Progressive Labour Party - Official Policy

Womens Policy

Principle

The overarching principle guiding a policy for women is:

The Progressive Labour Party supports for the rights of women to full equality and participation in all areas of life, opposition to sexism in all its forms, and freedom from fear in all areas of their lives.

Preamble

The Progressive Labour Party believes that women's issues are at the heart of soci al policy. We are committed to improving the situation of women, encouraging the participation of women at all levels of decision making, and enhancing women's inclusion in the political, social and economic life of Australia.

The policy can be broadly encompassed as follows:

The position of indigenous and migrant women and other marginalised groups such as the mentally ill requires special consideration.

Women and Work

At the core of a policy for women is consideration of the access of women to paid work and payment for work which they already carry out. The need for a specific policy for women is shown by the following:

Women are under-represented in all decision making bodies: Federal, State and Local Government, Boards of Directors, Courts, Public Service executive.

Women still earn on average 20% less than men, do twice as much unpaid work as men, and are employed in a much narrower range of occupations than men.

Women frequently carry the double responsibility of paid and unpaid work at home and in the community. They are responsible for the bulk of the care of children, the elderly, the disabled, and the sick.

Women do their work with lower or no incomes and fewer resources than men.

Despite the fact that the Sex Discrimination Act was proclaimed in Australia in 1984 following the ratification of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women by the United Nations, some areas of women's participation have declined since t he late 1970s (for example, in the judiciary and company boards of directors).

The task of improving the access of women to areas of influence in the public arena must be approached on a broad front. It starts with the strict enforcement and expansion of present laws and encompasses education for the whole population. At present, the public sector has a much better history than the private sector in equality of access for women. With the present government's downsizing o f the public sector, the numbers of women in areas of influence is likely to decline.

Improvement in the position of women involves other areas of PLP policy such as government and employment. The overall wellbeing of women improves when areas such as ho using and education overcome initial hurdles faced by many women. Because of general differences between the life experiences of most males and females, many areas of women's lives are idiosyncratically influenced by overarching policies. Therefore relevant policies must take into account the special needs and desires of women if women are to have equal access to empowerment.

For instance, studies show that many women would prefer part-time work or job-sharing. This is socially desirable for a number of reasons:

Many of the women who want part-time work are also involved in the care of children, the disabled and the elderly - functions which otherwise would require more funding from the state.

In view of the long-term international increase in unemployment and structural loss of full-time work, part-time work is to be encouraged so long as the conditions for it are just and equitable.

Piece-work involving the most marginalised members of society, especially women, is endemic and in view of the present political climate likely to grow. In many situations the work is hidden from public and official scrutiny and is carried out in inequitable, unsafe, and coercive conditions. This is particul arly pernicious in a culture which encourages consumption at all costs because it leads to low prices and in effect encourages the poor to oppress the poorer. Companies which discourage these practices both in Australia and overseas are to be encouraged, w hile those whose profit is actually dependant on such labour must be made to confirm to just employment laws or take the consequences of not being able to run a viable business. Any profit which depends on the oppression of the marginalised is not a profi t at all, it is a cost not incurred.

In view of the social and monetary value of women's work as carers in the community, measures will be introduced to pay for this work by an extension of present social security measures such as the Carer's Pension. Thi s measure will not be restricted to women only, but in view of the fact that much of this care is supplied by women it will act as an improvement in the life conditions of many women.

In any discussion concerning women and work the importance of free and adequate childcare is paramount. The PLP will institute the provision of state-supported childcare for working women as well as encourage the extension of the Family Day Care programs so that they provide an adequate alternative income for the providers.

Women and Education

Over the past twenty years there has been an enormous increase in the quality and quantity of education being taken up by women. In many areas, such as secondary and tertiary academic performance and school retention rates, girls are out-performing boys.

This does not mean however that the battle for equality has been won. Women and girls still face societal pressures in the courses they are likely to choose and in the types of jobs they train for. Education aimed at girls to encourag e their participation in education areas leading to more secure and better paying jobs must be expanded. As well, the state must provide encouragement to improve the public and private sectors' participation in on-the-job training and apprenticeship scheme s.

There is a continuing negative differential in the provision of educational facilities for girls in relation to boys. This is especially true in technological areas which are typically those in which the more secure and well paid jobs occur. Specific p olicies to overcome such discrimination must be developed. This may involve policies of positive reinforcement such as early intervention programmes or the funding of increased access to equipment such as computers.

In adult life the negative life choices which began at school are enhanced. Because women generally have worse paying jobs and less power in the workforce, there is more difficulty in carrying on to take part in adult education. These inhibitions also appl y to young mothers and older women ret urning to the workforce following childrearing. Women in recognised areas of low power and pay should receive information concerning their rights regarding access to education and should be justly remunerated for their time out of the workforce while study ing since they are among the least able to either save or make adjustments for living on a lower income. The position of women must be taken into account in the PLP policy for adult education.

Women and Violence

Women are more at risk within their enviro nment to suffer domestic violence and sexual abuse than men. This is connected with a society which tolerates secrecy, ignorance, control, and displays of male power and violence as entertainment. To turn this situation around requires a change in beliefs , attitudes, and values of most people.

Women have the right to a safe place in their world. The cost of violence in social and economic terms is unacceptable. There must be commitment to providing the conditions for women victims of violence to become eq ual citizens in our society with help in gaining education, ongoing work and permanent shelter.

This means that in areas of policy such as public housing, provision must be made for the allocation of a section (say 10%) of available housing to be set aside for women and children victims of violence. The PLP will also commit adequate government funds for the running of refuges and counselling services.

The PLP will provide a long-term commitment to policies which prioritise the battle against violence aga inst women and promote the development of public education concerning domestic violence as well as other areas in which violence is an issue, such as many types of sport, the socialisation of boys, and so on.

Women and Health

The majority of workers in the health system and users of the health system are women. The structure of the health system as well as the service that it provides must be organised recognising this state of affairs.

Women's lives have been medicalised and they are increasingly treate d not only when they are sick, but when they are well. This means that normal life milestones such as childbirth and menopause are treated as symptoms of illness. This can lead to the overprescription of many hormonal and similar drugs, with the economic w elfare of the medical/hospital community and international drug companies likely to be the touchstone by which women's health is measured.

As well, women are more likely to consult the medical profession, leading to a perception of them as being less 'st rong' and ignoring the fact that as the prime carers of the old and the young they are often the interface to the medical profession for these groups and are also likely to present with the stresses related to the caring role. This has unfortunate side-eff ects in their being classified as neurotic and not being given sufficient consulting time but instead given proprietary psychodynamic drugs - another huge source of income to the drug companies.

This situation must be approached to ensure that women have access to affordable and culturally appropriate health care. This will include the provision of alternative clinics for self help groups and similar, and Community Health Centres which will take into account the full family dynamics of clients. For those diseases which affect women only, such as breast and cervical cancer, the state is to provide full and free screening and treatment programs.

This also implies the right of women to control their fertility and the provision of free advice and consultation on all aspects of normal life functions through family planning and women's health clinics. As part of this area of concern the luxury tax is to be removed on tampons and sanitary pads and the introduction of safe and ecologically non-damaging products.

Objectives

The Progressive Labour Party will ensure that:

Issues

The institution of a women's policy involves the examination of many other policy areas. For instance, actions to be taken against exploitation in wages and conditions which affect women must be broach ed in the Employment, Business and Industrial Relations policies.

Changes to education and training to advantage women must be considered in an overall plan and health issues pertaining specifically to women are part of the Health policy.

The issue of women's participation in government must be one of the major issues in the formation of Government and Electoral policies. The PLP has a policy of equal representation and the ways in which the proportion of women representatives can be improved must be adequately addressed.

There are other areas in which the issue of women's contribution to society must be recognised. At the national and international level the value of unpaid work (which is mostly women's work) must be recognised. The wellbeing and economic security of a soc iety is dependant on the infrastructure provided by the private sector (meaning at the domestic level - not at the private enterprise level). The PLP will exert constant pressure to have the equivalent monetary value of unpaid work incl uded in the GNP and GDP figures for Australia.