Women's Rights In Australia

The role and status of women in our society has changed noticeably over the last 150 years. Women had very few legal rights and most societies placed women in an inferior positions compared to that of men. Women were also held to be less intelligent and less creative by nature. This was evident through out many fields such as employment, although over the years many non-legal and legal actions have taken place to change and move women towards equality.
Women's status under Australian law have changed during the 20th century, though women till this day are still being discriminated against, laws have been made to give women the equal rights they deserve. Societies view on women has changed greatly. Women now more than ever have been given
New roles of women under the law are very different to those of the past. Women gained many legal rights in the 20th century. The specific rights gained by women during this time in Australia were such laws as the right to vote, gained in 1902 (NSW). The right to sit on a jury, gained from the jury Act 1977 (NSW). The property Act in 1893 (NSW), the right for a women to own a property. The right to equal pay for equal work was granted to most women in 1972 and the social security right, first granted in 1914 under the war pension act. But still minority groups of women were being discriminated against because of their nationality, until 1967 when the constitution was changed by a referendum. Aboriginal women were finally recognized as Australian citizens.
Now women are able to achieve justice through statute and common law as well as access to Non-Legal mechanisms such as Trade Unions, lobby groups, welfare groups and Government agencies. These groups influence government decisions and act as a source of protection for
It’s principle is to create an employment atmosphere where equality in opportunity exits in the workplace. This principle was established by the Affirmative Action (Equal Employment Opportunity for Women) Act 1986 (Cth), which was later amended in 1999 to become the Equal Opportunity for women in the Workplace Act (Cth). This act requires higher education authorities and companies, employing over one hundred people to implement affirmative action programs. Men are not discriminated against by this legislation because the Act only promotes opportunities for advancement for women. Though affirmative action has seemed to improve the position of women in the workforce, it has still been limited in its effectiveness. Reasons for this limitation include: legislation not applying to workplaces less than one hundred employees; lack of adequate penalties for non-compliance with the legislation; lack of redressing some fundamental problems faced by women workers; and attitudes of men towards women.
The two pieces of legislation that regulate sexual harassment in the workplace and the sexual discrimination Act 1984 (cth) and the Anti discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). Both of these make it unlawful to harass any person in the workplace on the grounds of