the GENDER issue
burqa ban // women in development // postcards
Feeling perplexed? Don’t be. We at perplex are here to make your world a little less perplexing and a little bit more rad. We’ll give you the deal on current affairs issues, how to get involved, some cool threads and suggest some sweet reads. Perplex is my semester two ILP project, so don’t judge too hard, this isn’t a magazine for real just yet. But enjoy nonetheless, Katya
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Whether it’s a postcard from a friend, or just one that you’ve picked up from a postcard stand at your local library, postcards make us at perplex dream about rocking up to a Lucha Libre match in Mexico; running into dreamy boys with witty tee shirts and a thing for Polaroids or shopping for robots in Tokyo….
Women in development: The Gender Action Plan What do the World Bank and an impoverish woman in rural Peru have in common? Not much, one would think, but the World Bank is currently targeting women in developing nations as being a major key to development.
Before we head into the World Bank’s Gender Action Plan, perplex is here to give you the low down on gender equality. Gender equality is a major issue facing us in the 21st Century, but giving equal rights and importance to women should not take the same away from the lads of the world. If you don’t think gender equality affects you, just because you live in Australia, you would be wrong - currently full time working women earn 18% less than males. This double standard here and around the world hurts everyone and has a negative impact on economic development. Today women are experiencing inequality in personal freedoms, education, jobs and equal pay, legal rights and political representation. The World Bank’s Gender Action Plan : Gender Equality as Smart Economics recognizes that women’s economic empowerment is very important to development. They recognize that while health and education have generally improved for women in the last few years, there hasn’t been too much happening economics-wise. Their aim is to advance the economic empowerment in order to promote shared growth and to achieve MDG 3 (gender equality and women’s empowerment). The Gender Action Plan is a $63 million plan, which was launched in 2007 and will run for four years. The Gender Action Plan leads the way in making people realise that in order to help the developing world out of poverty, they need to give their women equality, not just socially, but also economically.
“In only a few decades, health and education levels of girls and women have improved significantly, but economic opportunity has not. Women consistently trail men in labor force participation, access to credit, entrepreneurship, Inheritance and ownership rights and in the income they generate, and this is neither fair nor smart economics. Studies show that investment in girls and women yield very large economic and social returns.� Robert B. Zoellick, World Bank President
Tiptoe through our shiny city with our diamond slippers on... Model: India Murphy Photography, styling, make up and hair: Katya Murphy
Country Road shirt, Model’s own jeans and shoes (worn throughout)
The Burqa: should we ban it? The idea of a ban of the burqa has been widely debated recently, and with the ban of the headscarf in France, it has received even more attention of late. When it comes to the burqa and banning it, there are a few arguments we need to consider: choice, freedom of choice and what the burqa represents. Australia is a free country. We can say, wear and do mostly what we want to. By banning the burqa, some believe that this will undermine women’s freedom and right to choice. Julie Posetti, a journalist from Canberra argues, “How can you enforce equality by denying freedom of choice?” But perhaps the reason for choosing to wear the burqa is more important, because not all choices are good choices. Journalist Virginia Hausseger believes that women ‘choose’ to wear the burqa out of fear, obedience or shame and that for whatever reason there is for wearing the burqa, the effect is the same: the burqa renders the wearer anonymous and depersonalises them. She says, “Wearing the niqab is less about piety and more about power.” However, there is a flipside to the argument of choice. Dr. Shakira Hussein, a writer and researcher at ANU believes that you have to allow women to negotiate their own way among competing pressures and that we can’t force liberation apon people. She says, “Choice is a difficult word to be wielding when there are so many competing pressures.”
So, what does the burqa represent? The Koran does not call for women to wear it or cover themselves as to hide their identity and only a small number of women in Australia actually wear the burqa. So why is there so much media focus? Surely we are just further marginalising the most marginalised?
“Clothed in a burqa or niqab a woman is in a situation of reclusion, exclusion and inadmissible humiliation.” – Andre Gerin, French MP Virginia Hausseger believes that banning the burqa in Australia is “…about sending a message that says that women are free, equal, are treated with respect and dignity and never have to hide their identity in public.” Dr. Shakira Hussein says, “I might not support what you put on, but I support your right to put on whatever you want.” The ban on the burqa is an issue with a large grey area, so it is up to you to decide your stance on the ban.
GET INVOLVED. So, you want to help, but are perplexed as to how to get involved. We’ve got a few places and organizations that can help you out:
The Oaktree Foundation. http://theoaktree.org/
The Oaktree Foundation is an aid and development organization run by young people under the age of 26. Oaktree is all about young people working together to end global poverty. There are plenty of ways to get involved through Oaktree, like by participating in ‘Live Below the Line’ – a bit like the 40 Hour Famine, but you live on $2 a day for a week; getting your school to become a part of the Schools4Schools program; or if you’re a newbie when it comes to volunteering, become a part of Generate.
UNIFEM. http://www.unifem.org.au/
If have a love for those crazy United Nations acronyms, then UNIFEM is the place for you. The United Nations Development Fund for Women, is the women's fund at the United Nations. Established in 1976, it provides financial and technical assistance to innovative approaches aimed at fostering women's empowerment and gender equality. It’s as simple as becoming a member to get regular newsletters to keep you informed; supporting your local UNIFEM Chapter or Young UNIFEM Chapter; becoming a volunteer; or doing an internship.
The Salvation Army. http://www.salvos.org.au/
Everyone knows the Salvos. There’s a Salvos nearly everywhere in Australia and it’s super easy to get involved. You could just buy some clothes from a Salvos store or donate to the Red Shield Appeal and depending on your level of commitment, you could work at a Salvos store once a week or become a volunteer.
Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.au/
The Oxfam website has some great, easy to understand info about current emergencies and they make it easy to get involved. Oxfam regularly hold events and if you’re a bit lazy but still want to help out a good cause, you can buy something from one of their Oxfam Stores like a Make Poverty History tee shirt.
Model: India Murphy Photography, styling, make up and hair : Katya Murphy
why is a raven like a writing desk?
Vintage silk shirt, moschino skirt, model’s own ballet flats (all worn throughout)