Introduction
Thispaperresearchessocialconventionsin Australia,predominantly referring to the traditionalmediaenvironmentand patriarchy in thepoliticalsphere,circatheAustralian Election 2013.The research question hypothesizes that due to these socialconventions,
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Abstract
This paper highlights the continuing problem of feminism being depoliticized among Australian youth through theoreticalreview,secondary research and acasestudy circathe Australian Election 2013.The research question hypothesized that societalconventions of traditional media and patriarchy in politics still challenge the celebration of women・s achievement.ThisisarguedasbeingdueinparttothelackofinterestbyAustralianyouth infeminism.Itwasfoundthattheaforementionedsocietalconventionsarestillinfluentialand can extend to limiting the celebration of women・s achievement in the mass media.The literature review introduces theoretical background of media, feminism and political participation.From thisbase,thesecondary research showed in particularthatthecurrent conservativeLiberalNationalParty(LNP)PrimeMinisterandtheChiefExecutiveOfficerof NewsCorporation,adominanttraditionalmassmediaoutlet,havelinks.Thisunderliesthe choiceofcasestudy which showcasesand exemplifiespatriarchy in politics.DespiteLNP・s stanceofmeritocracy,femaleparliamentariansarenotnecessarily rewarded based on their achievements.Rather,sexism prevails.ThisbroadlyaffectsAustralianwomen・sachievementin thepoliticalsphere.Itisfurtherreflectedin:thepresentlow levelsofpoliticalempowerment on theGlobalGenderGap R eport;a onewoman cabinet;and,prefacing achieving a LNP minister・ssexappealovermerit.Basedonthispaper・sliteraturereview,secondaryresearch, andcasestudy,theanswertotheresearch question affirmsthatunlessyouth becomemore politically engaged in feminism,socialconventionsoftraditionalmedia and patriarchy will continue.Itissuggestedthatthroughsocialmedia,politicizedcampaignssuchasDestroythe Joint・s Twitter and continuing Facebook page could serve to better attract interest in feminism among the Australian youth.A more politically engaged nation would have increased cognizanceofsocialconventionswhich do notcelebratewomen・sachievementand seektodraw attentiontothisforthefutureenhancementoffeminism intheAustraliansociety. Key words:Australian Election 2013,feminism,depoliticized,reengagement,socialmedia,
women・s achievement is not being celebrated in Australia, and the lack of political engagementofyouthinfeminism isonecauseofitspervasiveness.Therefore,theissueof women・sachievementnotbeing celebrated in thepoliticalsphereand thattendency being further reinforced by traditionalmedia is a concern and investigated by this paper. Moreover,the answer regarding how to decrease the levelof subversion to women・s achievementposedbythesesocialconventionsissoughtthroughoutthispaperanditisthe primemotivatorforthisresearch.Todoso,thisresearchpaperwillbedividedintoseveral sections.Beginningwiththeliteraturereview,andfollowedbythepresentationofsecondary dataatthetimeoftheAustralianElection2013(AE2013),theseprovidetheoreticalanddata backgroundsforwhich tointroducethenextpartofthispaper,thecasestudy.Thiscase studyistakenfrom thetimeofthecampaigntrailfortheAE2013.Afterthecasestudyis raised,futuredirectionsforthecelebrationofwomen・sachievementisdiscussed,andfinally, conclusionsaremade.
Thetwo theoreticalareaswhich areaddressed in theliteraturereview relateto the democratization oftraditionalmediatosocialmediaandfeminism in western society.For thefollowingsectionofsecondarydata,itpresentsnumericaldataofwhatoccurredduring theAE2013campaign.Itisfurtherdivided into two sections,thefirstcoversthemedia environment and the other investigates female parliamentarians,including reference to: politicalempowermentfrom theGlobalGenderGapReport,2013;attitudestowardswomen politicians;and,theLNP・sonewoman cabinet.Afterthesecondary dataispresented,the casestudyofFionaScott,aLNP ministerandherpoliticalachievementsarepresentedvi s-a-visthesexism sheexperienced by theleaderoftheLNP and buttressed by themass media.Next,futuredirectionsrelatedtothepromotionofsocialmediaproseasolutionto theresearch question.Thatis,politicalengagementin feminism can berevitalizedamong Australianyouthtocelebratewomen・sachievementsifsocialmediaisutilized.Inconclusion, it is argued that since the users of socialmedia are relatively more active and less homogeneousand passivethan traditionalmedia audiences,socialmedia can providethe medium forsocietaltransformation.Indoingso,youthcanbecomereengagedinfeminism to celebrate women・s achievement over the more derisive social conventions found in mediumssuchastraditionalmediaandpatriarchyinpolitics.
1.LiteratureReview
1.1 Mediademocratization:Traditionaltothesocial
Inthetwentiethcentury,Hodkinson(2011)statesthatnationalidentitywasconstructed andfacilitatedbymediawiththenationalpopulationsharingacommonengagementwith contentlimitedin range.Such homogeneity ofwhatwasbroadcastcombinedwith lack of choicemeantthatamajorityofaudienceshadasharedexperience(Hodkinson,2011).Dueto traditional media combining ownership of programming, production, marketing and
broadcasting,it became concentrated in the hands ofa few (Cohen & Kennedy,2007). Therefore,itnotonlythreatensdemocracy,diversityandfreedom ofspeech,butalso,・The mediamogulsareabletoinfluencebusiness,internationalagenciesandnationalgovernments, which often attend tothem asifthey weresuppliantcourtierspresenting themselvesfor royalapproval・(Cohen & Kennedy,2007:341).Furthermore,theaudienceispassiveand commoditized by audienceratingswhich also reflectgendered assumptions(Meehan,2002: 217,cited by Shepherd,2014).Commoditized,thepassiveaudiencecan besegmented asa market,ademographic,andfurtherintogender,which institutionalizessexism (Shepherd, 2014).
However,accordingtoHodkinson(2011),withdigitalizationandderegulationthisshared experiencedeclined asnationalcitizensbegan to personalizetheirexperiencesand moved awayfrom commonmediaexperiences.Asmediaispluralized,Hodkinson(2011)statesthat thedemiseofasharedcultureordiscussionsovermattersofimportanceoccurs,andthe trivializing ofsociety emerges.Moreover,differenceand diversity becomesocially formed andarepushedforwardbydifferentformsofcommunicationwhicharenotshared,public or cohesive (Hodkinson,2011).As the number of media consumption choices increases, citizensasuserstendtoforegothebroader,nationalpublicsphereandinsteadengagein specialized and individualized identities (Hodkinson,2011).Thatis,users seek more and varied modes of engagement which are individualistic and unstructured, hence the collectivity and centrality totheaudiencearelost(Livingston,2003,ascited by McQuail, 2010a).
Oneexampleis,whatMacnamara(2012)referstoasauniversalconcernbygovernments oftheyoungergeneration who haveno formalpoliticalinterest,ora democraticdeficit. Thesedays,theyouthhavetransitioned,whenreceivinginformation,from traditionalmedia outletstoDemocracy2.0,wherebysocialmediausersparticipate・politically・.Theydothis by:・following・ahashtag(#)onTwitter;or・liking・acommentwithathumbsupiconon Facebook; commenting on blogs; and/or, interacting with peers over these mediums (Macnamara,2012).Thus,theirinterestinbecomingamemberofapoliticalparty,voting, submittingformalletterstoministries,andetcetera,aswasconsideredpoliticalparticipation inthepast,isdiminished.
Nonetheless,Hodkinson(2011)believesthistobeacrucialmovementtowardssocio-cultural development,despitethemajorityofcontentcreatedandpublishedbyordinaryuserswhich mostlikely hassmallaudiencesand a morefragmentary effectdueto thevastnessand diversityoftheInternet.Yet,Hodkinson(2011)alsoremainsskepticalintermsofwhether thiswouldfosterasociety thattalkstoitselfratherthan being talkedatby apowerful few.Nevertheless,Hodkinson(2011)stillbelievesthechallengetothehierarchicalnatureof thetwentieth century broadcasttechnologieswasrequisite.In doing so,Hodkinson (2011) envisions facilitation ofmass communication which has more interactivity since citizens
becomeuserswho produceand consumecontent,collaboratively and simultaneously.This challenges the one direction bias and linearity oftraditionalmedia・s approach to mass communicationwhichcouldpreviouslycreateanationalconsciousnessheldbyafew tothe many,asopposedtofacilitatingculturalandideaexchange(Hodkinson,2011).
1.2 Feminism inwesternsocieties
In・advanced・capitalizedwesternsocieties,menareconsidereddominantinmostspheres oflife,structurallyandinterpersonally(patriarchy)(Hearn,2004).YetHearn(2004)argues that this dominance lies not in the fact that all men are powerful, rather in its pervasivenesswhichcanbeseenincertainmen・saccumulationofitandassociatedresources. Hearn(2004)discussestheItalianMarxist,AntonioGramsci・stheoryfrom 1971,wherebya dominant (economic)class tends to controlsociety.This class continues to press their definition with theactiveconsentofsupportivegroups.Alsoitisbackedby thestate,as representedbypoliticalactors,thelaw,capitalists,intellectualsandetceteraandconstructs ahegemony(Hearn,2004).Thishegemony,throughthemedia,persuadesthemajorityofthe population that these social institutions are normal, and punishes non-conformity (Donaldson,1993,as cited by Hearn,2004).Therefore the leadership ofthe media can successfullypurportsociety・soutlook(Bocock,1986:63,ascitedbyHearn,2004).
In particular,Lacey (2009a)argues,when investigating women in western society, despite legally equal rights, they are subordinated due to the creation of gender representation.Thisisconsidered a dimension ofpatriarchal,bourgeoisideology whereby men areseen asa morepowerfuland dynamicthan women who areweakerand more passive(Lacey,2009a).Discoursesoffemininityinthemedia,Lacey(2009c)claims,arethus usedtodefine,excludeandpropagateawayofspeakingandseeing.Aliefendioglu& Arslan (2011)researchfocussesmoreontheimagesportrayedbythemedia,andonhow womenare situatedinthisdiscourse.Theresearchshowsthattheyreflecthow themorepowerfulmen seethemselvesin daily sociallifeand in amannerfailtoconvey how women・slivesare changing.Supportiveofthis,Lacey (2009c)citesCasey etal.(2002)whoputforwardthat sincethereisnoneutraldescription ofwhatisreality in thesocialrealm;representations andreadingsofwomenareopentobeingstructuredbypatriarchaldiscourse.Thisinturn definesfemininityinwesternsociety(Lacey,2009c;Aliefendioglu& Arslan,2011).Moreover, thepatriarchaldomination andoppression shapesfemalesnormatively andaccording toa socialprescription(Schippers& Sapp,2012).Therefore,whenthenorm isimposedonwomen itreinforcesanddemonstratesasubordinatestatustomen.
Such subordination incited thedefianceofthesecond wavefeminists,especially when perpetuatedby women,andeven moresowhen femininity isdefinedby themale,sinceit can neverliberate(Schippers& Sapp,2012).To achievethegoalsofthesecond waveof feminism,theaction wascollectiveandpolitical(Mendes,2012).Although such movements
soughttounify,Mann& Huffman(2005)statethatthewavefractionalizedduetoignoring differencessuchasrace,age,sexualpreference,andlevelinsociety.Hence,thethirdwave offeminism was a backlash against the inadequacies ofthe second wave offeminism (Mendes,2012).However,ratherthanunderminingthesecondwave,Mann& Huffman(2005) statethatitisbuiltondiversityandisresolvedtobemoreinclusive.Sellnow (2010)further elaboratesthatthethird wavedoesnotentirely focuson women・sissues.Rather,on a varietyofstandpointswhichconstructhow weperceivetheworldtobeshapedandhow our lifeexperiencesaresituatedin itregarding class,gender,race,sexualidentity,andsoon (Sellnow,2010).In addition,as the third wave broaches post feminism,it is therefore inextricablefrom neo-liberalism andisstructuredby strong individualism (Gill& Scharff, 2011,citedbyMendes,2012).Moreover,thiswaveisnotconcernedwiththesocial,political or other externalinfluences or constraints,and is free,and self-reinventing.Mann & Huffman (2005)support,andwhileacknowledging thatdespitesomebenefitofchallenging thesecondwave,thethirdispoliticallyregressive.
Moreover,forfeminism to betransformativeoftheindividualand society,Mann & Huffman(2005)contestthatthepoliticsofgendercannotbeignored.Mendes(2012)supports this position,lamenting the ability ofthe mass media and popular culture to refocus women・s attention from politicaland economic power to purchasing and sexualpower. Although Mendes(2012)concedesthatthethirdwavehastherighttopromotethelatter; concernisraisedthatindoingsothepoliticalaspectisirrelevantorundiscussed.Therefore, Mendes (2012)criticizes post-feministdiscourses,as promoted by popular culture in the media,forcommonplacevaluessuch asindividualism,capitalism andconsumerism.Dueto thisfocusonidentityandresistancetocategorization,Mann& Huffman(2005)contendthat the media has forgone reporting on feminism,and generalize this is a resul tofpost-modernistsandpost-structuralistsrejectingstructuralviewsofoppression.
Nevertheless,Aliefendioglu& Arslan(2011)statethatevenifgenderequalityissupported inthemedia,asfemininityhasnosingularmeaningnorfixedposition,certaininstitutional and professionaloptionsselected by mediacorporationsarepromoted.Furthermore,these arecenteredincontextswhichreflecttheirview ofthehistorical,social,cultural,ideological and institutional.In thisway,media discourseisdriven by existing discoursesconfined within apre-constructedculturalimprintofwhich producersanddecision makersarenot completely independent (Macdonald, 2003; Jogernson & Philips, 2002, as cited by Aliefendioglu & Arslan,2011).According to Aliefendioglu & Arslan (2011),predetermined andobsoletemediaconventionsplacewomen in acertain discourseandcontextualizethem asa・real・portrayalofsociallife.Thisdoesnotreflectthechangeofwomen and their achievements.Instead,itperpetuatespowerfulmenwhilefailingtoengagefemaleaudiences (Aliefendioglu& Arslan,2011).
Goldenberg(1997),Norris(1997b),Lemish& Drob(2002),Ross(2002)andAtkeson(2009)to supporttheclaim thatwomenparliamentariansarenottreatedinasimilarmannertotheir malecounterpartsbythemedia.AccordingtoRoss(2010),womenparliamentariansare:
・Persistentlytrivializedbymediaspeculationovertheirprivatelives,domesticarrangements,and sartorialstyle:theymightbeallowedtospeakaboutpolicy,buttheirpotencyaschangeagents orevenasseriouspoliticiansiscasuallyunderminedbythemedia・suseofextraneousdetailsuch astheirage,wheretheybuytheirshoes,andwhichstylisttheyuse・(Ross,2010:98).
Furthermore, Ross (2010) does not believe that there are identifiable frames for emergentwomenleaderswhohavebeenabletobreakthemoldandwinagainsttheoddsto actaschangeagents.Ross(2010)arguesthatevenwithestablishedcareerwomentheyare atthemedia・smercy andthatitsetsthem uptofail.Thisisduetounrealistically high expectationsearly in their careers(Ross,2010).Moreover,Aliefendioglu & Arslan (2011) contend thatunless feministworks in the media and recognize such conventions,their crucialroleinstructuringsocialsubjectivitywithrelationtogenderrolesandtheaccompanying discourseonpatriarchywillgounfulfilled.
2.SecondaryData:AustralianMediaEnvironment,CircaAustralianElection2013 2.1 AustralianElectoralCommittee(AEC):Trendsandvotingforyouthandwomen
TheAEC (2012)positsthatsincesocialmedia facilitatessharing opinionsonline,and allowsformediaselectivitythroughforexampleTwitter,ithasdemonstratedtheabilityto bean activespaceofinteraction between theeliteandpublic.Thisisbecausecitizenscan communicatedirecttothepolitical,economicandmediasitesofpower,andwithothersites wherecitizen-centricscrutiny,micro-activism orcounterpublicspacesoccurand/orcanform (AEC,2012).However,regarding thepolitically-engaged socialmedia users,despitetheir higher levelofeducation,theAEC (2012)・snumbersshow thatthey arenotsignificant enough to challengeexisting socialnormsnorhaveimpactupon them.Nevertheless,the AEC (2012)suggests socialmedia can mitigate the current decline in youth political engagement.Even so,although thereisa momentum among researchersto study social media and politicalengagementamong theyouth;Xenosetal.(2013)statethatcurrent literaturerevealsmixed results.Thatis,ascertaining whethersocialmediacan affectthe classic patterns ofstratification ofone・s socioeconomic status and politicalengagement behaviorsisdifficult(Xenosetal.,2013).
Table1.InternetforSocialNetworking(AustralianBureauofStatistics(ABS),2014)
Age 1517 1824 2534 3544 4554 5564 65＋ ％ 90％ 92％ 85％ 67％ 52％ 44％ 30％
Table1showstheconcentrationdecliningfrom youthfor2012-2013ofHouseholdUseof InformationTechnology:InternetforSocialNetworking(ABS,2014).Moreover,Australia・s majorcommunicationsprovider,Telstra・sdirectorybusinessarm,Sensis,conductedresearch in 2013 into socialmedia and found:ofthoseunder40 (including variationsacrossage groups)that 87％ use socialmedia with the majority daily (Sensis,2013).In addition, femalesaremorelikelytobefrequentusersofsocialmedia(Sensis,2013).TheAEC・s(2012) researchalsohighlightedthatyoungpeopleusesocialmediathemost.Moreover,emerging trendsincludehigherusagebywomenandinthepoliticalcontext,namelyfortheGreens・ Partyvoters(aminoryetestablishedleftwingpoliticalparty)(AEC,2012).Inmoredetail, 53％ ofwomenuseFacebookdaily,andintheagegroup1824,82％ do(AEC,2012).While forthe2534agebracket,60％,andforGreensPartyvoters,55％ (AEC,2012).Therefore, theAEC (2012)suggeststhatthrough socialmedia,thisshowsminorparties・voicescan havemoreequivalentvisibilitywiththemajorparties.Thisisduetolow thelowerbarriers ofentry forproducing contentvis-a-visthelesseramountsoffunding received.Yet,the AEC (2012)alsoelucidatedthetendencyformajorpartiestohavemoresignificantlevelsof overallmediacoverageintraditionalmedia,whichinturn,carriesovertosocialmedia. 2.2 TraditionalmediaandtheAustralianElection2013(AE2013)
TraditionalmediaintwentyfirstcenturyAustraliaisdominatedbyRupertMurdoch・s NewsCorporation.Such corporateownershipisconsideredby Cohen & Kennedy (2007)as being:oligopolistic,complex,and,having overlapping controlofvarioustraditionalmedia outlets,mainlyinnewspapersandfilm.Further,itisthelargestcirculatorofconservative newspapers at 17.3 million.It also holds 59％ of the market share,with its closest competitor,themoreliberalorientatedFairfaxMediaat22％ (Siegel,2013).Withmorethan halfofAustralia・snewspapercirculationbeingconservative,Cohen& Kennedy(2007)argue thatimagesand ideasareprojected on behalfofthemedia corporations・own interests ratherthanconsideringnationalorinternationalones.
Prominent media commentator for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), JonathanHolmesstatedthatintheAustralianElection2013(AE2013)campaign,thetabloid treatmentgiven to thelessconservativeAustralian LaborParty (ALP)had a significant adversarialimpact.This was due to the dominance of N ews Corporation・s newspapers (Siegel,2013).Moreover,Siegel(2013)contendedthatthoughthisbehaviorcouldbeaccepted ifthe media environmentwas truly pluralistic,itis less acceptable when their market position isso dominant.Given N ewsCorporation・snewspaperreach,ofnamely Sydney・s Daily Telegraph and TheAustralian,Siegel(2013)notesthat・...they areoften credited with having an outsizerolein thecountry・spolitics.・During thecampaign trailforthe AE2013,the conservative LiberalNationalParty (LNP)Leader ofthe Opposition,Tony AbbottshowedhissupportofNewsCorporationwhenaskedaboutthemediamogul,Rupert
Murdoch in an interview by TripleM radiostation.Thiswastheday beforetheelection thatsaw him becomePrimeMinister(PM)(Lane,2013;Laughland,2013).Hesaid:・I・vegot alotoftimeforRupertMurdoch because,whetheryou likehispapersordon・tlikehis papers,he・soneofthemostinfluentialAustraliansofalltimeand Ithink thatAussies should,weshouldsupportourhometownheroes.Andthat・swhatIthinkinhisownway RupertMurdochis・(Lane,2013;Laughland,2013).Ontheotherhand,thelessconservative ALP PM mentioned to reporters,onemonth outfrom theelection:・...he［Murdoch］ doesn・treally likeus,andwouldliketogiveustheoldheave-ho・(Siegel,2013).Further, Lane (2013)reported thatthe Deputy PM ofthe ALP,Anthony Albanese・s statements mentioned the ・biascoverage・ by Murdoch・s News Corporation the morning before the election,September6,2013.
3.SecondaryData:AustralianWomeninPolitics 3.1 Politicalempowermentin2013
According to the2013 GlobalGender Gap Report,compiled by theWorld Economic Forum (WEF,2013),Australiawasranked24.Therearefourindexesusedformeasurement: EconomicParticipationandOpportunity;EducationalAttainment;HealthandSurvival,and PoliticalEmpowerment(WEF,2013).Ofthese,Australiaattainsequalityornearequalityin threeofthefourindexes,excludingpoliticalempowerment.Thepoliticalempowermentindex isfurtherdividedintothreecategorieswith ranking foreach category asfollows:Women in Parliament:41;Women in MinisterialPositions:47;and,Yearswith FemaleHead of State:38(last50years).Despitereportedgainsin2012,duetowageequalityandestimated earned income (WEF,2013),the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)(2014b) pointsouttherewasadropin 8rankingsfrom 2006to2011.Thishighlightsitslack of progressionincomparisontotherateofothernations.TheAustralianSexDiscrimination Commissioner,ElizabethBroderick(from September2007～),whorepresentsAustraliaatthe UnitedNations,hasbeen particularly activein working on reform in thefollowing areas: WomenonBoards,MaleChampionsofChange,WomeninMaleDominatedIndustriesand Women ofInfluence(AHRC,2014a;AHRC,2014b).However,theAHRC (2014b)showsthat despite a high rank in educationalattainment,gender disparity is particularly notable betweenmenandwomeninleadershiproles(AHRC,2014b).Furthermore,theGlobalGender GapReportof2014highlightsthatthepoliticalempowermentindexistheonlyonewhich hasworsenedsince2013from 43to53in2014(WEF,2014).
3.2 Politicalpatriarchytowardsfemalepoliticians:PrimeMinisterofAustralia 3.2.1 JuliaGillard・smisogynyspeech
On October 9,2012,the former ALP PM ofAustralia,Julia Gillard,delivered her Misogyny Speech totheAustralian Parliamentin responseto・perceivedsexism from the
opposition leader・andthecurrentLNP PM ofAustralia,Tony Abbott(Wikipedia,2014d). TheMisogyny Speech wasa reaction to a litany ofincidentsplayed outin themedia nationwide.One such example occurred in March 2011,when the PM (LNP Opposition Leaderatthetime),TonyAbbott,stoodonadaisinfrontoftelevisioncamerasflankedby twoseniorfemaleministers.In thebackgroundwereplacardsby protestorsagainstJulia Gillard・spolicieswhichread:・DitchtheWitch,JuLiar,BobBrown・s［Green・sMinorParty Leader］ Bitch・ (Grant,2014).The Misogyny Speech received nationaland international media attention.Months later,when the former PM attended the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)internationalsummitinLaos,shereceivedcongratulationsfrom otherworldleaders including French PresidentFrancoisHollandandDanish PM HelleThorning-Schmidt,and wasinformally commended by otherleaders(Ireland,2012).An extractofJulia Gillard・s MisogynySpeechisasfollows(SydneyMorningHerald,2012):
Hehassaid,andIquote,inadiscussionaboutwomenbeingunder-representedininstitutionsof powerinAustralia,theinterviewerwasamancalledStavros.TheLeaderoftheOppositionsays ・Ifit・strue,Stavros,thatmen havemorepowergenerally speaking than women,isthatabad thing?・Andthenadiscussionensues,andanotherpersonsays・Iwantmydaughtertohaveas much opportunity asmy son.・Towhich theLeaderoftheOpposition says・Yeah,Icompletely agree,butwhatifmenarebyphysiologyortemperament,moreadaptedtoexerciseauthorityor toissuecommand?・Then ensuesanotherdiscussion aboutwomen・srolein modern society,and theotherpersonparticipatinginthediscussionsays・Ithinkit・sveryhardtodenythatthereis anunderrepresentationofwomen,・towhichtheLeaderoftheOppositionsays,・Butnow,there・s anassumptionthatthisisabadthing・(SydneyMorningHerald,2012).
HillaryClinton,FormerSecretaryofStateoftheUnitedStates,wagedinontheissue when being interviewedby Sarah Ferguson from thelessconservativeABC・s7.30Report, June16,2014.When asked aboutthereferencemadein her latestbook to thesexism received by Julia Gillard whileshewasPM and theMisogyny Speech (ABC,2014),she commentedasfollows:
SarahFerguson:Oneofthemoststrongly-wordedsentencesinthebookinthat,yousayJulia Gillard,whenshewasPrimeMinister,・faced・andI・m quotingyouhere ・...facedoutrageous sexism whichshouldn・tbetoleratedinanycountry.・Whatspecificallyareyoureferringtothere? Hillary Clinton:WellI・m referring to severalthings.I・m referring to the way her political opponentscharacterized her,themenu1atthatfamouseventthatwasin printabouta prime ministerwho happened to bea woman.Someofthelanguagethatwasused in debateorby opponentsoutoftheParliament,butstillactiveinthepoliticaltoandfro.AndImakeveryclear: 1March 28,2013 LNP Fundraiser,the menu said:Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail／Small
Idon・thavea problem with anybodyman orwomancontesting anyone・sposition,anyone・s policy,takingapersontoaccount.ButdoingsoinawaythatIthoughtdepersonalizedthevery personal,thatdemeaned,justdidn・tseem tofittheAustraliathatIhavecometoknow.
SarahFerguson:Whenyousayopponents,areyouincludinginthatthepresentPrimeMinister, thenOppositionLeader,TonyAbbott?
HillaryClinton:I・m notgoingtonamenames.Imean,that・sreallyfortheAustralianpeopleto judge.ButtheoverallimpactandIsaw onlinethespeechthatPrimeMinisterGillardgaveabout misogyny,wasverystrikingtomebecauseshedidgochapterandverse.Andagain,thisisnot aboutwhetheryou approveof,voted fororhad any affinity with thepositionsthatsheput forward.Ijustdon・tthink there・saplaceforsexism in ourpoliticsandIthink weshould be purgingthosekindsofcommentsandholdingourselvestoahigherstandard(ABC,2014).
3.2.2 PM,TonyAbbott・sonewomancabinet:Thedebateofpromotionbasedon quotasormerit
AfterbecomingPM inSeptember2013,TonyAbbottoftheconservativeLNPannounced hiscabinetonSeptember16,2013.Outof19cabinetmembersonlyonewasawoman(Jones & Marszalek,2013).Atthetimehewasquotedassaying,・I・m obviouslydisappointedthere aren・tmorewomen in Cabinet...Neverthelesstherearesomevery goodtalentedwomen knocking on the door ofthe cabinet and there are lots ofgood and talented women knockingonthedooroftheministry・(Jones& Marszalek,2013).ThePM・sannouncement ofaonewomancabinetinciteddiscussioninthemediaregardingquotaversesmeritbased systems,vis-a-viswomen・sparliamentaryrepresentationlevels(Abdel-Magied,2013).Shadow TreasurerofthelessconservativeALP,ChrisBowen,wasreportedsayingthatitsignified going backwardsforAustralian politics(Jones& Marszalek,2013).Furthercriticism was rife on the Internet,with an old quote from the 1970s by Tony Abbottrehashed and bandied around traditionaland socialmedia outletsalike:・Ithink itwould befolly to expectthatwomen willeverdominateoreven approach equalrepresentation in a large number ofareassimply becausetheir aptitudes,abilitiesand interestsaredifferentfor physiological reasons・ (Price,2013).Even the conservative newspaper,The Australian, reportedthattheTwitterhashtag#auspolhadhaditsfirstmajorspikesinceTonyAbbott was announced as PM,with 25,300 tweets recordeddominatedbyreferencestotheone womancabinetthroughmediumsofconversation,visuals,satiricalgraphics and doctored cabinetimagesgoingviral(Reynolds,2013).
Despiteasomewhatlargerrepresentationofwomenintheoutercabinet,theLNP does nothaveaffirmativeactionprogramsasdoestheothermajorparty,theALP.TheALPhas had affirmativeaction since1994,with a 40％ minimum targetfor women in allseats (Sydney Morning Herald,Editorial,2013).In the 17 years since the ALP passed the
affirmativeactionquota,femalerepresentationhasincreasedcomparedtotheLNP.Thatis, in 1994,14.5％ or16oftheALP M inistersofParliamentwerewomen,whilein theLNP, 13.9％ or11were;yetby 2010theALP hadincreasedthisrepresentation to35.6％ or37, with the LNP continuing to trailat23.9％ or 22 (Hussein,2011).In fact,under Julia Gillard・s ALP,from June 24,2010 to June 26,2013 (Wikipedia,2014c)women had the highestrepresentation at36％ with four women in the cabinetand six women in the ministry.Internationally,according to Inter-Parliamentary Union research of22 nations whichuseelectoralquotas;oncelegislated,womengained24％ ofseatsandwhenvoluntary only22％ (Hurst& Peatling,2013).Thus,bothfiguresaresignificantwhencomparedtothe absenceofquotas,when only 12％ ofseatswereoccupied by women (Hurst& Peatling, 2013).
Abdel-Magied(2013)furtherdiscussesthedebate,shunning affirmativeaction tofavor meritocracy,yetwonderswhatmeritsarebest,especially considering when even female membersoftheLNPacceptmeritocracy.Thisisdemonstratedbythecurrentspeakerofthe HouseofRepresentatives,BronwynBishop・soppositiontowardsquotas:・Ineverwanttosee affirmativeactionthatis,yougotthejobbecauseyouwereawomanbecausethatmakes you a permanentsecond class-citizen.・Thisstanceisfurthersupported by JulieBishop, MinisterforForeignAffairs,andtheonewomaninTonyAbbott・sLNP cabinet:・Ibelieve inpeoplebeingpromotedonmerit...Thenumberofwomenintheministrywillbuildover time.Currentlythereareanumberofcapable,talentedwomenwhowillbeconsideredfor cabinetin due course (Hurst& Peatling,2013).・ Hurst& Peatling (2013)reported that althoughthedebateofthequotasystem wasraisedintheLNP in2010byJudithTroeth, a former LNP senator,it was rejected.Abdel-Magied (2013)questions:・The discussion around targets,quotasoraffirmativeaction isextremely polarizing,yettheunderlying questionseemstobeunclear.Whatexactlyisitthatwearetryingtoachieveandwhy? Ifquotasarenottheanswer,whatis?・
Afterbecoming PM,particularconcern wasraised and continuestothepresentsince TonyAbbotthasappointedhimselfasMinisterforWomenoftheirpoliciesandprograms (withWestAustraliansenator,MichaeliaCash,asministerassisting)(Price,2013).Hesaid: ・This willensure that these key whole-of-government priorities are at the centre of government.・(Price,2013).In support,DoctorSusan HarrisRimmer,attheAsia Pacific CollegeofDiplomacy,AustralianNationalUniversity(ANU),believedthenegativebacklash tohisdecision,overshadowedhow itwasimportantforwomen・spolicy andtherelocation oftheOfficeforWomen to theDepartmentofthePrimeMinisterand Cabinet(PM&C) (Reynolds,2013).Now,accordingtoRimmer(2013):・...Whentheexecutivewantsanissue tohaveawhole-governmentimpactandtobeapriority,itgoestoPM&C・tobecomepart oftheprimeministerialportfolio.Shejustifiedhisappointmentbecauseofitstwoinitiatives needing clouttheAustralian NationalAction Plan on Women,PeaceandSecurity,which
istiedtotheDefenseDepartmentandtheAustralianDefenseForceandTheNationalPlan toReduceViolenceagainstWomen andtheirChildren (Rimmer,2013).On theotherhand, Price (2013),co-founder of the feminist socialmedia group,Destroy the Joint (DTJ), CanberraTimescolumnist,andseniorlecturerattheUniversityofTechnologyofSydneyin journalism andsocialmedia,broughttotheforetwokey concernsaboutTony Abbottin thisposition.First,hisbeliefinasocietywhichdoesnotcountwomenasequalnorbelieves they deserveequality;and second,hiscontrolovera position which affordshim decision makingpowerwhichaffectsAustralianwomen(Price,2013).
4.CaseStudy:AustralianElection2013(AE2013)andFionaScott・sSeatof Lindsay:TonyAbbott・sSex AppealComment
In thewestern Sydney seatofLindsay,which hashadbellwetherstatus(thatis,the seatalwaysgoeswiththegoverningparty)sinceitscreationin1984,wenttoFionaScott oftheLNP in2013(Wikipedia,2014b).Eventhoughitwasconsideredamarginalseatwith arequiredswingtoLNPof＋1.1towin(ABC,2013);thisdoesnotreflectthegroundwork donepreviouslybyFionaScottinherLNP electorate.Thatis,forthe2010electionwhere theALP won.Inthe2010electioncampaign,despiteitsbellwetherstatus,FionaScottwas able to get a swing towards the LNP of ＋4.1,and an overallswing of ＋5.2 after preferences(ABC,2013).Evenso,in2013,TraceySpicer(2013),ahouseholdnamefornews reporting in Australia,reported on a whistleblower,Kevin Lee・sstory.Kevin Leewasa formerpriestwhoattendedthesameseminaryasTonyAbbott.Thereportsaidin2010,in aslotsetasideformeetingwithpublicmembersinterestedinparliamentinTonyAbbott・s Sydneyoffice,TonyAbbotthadsaidthathewasnotpleasedthatScotthadbeenchosenfor pre-selection.Further,hehadattemptedtoblockherasshehadmainlybeenchosendueto herlooksandfather・smoney(Spicer,2013).A spokespersonforTonyAbbottdidclaim that themeetinghadtakenplace,yetthatLee・saccountwasinaccurate(Spicer,2013).TheDTJ Facebook pageprovided commentand opened discussion with a link to Spicer・sSydney MorningHeraldarticleinwhichPricecommented:・I・m saddenedthatmenarestillreducing womentoappearance.It・snotthebehaviorweexpectofleaders・(Spicer,2013:DTJ,2013c).
DuringthecampaigningforAE2013,TonyAbbottwenttoFionaScott・selectorate,the seatofLindsay.AlongsideFionaScott,TonyAbbottrespondedtothequestionaskedabout thelastLiberalMPinthearea,JackieKelly,andwhatFionaScotthadincommon:・They・re young,feisty,Ithink Ican probably say haveabitofsex appealand they・rejustvery connectedwiththelocalarea・(Bourke,2013a).AsTonyAbbottstoodbetweenFionaScott andhisdaughter,Francesatthetime,Bourke(2013a)reportsthattheaccompanyingnews videofootageshowedthey hadboth laughed.The・sex appeal・commentwasdefendedby variouspoliticianssuch asAndrew Robb,LNP financespokesman.Dueto itbeing done ・largelyinjest・,andfurtherexcusedbecause:・He・sgotthreestrong-mindeddaughters,he・s
gotsisters,oneofwhom・sgay,he・sgota highly competentand strong wife...a very pleasantwifeinMargie・(Bourke,2013a).Andrew Robbcontinuedtodefend:・Lookhe・san averagesortofpersonasfarasthesesortofthingsgoandwe・vejustgottonotstartto gettoopreciousaboutthis・(Bourke,2013a).Bourke(2013a)alsoreportedthatNew South WalesandCommunityMinister,PruGoward,toldMacquarieradiothattherewasnomajor issue with drawing attention to a candidate・s sex appeal,despite being a former sex discriminationcommissionerherself.PruGowardwasreportedtosay:・alotofpoliticians aredescribedassexy・(Donaghue,2013).Even formerLNP PM,John Howardweighedin: ・thereaction ofsomepeoplewhotut-tuttedaboutitisoutofproportion andridiculous・ (Donaghue,2013).Initially,even theALP haddistancedthemselvesfrom theremark,・Mr Abbott・scommentsareentirely amatterforMrAbbott・(Donaghue,2013).Although,his sexappealcommentwascondemnedbyvariousALP memberslater(Donaghue,2013).
Afterthe・sexappeal・commentwentviral,NewsCorporation・sdigitalmedianews.com.au. (2013)reported now Scotthad shotto fame,ithad given the AE2013 campaign levity. Moreovernews.com.au.(2013)publishedanarticleentitled:・Liberalstarpowerthesecretto FionaScott・ssuccessindeposingformerassistanttreasurerDavidBradburyintheseatof Lindsay・.Eventhoughthearticleconcededinthesubtitle:・Hardworkandstarpowerwere thesecrettoFionaScott・ssuccessinwesternSydney,helpingherclaim thebiggestLabor scalp oftheelection・(news.com.au.,2013).Furthermore,itmademention thatScottwas ableto capitalizeon thenationalbacklash directed towardsALP and translateitinto a victory in herseatcomparedwith otherLNP candidatesin western Sydney (news.com.au., 2013).Scottherselfsaid:・They［thecomments］ createdlightness...Itmeantpeopleknew they couldcomeandtalk tomeandhaveajokewith me・(news.com.au.,2013).AsDent (2013)from Women・sAgendaadigitalindependentmediasourcecontended,thetravestyis thatTony Abbott,now PM,blamed hiscommentson exuberance.When compared with PresidentObamaoftheUnited States,whomadeacommentaboutajudge・sappearance, was expected to apologize.In his own words,Tony Abbott said:・Now,I was a bit exuberanttoday,abitexuberanttoday.Butwe・reallworking incredibly hardtogether electedandtogiveAustraliaabettergo...Look,FionaandIhavebeenmatesforalong time....It・sobviousthatFionaisasmart,hardworkingcandidate・(Dent,2013).Infact,the morningafterbeingpre-selectedin2010,Borello(2014)reportedthatFionaScottwasonthe pavementson Penrith・sHigh Street,justaftersunrise.Shewasthereto speak with the LindsayseatelectorateconstituentsincludingthebuyersandsellersatthePenrithMarket. Such dedication had made her known to her electorate from pre-selection days.Once becoming theMemberforLindsay,posttheAE2013,Fiona Scottsaid in heracceptance speech:・Idon・tthink thatthereisasingleperson in thisentireroom whodoesn・tknow whata massive,massivefightthishasbeen for over threeyears・ and shegavethe exampleofgoing through six pairsofflatsin ordertodoso(Hills& Cheng,2013).Dent
(2013)ofWomen・sAgenda,anontraditionaldigitalmediaoutlet,believesitisunlikelythat FionaScottdecidedtoenterintopoliticsbasedonherownsexappeal.
5.FutureDirections
Theresearch question prosed thatsocietalconventionssuch asthetraditionalmedia environmentandthepoliticalpatriarchyarechallengingtheAustraliansociety・sabilityto celebratewomen・sachievement.WomenparliamentariansincludingtheformerPM,JuliaGillard and thecasestudy outlined in thispaperofFiona Scott・s・sex appeal・areexamplesin point.Thecontinuanceofthisproblem isanticipatedifyouthremainpoliticallyunengaged inissuessuchasfeminism.AstheSensis(2013)studiesrevealed,leftwingpartiessuchas theGreensusesocialmediatoelevatetheirpresencein thepoliticallandscape.Moreover, primarily,women arethelargerusersofsocialmediain Australia.Therefore,ifpolitical engagementinfeminism canberevitalizedthroughsocialmediaamongtheAustralianyouth, women・sachievementsinthepoliticalsphere,asthefirststep,couldbebettercelebrated.
McClean& Maalsen(2013)positthatthereisarevitalizationoffeminism inAustralia duetocampaignssupported on socialmediasuch asDTJ.Although McClean & Maalsen (2013)report that there have been some conflicting reports regarding the decentering, diversifying and transitory natureofmembership ofsuch campaigns.TheDTJ namesake wascoined by founderJaneCaro initially on a Twitterhashtag:#destroythejoint,which wentviral(Angyal,2012).Itwasfurtherreinforcedby aDTJ Facebook community page, createdbyco-founderJennaPrice(Angyal,2012).・Thispageisforpeoplewhoaresickof thesexism dished outto women in Australia,whether they beour firstfemalePrime Minister or any other woman.・ (DTJ,2014).The catalyst for its inception was Julia Gillard・sMisogynySpeech;yetastheirFacebookpageclaims,thereareothernew examples ofsexistremarksinthemedia.Theseprovidethecontentforwomencalled・Destroyers・to rebuildthejoint― acolloquialAustralianreference,inthiscontexttoaninstitutioninto onewhichdoesnotpromotedemeaningandpublicspeechagainstwomenintheAustralian media,and rather,a moreequitablesociety (DTJ,2012).McClean & Maalsen (2013)state thatDTJ,which hasa membership of46,000 on Facebook and over14,000 followerson Twitter(atthetimeofpublishing),isevidentiaryofthecohesiveandgrowingownershipof feminism anditspolitics.Thus,socialmediaisfacilitatedthrough new spaces,createdby technology and is a medium necessary for gendered power relations to be renegotiated (McClean& Maalsen,2013).Angyal(2012)reportedoncommentsmadetoJaneCaro,which show thespiritofthemovement:Destroyershadsaidtheywereproudtobefeministsagain andwereenjoyingwomen・srightsliketheyhadnotdoneindecades.
DTJaddressedthe・sexappeal・commentmadebythecurrentPM ofAustralia,Tony Abbottduring hiscampaign trailin 2013with vigorthrough theirsocialmedia forums. DTJ・s Twitter and Facebook page (Figure 1)invoked discussion among Destroyers who
questionedwhatitreallytakestobeacandidateinamarginalseatotherthan#SexAppeal (DTJ,2013b).DTJ reiteratethatthey havebroughttheirnamesakeinto theAustralian lexicon,yetrejectthatwomen areactually destroying anything.Rather,they arebeing calledupontorebuildasocietythatiscivilanddecent,withoptimism andgoodhumorto reducesexism (DTJ,2012).Suchmomentum infeminism,inbothpoliticalandpublicspaces, isacalltoactionandisburgeoningduetothenotionof・issuepublics・,encouragedbynew technologiesandsocialmedia(Kelly,2010ascitedbyMcClean& Maalsen,2013).Inshort, itisproposedthatforthefuturedirectionsofaddressing negativesocietalconventions,if theyouth becamemorereengaged in politicizing feminism through themedium ofsocial media,sexism canbebetterchallengedinAustraliansocietyandwomen・sachievementmore celebrated.
Conclusion
Thispaperhasresearchedthrough literature,secondary resarch andaprominentcase studythecontinuingproblem offeminism beingdepoliticizedamongAustralianyouth,circa the AE2013.The research question hypothesized thatsocietalconventions oftraditional mediaandpatriarchy in politicsstillchallengethecelebration ofwomen・sachievement.It cannotbesaid thatthisisaminorissueduetotheGlobalGenderGap Reportof2013, stating Australia・spoorranking on theindex ofpoliticalempowerment.Further,Hillary Clinton,formerUSSecretaryofState,madereferencetotheissueofsexism inAustralian politicsattheseniorlevel.Althoughmeritocracymaybeavalidargumentoverquotasfor thepromotionoffemalesinparliament,itisconsidereddifficulttojustifywhensituations suchasthecasestudyofFionaScottarise.FionaScottisafemalepoliticianoftheLNP partywho,inthepreviouselectioncampaign,wasalmostsuccessfulinchangingherseatof Lindsayfrom thebellwetherstatusithadheldsinceitsinceptiondecadesago.Nonetheless, thesocialconventionsoftraditionalmediaandpoliticalpatriarchyreducedthemeritofher priorandcurrentachievementwhen campaigning in AE2013.During hercampaign in her bellwetherseat,theleaderoftheoppositionandcurrentPM ofAustraliasaidthatshehad sex appeal.Thisstatementcontributeslittleto herpriornorfuturemeritsasa female politicianandcertainlydoesnotcelebrateherachievementsasone.
Thesolutionprosedbythispapertoanswertheresearchquestionisthatsocialmedia
is a medium which can challenge the socialconventions oftraditionalmass media and politicalpatriarchy.Indoingso,women・spoliticalachievements,byfemalepoliticianssuch asformerPM JuliaGillard,orLindsayseatminister,FionaScottwouldberecognizedbased ontheirinherentmerits.
However,even though the secondary data shows the growing trend for youth and womeninAustraliatousesocialmedia,theyoutharedepoliticized.Theytypifythethird waveoffeminism,wheretheyoutharenotinterestedinpoliticalparticipation.Ontheother hand,they arelargeusersofsocialmedia.DTJ isafitting exampleofhow socialmedia can,through aTwitterfeedand/oraFacebook page,engagealargeruserbaseofyouth and women.Itcan furtherencouragethem through onlinecampaignsto participatein a dialogue which can be drawn upon to be published in traditionalmedia.Since itis a reactionary medium to whatisprescribed by dominantinstitutionsin society,media or politicalalike,campaignsexemplified by DTJ can poseachallengetotheaforementioned socialconventionsoftraditionalmediaandpoliticalpatriarchy.In doing so,they areheld accountabletomorewomenandyouthinAustraliansociety.
Inconclusion,thispaperprosedasolutiontotheresearchquestion,basedprimarilyon theliteraturereview,secondary reseach and casestudy ofFionaScott,circatheAE2013. Thatis,theyouth ofAustralia should becomemorepoliticized in regardsto feminism throughmediumssuchassocialmediathatchallengetraditionalmediaandpoliticalpatriarchy. Throughthisuserlevelbase,reengagementisfacilitated,andthecapabilityofchallengingthe societalconventions,whichdonotcelebratewomen・sachievement,canbeincreased.
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