This week there are a number of great articles profiling our female Olympic and Paralympicathletes as we build up to the Tokyo games. However, Tokyo Olympics organisers are faced with a new dilemma, with the ban on international spectators an issue for athletes who are still breastfeeding and need their babies and partners nearby. The decision is pending. Also this week, another sportsman avoids punishment after punching his partner in the face in “self defence”.
Outside of sport, Westpac and Deloitte have released another big report – in 2017 they announced gender inequity was costing the Aotearoa/NZ economy almost $1 billion. Their new report suggests the unequal unpaid work at home is costing the economy $1.5billion. Prof. Marilyn Waring thinks the estimate is light, given only 37% of respondents were male and the findings of the survey itself show men overestimate their contribution at home.
ACC have been in the news this week, with research showing only 5% of ACC claims for support following sexual abuse are accepted and support following sexual harassment online is not covered by ACC due to a legal loophole. Even more horrifying is the process that people have to go through to try and make a claim, not a victim/survivor centric process that’s for sure.
This week in herstory saw Parliament’s report into workplace bullying released two years ago, and a year ago the uncertainty of Covid-19 and the lack of gender equity in sport caused a seesawing of articles either purporting women’s sport has hope versus stories highlighting the unequal impact on women’s sports.
Check out all the media headlines in women’s sport for the 14th May right here.
Alida Shanks 