Violence, power, discrimination – the big issues still facing women

Violence, power, discrimination – the big issues still facing women
Image: Natasha Stott Despoja, Australia’s Ambassador to Women and Girls

INTERVIEW

Natasha Stott Despoja wants International Women’s Day to be as much about fighting for the future as it is commemorating achievements already made. The former senator was recently appointed Australia’s Ambassador to Women and Girls and has been an advocate for women’s rights since she entered parliament in 1995.

“International Women’s Day is a great time to commemorate the gains we have made, while recognising the many challenges that are still ahead,” Ms Stott Despoja told City Hub.

Once the youngest woman ever to have been elected to parliament, Ms Stott Despoja said it’s an indictment that women still face the same gender pay gap they did four decades ago.

“Women still face discrimination in the workplace, high levels of sexual harassment and discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and breastfeeding,” she said.

The under-representation of women in the country’s most powerful institutions is a concern of Ms Stott Despoja’s, including the parliament, where only 31 per cent of members are female.

“I have a lifelong commitment to increasing the participation and representation of women in our parliaments and other representative institutions,” she said.

“31 per cent is not good enough in our federal parliament, just as one woman in the cabinet [Julie Bishop] is not good enough in this 21st century.”

Ms Stott Despoja said it is unfortunate that more changes have not been seen since she left parliament in 2008, but noted there have been some positive gains.

“While we have seen women in our highest positions, including the Governor-General and Prime Minister, we still see sexist portrayals and expectations of women in public office,” she said.

“However, I am thrilled to see more diverse women and women of different ages, including young women, get into our nation’s parliaments.”

Ms Stott Despoja, who is Chair of the Foundation to Prevent Violence against Women and their Children, said violence is still a major issue faced by women everyday.

That includes in Australia, where a third of women over the age of 15 have experienced a form of physical violence, she said.

In her new role as Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls, Ms Stott Despoja is building partnerships with women and men across the Indo-Pacific region to advance gender equality. Her focus will be on women’s leadership, economic empowerment, and addressing violence against women.

Ms Stott Despoja has been representing Australia at a regional ASEAN Commission in Indonesia, witnessing aid and development programs in the Pacific. She is about to head overseas again, this time to the UN in New York as part of the government’s delegation to the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

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