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Editors --- "'Sit down Girlie':The women in power special" [2001] AltLawJl 36; (2001) 26(2) Alternative Law Journal 100

'SIT DOWN GIRLIE'
The Women in Power Special

Old chooks, bats and flying foxes

While media portrayals of women often cast us as victims Girlie remains intrigued by the extraordinary approach of the mass media to women in power. Take the Democrats leadership battle, for example. The 'story' strayed significantly away from policies to a 'Natasha, young and pretty versus Meg, an old chook' theme. If that's not bad enough a woman critic evoked an angry response from actress Maggie Millar for describing Dame Judy Deneb as 'a tired old bat'. Perhaps we should gas old bats and chooks along with the flying foxes in the Melbourne Botanical gardens. After all they are spoiling the look of the place. The proposed gassing might then spawn the establishment of a new social justice movement called Save Old Bats (SOBS).

My Husband and I ...

New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark has been obliged to publicly rebuke her 'mild mannered' husband for sending her an email. The message sent by Prime Minister Clark's husband enclosed the CV of his friend and recommended him to review the Government's pharmaceutical policy. The Prime Minister told reporters her husband would never have imagined there could have been a conflict of interest because, '... he's an academic'. Christopher Niesche (Australian 19131200 I) describes Miss Clark's husband as a 'self effacing academic with an international record in his field'. The Prime Minister, who likes to be called Miss Clark, sacked her husband a decade ago when she dismissed the Auckland Health Board. Her friend, the Minister of State, Judith Tizard, according to Christopher Niesche, once described the Prime Minister as being so tough that after a nuclear holocaust only Miss Clark and the cockroaches would be left standing.


Police Commissioner

Congratulations to Victoria's new Po­ lice Commissioner, Christine Nixon. The Commissioner has indicated she wants to explore more flexible working arrangements such as job sharing, part-time and even casual policing. She has been criticised by the Opposition, not for being a woman, but for being a 'leftie', and was described by one commentator as being 'no more than a lollipop lady from Warrnambool'.

UN Commissioner quits

Mary Robinson who has done a splendid job as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has announced she will be leaving the position because of frustration with a lack of re­ sources. The Age (21/3/2001) reports her as saying, 'I've al­ ways recognised, as High Commissioner, the importance of standing up to bullies, addressing shortcomings and being outspoken'. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan described her as a ' ... staunch and fearless spokesperson for human rights throughout the world. She has demonstrated

admirable courage in speaking up for those who are voiceless. She has rightly placed the emphasis on under­ standing human rights in their broadest sense-economic and social as well as civil and political.' Nonetheless, the media also wonders whether, being a woman, she might not be a good manager.

Do it yourself rose

The Herald-Sun (20/3/2001) reports that Rose Porteous is planning to move to Melbourne to study law -but says she will only take on 'morally right' cases, which might re-write the Bar Rules somewhat. According to the Herald-Sun and the Australian:

The would-be barrister who has extensive experience of the justice system through court battles for the fortune of her late husband Lang Hancock, is applying to Victorian law schools this year. But before she can move east 'the Hancock widow' held a garage sale featuring a charity fashion parade with her as the main catwalk attraction.

The Australian cites Mrs Porteous as saying she likes Melbourne because of its culture and because it was home to many of her friends as well as lawyers: 'I have developed friendships in the course of litigations. They make me realise I am wasting my life.'

Post natal

Children affect women's careers in many ways. A Morgan & Banks survey of 8000 Australians found that more than half the women believed their careers would suffer if they took maternity leave. A third of child-free women believed their careers would suffer if they had children and 30% said they sacrificed their careers when they had children. Forty four per cent of working mothers said their salaries had stalled when they returned to work. The males who were surveyed had a much lower expectation that women's careers were affected by having children.

My mother, the doctor

Girlie recently attended a graduation ceremony for doctors. Women com­ prised more than half of the graduands. Girlie was sitting next to the husband and two boys of one graduand. The boys were aged around 4 and 6. When their mother stepped forward to receive her degree and Fellowship, the joy ex­ pressed in the faces of those boys was an antidote to the guilt trip so often dumped on working women by the media.

Just for fun: female trout fake it

According to New Scientist female trout fake orgasm to find a better mate. The Swedish Research reveals that, when courting pairs of brown trout prepare to spawn, both fish quiver violently with their mouths gaping. At that point eggs and sperm are released. The National Board of Fisheries researchers found that 69 of 117 females faked orgasm. How on earth would they know? Perhaps the Board of Fisheries are much smarter than your average bloke.


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