| Women
and sexual harassment |
| The
stereotyped image of the Aussie male is of a boozy bloke interested in
sport, his car and his mates, with his girlfriend a poor fourth. And
it’s not far wrong: the Australian ethos of mateship has traditionally
excluded women – the hard, tough life of the early days of white
settlement, when women were scarce, fostered a male culture that’s to
some extent still current. Another legacy of pioneering times is the
reputation of Australian women for being robust and practical.
In
the main cities, attitudes are generally enlightened and “new
men” are gaining ground, but in the more remote country and Outback
areas, the older attitudes are more tenacious and sexual harassment
can be commonplace – if rarely threatening. Men driving by in cars, in
particular, are notorious for shouting out crude comments and sexual
remarks as a woman walks by, and catcalling from groups of men in the
street can be intimidating.
Meeting Australian men socially, as
individuals, you’ll often find that their brusque, offhand exterior
conceals a surprisingly helpful and kind nature; they’re also, on the
whole, honest and upfront.
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Sexual equality and attitudes |
| In
public life, Australia has one of the best records for sexual equality
in the world. It was the second country to give women the vote (after New
Zealand in 1893), and the fact that this happened a year after federation
in 1901 shows that the intention was for women to take a full role in the
new nation. In the 1970s and 1980s Australia kept pace with the worldwide feminist
movement (indeed, with Germaine Greer, it helped lead it): the first
big milestone – equal pay for equal work – was finally achieved in
1974. Equal opportunities legislation and affirmative action schemes for
employment have been widely adopted: today, nonsexist language is the norm
for newspapers and officialdom.
However, corresponding changes in attitudes have
not always kept pace with all of this. At about the same time that women
achieved equal pay, the public bars of hotels, which had
traditionally refused to serve women, were being stormed by women’s
groups. Today, a woman can be served a drink anywhere in the country, but
the way that Australian pubs are set up – with two separate bars –
continues to reflect the old bias; you’ll still see signs saying
“Ladies’ Lounge”, and if you want to go to the women’s toilets
you’ll have to walk a long way from the public bar. Outback and
country pubs are still very much male bastions, and any woman
travelling on her own would do well to avoid them, thus escaping the full
blast of misogyny.
Woman alone |
| Avoiding
pubs is all very well, but hotels are often the cheapest and
sometimes the only places to stay in small towns. The major
drawback is that pub accommodation is often full of single male workers
from other towns, or old men who are permanent boarders, so roaming
corridors late at night in search of the toilet can be an unpleasant
experience. That said, the management is usually friendly, and most
country pubs are family-run. Bed and breakfast establishments and guesthouses
provide a more homelike, friendly environment, unlike the inevitably
impersonal motels where a stay can be a potentially lonely
experience. Caravan parks and campsites tend to be safe,
family-dominated environments and are a good bet if you have your own
transport – and sleeping bag. In larger towns and cities, hostels
are where you’re most likely to meet like-minded women travelling alone.
Easy-going Australian attitudes mean that dorms in backpackers’ hostels
(never YHA hostels) are often mixed sex. There’s usually at least one
female-only dorm and if this is really important to you, you should ask
about it in advance or when you check in.
Best of all for making contact with locals and
generally getting involved are farmstays (which needn’t be
expensive if you stay in shearers’ quarters and the like) or the
experience of being a WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). Before
going to work or to stay on remote Outback stations, try to find
out as much about the setup as possible, for you could end up being the
only woman among a group of men – which could create potentially
uncomfortable situations.
Rape and serious trouble |
| If
the worst happens, it’s best to contact a Rape Crisis Line before
going straight to the police; all major cities have them and there’s
always a free-call line if you’re in the country. Women police officers
form a large part of the force, and in general the police deal sensitively
with sexual assault cases.
To avoid physical attack, don’t get too
relaxed about Australia’s friendly, easy-going attitude. The usual
defensive tactics apply. In the cities at night, buses or trams are
generally safer than trains – on the train, always sit next to the guard
in the carriage. Pick somewhere to stay that’s close to public transport
so you don’t have to walk far at night – an area with busy nightlife
may well be safer than a dead suburban backstreet. If you’re going to
have to walk for long stretches at night, take a cab unless the streets
are busy with traffic, restaurants and people.
The 1992 “backpacker murders” of hitching
travellers just outside Sydney prove that it’s not only in remote areas
or when travelling alone that hitchhiking is dangerous – and that
even male company is no safeguard. Hitching is doubly inadvisable for
women and, with the wide variety of inexpensive transport options
available, is hard to justify. If you must do it, never do it alone.
Women's contacts |
| All
the major cities have good women’s contacts, from resource
centres and information lines to health centres where you can often get
free pregnancy testing and other help. There’s also a lively culture of
women’s galleries and bookshops; as well as stocking the works of the
hundreds of great Australian women writers, they’ll have copies of
feminist journals and good notice boards which often have information
about women-only accommodation. Lesbian magazines also carry ads
for women’s bed and breakfasts and the like – you don’t have to be
gay to stay. In March, International Women’s Day provides an
excuse for a month-long series of women’s events in the cities,
culminating in enthusiastically attended street marches.
For more specific women’s contacts, check out
the White Pages under “Women”; alternatively, the Citizen’s Advice
Bureau in each city should be able to refer you to relevant organizations. |
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