Discrimination – Marriage Equality

Keywords

• Marriage equality
• Same sex marriage

Suggested resources

Caro, J. (2017). Why Australia’s stance on marriage equality echoes suffragettes’ fight. Retrieved from http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/opinion/marriage-equality-battle-echoes-the-opposition-faced-by-suffragettes-20170326-gv718y.html

Australian Marriage Equality. (n.d.). Marriage equality: the international experience. Retrieved from http://www.australianmarriageequality.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/badgettinternational.pdf

Professor M. V. Lee Badgett is a prominent researcher and acknowledged expert on the impact of marriage equality. In this fact sheet they summarise her research into marriage equality in the Netherlands and Massachusetts.

Australian Marriage Equality. (2016). Fact sheets. Retrieved from http://www.australianmarriageequality.org/get-informed/fact-sheets/

Jones, T.W. (2015). What really lies behind conservative opposition to same-sex marriage?. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/what-really-lies-behind-conservative-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage-46011

Keneally, K. (2016). Opposition to marriage equality is the last stand against changes to the family. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/27/opposition-to-marriage-equality-is-the-last-stand-against-changes-to-the-family

Marriage equality provides Lyle Shelton and others a chance to argue against a contest they’ve already lost when it comes to heterosexual marriage

Webster, A. (2011). All love is equal – but not before the law. New Internationalist, (441), 8-9. Retrieved from Australian / New Zealand Reference Centre database.

The article discusses same-sex marriage rights around the world. It particularly examines legislation banning same-sexmarriage in Nigeria and Uganda and notes the role of the Netherlands as the first country to allow these marriages. The author also comments on same-sex unions in Great Britain and the campaign by the pro-marriage rights group The Equal Love Campaign to legalize civil marriage and civil partnerships for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

Wong, P. (2016). It’s time. Monthly: Australian Politics, Society & Culture. 119, 18-23. Retrieved from Australia / New Zealand Reference Center database.

This article discusses legislative issues which tend to prevent marriage equality in Australia. Topics explored include the need for the Australian government to provide equal treatment and opportunities to same-sex couples, the social implications of not allowing gay and lesbian couples in Australia to earn rights associated with marriage, and the potential role of religious institutions in the approval of the marriage equality bill in the country.

Discrimination – Gender

Keywords

• Gender equality
• Sexual equality
• Sex discrimination

Suggested resources

Amnesty International. (2017). Gender-based discrimination. Retrieved from http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/women-s-rights/gender-based-discrimination

Australian Human Rights Commission. (n.d.). Face the facts: gender equality. Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts/face-facts-gender-equality

Gonzalez, A. (2015). In 155 countries women still face legal discrimination. The consequences are huge. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/dec/03/women-legal-discrimination-worldwide-consequences

A recent World Bank survey found that in 155 out of 173 countries, women face legal obstacles in the workplace.

Haines, G. (2016). Mapped: the best (and worst) countries for gender equality. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/mapped-the-best-and-worst-countries-for-gender-equality/

This is a summary of the report listed below.

Nothling, Lily. (2017). World science festival: pioneering women scientists put gender equality under the microscope. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-27/world-science-festival-pioneering-women/8389246

Inspiring young women to pursue science and building their confidence is only the first step in bridging the gender equality gap in STEM fields, female scientists say.

Ryan, P. (2015). Gender inequality still rampant in Australian workplaces, pay gap remains high: report. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-26/gender-inequality-still-rampant-in-australian-workplaces-report/6976452

Tasker, B. (2017). Gender equality far from reality in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/gender-equality-still-not-reality-in-aust/news-story/83a8fa4601f60059f62c6cf61c91b052

Van der Gaag, N. (2004). Nikki van der Gaag looks at what women have gained in fight for equality with men – and what they are in danger of losing. New Internationalist. (373), 9-12. Retrieved from Australia / New Zealand Reference Center database.

This article looks at what women have gained in the fight for equality with men-and what they are in danger of losing. It is as a result of the pressure from various communities that many women’s lives have improved. Today, more are working, more girls are being educated, women are living longer and having fewer children, there are more females in business and in politics. The laws on personal relationships have improved too: there is legislation against domestic violence, in some countries there are more liberal marriage laws, and in others, same-sex relationships are now recognized in law.

Workplace Gender Equality Agency. (2017). Fact sheets and statistics. Retrieved from https://www.wgea.gov.au/fact-sheets-and-research-reports/fact-sheets-and-statistics

This page provides statistics on higher education enrolments and the graduate labour market, the gender pay gap, Gender workplace statistics, Australia’s gender equality scorecard, gender segregation in Australia’s workforce, gender equality in ASX 200 organisations and international gender equality statistics.

World Economic Forum. (2016). The global gender gap report 2016. Retrieved from http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GGGR16/WEF_Global_Gender_Gap_Report_2016.pdf

This report is large but will be useful if you are looking at what is happening in countries around the world.

The Selfie Culture and the rise of Narcissism

Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2014). Sharing the (self) love: the rise of the selfie and digital narcissism. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/mar/13/selfie-social-media-love-digital-narcassism

Social media and the internet are making us more narcissistic, but can this trend be reversed?

Hart, A. (2014). Generation selfie: has posing, pouting and posting turned us all into narcissists?. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/11265022/Selfie-obsession-are-we-the-most-narcissistic-generation-ever.html

Forget saying ‘cheese’. Today, every budding Instagram star knows the benefits of the perfect pose – whether a ‘sparrow face’, ‘pigeon toe’ or ‘teapot arm’. Anna Hart asks whether we’ve entered the Age of Vanity

Jaivin, L. (2014). The rising tide of narcissism. Monthly: Australian Politics, Society & Culture, (103), 50-51.

Krauss Whitbourne, S. (2016). Are selfie-takers really narcissists?. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201608/are-selfie-takers-really-narcissists

This article looks at research into whether the photos are beneficial, or signs of a problem.

Malcolm, L. (2014). Research says young people today are more narcissistic than ever. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/young-people-today-are-more-narcissistic-than-ever/5457236

According to new research, young people today are significantly more narcissistic than during the 1980s and 1990s. Are we in the middle of a narcissism epidemic and, if so, who or what is to blame?

Menza, K. (2015). Debate: is selfie culture out of control?. Retrieved from http://choices.scholastic.com/story/debate-selfie-culture-out-control

Whether it’s to show off a new haircut or cool vacation, posting your face on social media is practically a reflex. But with a whole Tumblr dedicated to “Selfies at Serious Places”—like funerals (cringe!)—some say selfie-mania is turning us into a nation of narcissists. So we asked two teens: Is selfie culture helping our self-esteem or sentencing us to lives of self-obsession?

Ostrow, R. (2015). The selfie symptomatic of the rise of a nation of narcissists. Retrieved from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/life/health-wellbeing/the-selfie-symptomatic-of-the-rise-of-a-nation-of-narcissists/news-story/4e8d81adb7cdb0deedc347dea5a1c477

If one is to take the word of experts, we are looking at a selfie-led Armageddon.

PIX11. (2014). Secret lives of teens: selfie generation [Video file]. Retrieved from http://pix11.com/2014/11/04/secret-lives-of-teens-selfie-generation/

As teens – an adults – increasingly become selfie-focused, research is poitning to serious mental disorders related to a generation overly obsessed with itself. It’s a matter of adolescents and teens constantly trying to define themselves, said teen development specialist Dr, Robyn Silverman. “They crave positive feedback to help them see how their identity fits into their world. Social media offers an opportunity to garner immediate information. The problem is they are looking in a dangerous place” she said.

Sifferlin, A. (2013). Why selfies matter. Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/06/why-selfies-matter/

Williams, Z. (2016). Me! Me! Me! Are we living through a narcissism epidemic?. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/02/narcissism-epidemic-self-obsession-attention-seeking-oversharing

From attention-seeking celebrities to digital oversharing and the boom in cosmetic surgery, narcissistic behaviour is all around us. How worried should we be about our growing self-obsession?

The role of technology in our lives

Keywords

• Negative impact technology society
• Positive impact technology society

Suggested resources

Evidence grows that online social networks have insidious negative effects. (2014). Retrieved from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/530401/evidence-grows-that-online-social-networks-have-insidious-negative-effects/

Krueger, A, (2010). 6 ways  technology is improving healthcare. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com.au/6-ways-technology-is-improving-healthcare-2010-12?r=US&IR=T#1-the-internet-has-become-a-main-source-of-medical-information-1

Linde, S. (n.d.). Negative effects of technology on social skills. Retrieved from Study.com

Rowan, C. (2013). The impact of technology on the developing child. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cris-rowan/technology-children-negative-impact_b_3343245.html

Taylor, J. (2012). How technology is changing the way children think and focus. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and-focus

The Power of Celebrity