women have faced physical violence within their lifetimes in Australia and One in five women have reported experiencing sexual violence. When you consider the rates of gender-based violence committed against women with disabilities this number moves to one in four who have experienced rape and sexual violence. The thing to keep in mind with these statistics is that these numbers are only based on incidences which have been formally reported. There is evidence to suggest that this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the true rates of violence that are actually occurring out there. So why wouldn’t a woman come forward and report incidences of sexual violence? You only have to look at prominent rape cases reported on in the media for an insight. Victim blaming continues to be rife in which the character of a survivor of violence is dissected minutely to find flaws and asks questions of how much they had to drink that night, what they were wearing and digs into the history of their previous sexual experiences. Did she really say no or did she just regret it and then accuse that poor man of rape to save face…?!
Rape culture is still so prominent in this country that it makes the prospect of true gender equality seem like a pipe dream. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, rape culture is explained as: “a culture in which sexual violence is treated as the norm and victims are blamed for their own assaults. It’s not just about sexual violence itself, but about cultural norms and institutions that protect rapists, promote impunity, shame victims and demand that women make unreasonable sacrifices to avoid sexual assault”[1]. All you need to do is think about accusations and sexual assault cases which have been filed against prominent sporting individuals recently. It seems to always be the woman who is blamed. Why was she so intoxicated, why was she in his room in the first place, she should have known better. But why are we so quick to scrutinise the victim? Why is it so easy to place the onus of responsibility for a man’s violent actions on a woman?
If you haven’t already, please read Bri Lee’s ‘Eggshell Skull’. It is a poignantly accurate yet disturbing look into the world of prosecution of rape and sexual assault crimes. It’s difficult reading but reminds us of how far we have to go in order to achieve the freedoms and equality that we deserve. Reading through each chapter of the book made me irate that a survivor of sexual violence seems to be the one who is put on trial. Whose identity is dissected within the media and their character questioned; and not the other way around. She is put through hell during the assault or rape itself, again when she has to report this to police and once again when (and if) it goes to trial. She is made to feel shameful, to question herself and is reminded about how the justice system fails rape victims at every turn.
We supposedly live in a ‘first world’ country where we are free and equal. But its obvious that the freedom in which we speak to is dependent on your gender, your race, you ableist ability and your class. Today I celebrate International Women’s Day, but not with a smile. I celebrate it with a call to action. I implore everyone to think critically about how much freedom and equality we actually have as women living in this country. Because apparently that freedom and pursuit of equality is only relevant if you proscribe to outdated, victim blaming, slut shaming, puritan ideas in which a woman should know her place.
It’s evident that we have so far to go. And I know that sometimes it can be so debilitating when simply thinking about the fight. At times the weight of the burden of pursuing freedom, equality and justice for women can be all too much. But as tired and frustrated as I am, I know that we cannot give up the fight. We have to going; we have to keep calling everyday sexism out. We have to believe survivors of violence and work to change an endemic culture of impunity which demonises women and purports simply that ‘boys will be boys’. Change takes time, it will be generational but we have to keep up the fight in the hope of a better future.
[1] https://www.vox.com/2014/12/15/7371737/rape-culture-definition
I blog for Change. 