ABS Releases Gender Indicators and Ignores Male Disadvantage

Today the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australia's so-called impartial statistical body released its Gender Indicators report: "a summary of gender specific data in six domains representing Economic security, Education, Health, Work and family balance, Safety and justice, and Democracy, governance and citizenship".

The ABS produced a media release about the publication. This release could have noted that:

• Across the board males fare much worse than females in the education system - most notably being 24% less likely to be enrolled in a bachelor degree or above
• Across the board males fare much worse than females in the health arena - most notably suffering death rates from cancer, heart disease, suicide, motor vehicle accidents and drug abuse between 1.6 and 3.4 times higher
• Males are 12% more likely than females to feel their work and family responsibilities are rarely/ never in balance
• Males are almost twice as likely as females to have experienced violence during the last 12 months and one third more likely to be a victim of physical or threatened physical assault.

However, these facts were conveniently ignored in favour of a media release titled "Busy mums want more paid work," citing the rate of underemployment being twice as high for women (8%) than for men (4%). Sadly it seems that the lace curtain extends all the way into our country's top statistical body.

Going part-time: Dads' balancing act

Matthew Thompson dedicates a day a week to spending time with his two-year old daughter, Lydiana. Picture: Gary Graham

Men increasingly are casting off their traditional roles as hunter providers to work part time and take a greater role in caring for their children.

Dads who don't want to miss out on the formative years of their children's lives are turning down full-time work to provide for their families in other ways.

Employment and social leaders are encouraging the trend, believing it will help create gender equality in the workplace as well as at home.

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that 1.02 million men are working in part-time jobs this year compared with only 902,000 in 2006.

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Do Men Need to Act Like Women to Succeed as Fathers? - Forbes (USA)

This is a guest post written by Lisa Duggan, publisher of TheMotherHoodblog. She is currently developing a new magazine for 21^st century parents. Follow her on Twitter at: motherhoodmag.

As a publisher I appreciate a provocative headline. A good hook is more important than ever in our link-and-like economy. But I bristled at the sexist assumption in the title of Daniel Freedman’s March 16^th column, “Do Women Need to Act Like Men on Wall Street?” and I thought: will men in our culture ever catch a break?

Yes, men. The bias against women in our society, and by extension in the corporate world, has been thoroughly established. Freedman’s short answer to the question in his own headline is No, women need not act like men to succeed on Wall Street. Unfortunately, in the process of getting to the answer he reinforces an equally deep and persistent bias against men.

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The bride who was groomed for a career

Where feminism has confused women, it has made us dream that we are the same as men. Men are not mothers, and children don’t need them in the same way as they will inevitably need us. So if we want to have children, we can’t pretend to be men in our career plans and aspirations. Do we really want to have someone else caring for our homes and our children? It does not have to be that way. We need to embrace a model of life success that is less career-oriented and more family-centered. Giving of oneself to others, while it comes without diplomas, year-end bonuses and frequent-flyer miles, is just as worthy and important as building up one’s own career.

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University offers daddy of all parental leave schemes

It is arguably the most generous paid parental leave scheme in the country - one to rival the much-vaunted policies of employers in Sweden and Denmark. Within a few weeks, new mothers and fathers at the Australian Catholic University will be entitled to 40 weeks' paid leave at 60 per cent of their normal pay. This is on top of the 12 weeks' maternity leave on full pay for women and three weeks for men the university already provides, and the federal government's payment of $543 a week for up to 18 weeks. ACU already offered these terms to its female staff, but by extending it to fathers who nominate themselves as the primary care giver, the university has created the most generous parental policy for male employees in Australia.