Australia, just like any other nation, is a highly diversified society. Social inequality has been a persistent problem in this country. There have been cases of discrimination based on different grounds. Incidentally, gender inequality still remains a force to recon with. Despite the fact that the Australian government has taken deliberate initiatives to curb it, the female folks are still discriminated upon by their male counterparts. A lot of women have failed to live a comfortable life since they can not get an ample opportunity to suppress the discrimination from this male dominated society.
In deed, gender inequality has been experienced both at homes and in the workplace. To begin with, females are not granted equal opportunity to easily access education and job opportunities. In fact, their efforts are intentionally often thwarted by the males. Hence, they get discriminated during recruitments and promotions. They are subjected to unfriendly working conditions. Meaning, they hardly get a chance to be promoted as compared to their male counterparts. At the same time, they experience difficulties when pregnant. Many employers do not give them sufficient time to enjoy essential maternity leaves. Moreover, they are sexually harassed and granted little recognition is certain fields such as military.
However, these acts are outlawed and should not be practiced at all. They are in a violation of human rights and should not be condoned. After all, they are not only outlawed in Australia, but in all the other parts of the world. The Australian inclusion principles highly condemn any form of discrimination in the society. Instead, they advocate for equality for all the people. No one should be discriminated upon based on their gender. All the people should be proud of their diversities and treat one another with the dignity they deserve.
The government of Australia has done a lot to eradicate gender inequality in the whole nation. This has been demonstrated through the enforcement of stringent laws and installation of relevant enforcement agencies. The most significant step was the formulation of the Workplace Gender Equality Act f 2012. This is a legal clause which assumed its name from Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act of 1999 which was mandated to eliminate gender discrimination in Australia.
Incidentally, Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) has made a significant contribution in the fight for gender equality. As a legal institution, it has been able to ably been in the forefront for the fight against the vice. As an agency of the Australian Department of Families Housing Community Services in Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), is mandated to execute equality across the genders. As clearly stipulated in part III section 10 of this act, WGEA has a statutory role of monitoring gender equality in all the Australian organizations. Besides, it conducts a lot of research in the areas of gender equality. These are aimed at promoting awareness and educating the people regarding this issue. It is only through the dissemination of knowledge that the Australian society can be informed on the dangers associated with this vice.
Although the government has demonstrated its dedication towards the establishment of an equal society, a lot still has to be done. This is because of the various challenges faced by the concerned agencies. First, there are inadequate commitments from the larger community. Most of the employers do not fully cooperate with it. In addition, there is inadequate information to the public. Most people still discriminate against the males because of ignorance.
In this regard, I would like to point out that the Australian government is in the right path towards the creation of a discrimination-free society. The emphasis on the principles of social inclusion is a milestone in the fight against such practices. Meanwhile, the formulation of relevant legislations is the best way of eliminating inequality. It enables the government to establish a standard regulation which must be adhered to by all the people. However, this can not be fruitful if there is no responsible body. This justifies why the government has instituted agencies to authoritatively tackle this menace.
Conclusively, I would lie to commend the government of Australia for responsibly fighting gender inequality. It is against the universal human rights to discriminate against the females. Although it is the primary duty of the government to protect its citizens, it should be upon each and everyone to be concerned about one another. Gender inequality is a vice which should not be tolerated. Even if it was outlawed more than two decades ago, it still persists. This is a very unfortunate scenario which must be fought at all costs. Therefore, the government should actively participate in its eradication particularly by allocating adequate funds to finance the mandated agencies. This will give them an opportunity to ably enforce these laws by creating public awareness to all the Australians. This will make gender inequality be a history in this country.
Works Cited
Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (2010) Pay Equity Statistics. Sydney:
Australian Government.
Greig, L. (2007) White, “Inequality in Australia” London: Cambridge University Press.
Kee, H.J. (2006). Glass Ceiling or Sticky Floor? Exploring the Australian Gender Pay Gap. The
Economic Record. Vol. 82, No. 259, pp. 408-427.
National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling. The impact of a sustained gender wage gap
on the economy. Report to the Office for Women, Department of Families, Community
Services, Housing and Indigenous Affairs.
Watson, I. (2010) Decomposing the Gender Pay Gap in the Australian Managerial Labor
Market. Australian Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 49-79.
