The ABC Are Obsessed With Gender
Daily Insight
[{'start': '0.080', 'end': '6.640', 'text': 'I think Australia’s national broadcaster,\xa0\nthe ABC, is obsessed with gender—well,'}, {'start': '6.640', 'end': '14.000', 'text': 'identity politics, particularly regarding women.\xa0\nThey seem to talk about it constantly: “women,”'}, {'start': '14.000', 'end': '21.200', 'text': '“women,” “gendered violence,” “death of woman,”\xa0\n“women feel under-represented in politics.”'}, {'start': '21.200', 'end': '27.280', 'text': 'However, according to ABS data on parliamentary\xa0\nrepresentation, the proportion of federal'}, {'start': '27.280', 'end': '33.200', 'text': 'Australian parliamentarians who are women\xa0\nhas reached record highs over the last 20'}, {'start': '33.200', 'end': '40.480', 'text': 'years. 57% of senators are now female.\xa0\nPresumably, this trend will continue.'}, {'start': '40.480', 'end': '47.280', 'text': 'In an article released by the ABC today, “Family\xa0\nviolence is never far from the headlines. What'}, {'start': '47.280', 'end': '53.840', 'text': 'are the major parties doing to solve this national\xa0\ncrisis?” Although the title doesn’t explicitly use'}, {'start': '53.840', 'end': '61.680', 'text': 'the word ‘gender,’ the term ‘family violence’ is\xa0\noften—if not always—used euphemistically to refer'}, {'start': '61.680', 'end': '68.080', 'text': 'to men committing violence against women. The\xa0\nfirst photo features a mural of deceased women,'}, {'start': '68.080', 'end': '73.680', 'text': 'and the opening paragraph immediately sets the\xa0\ntone: ‘In the five weeks since the election'}, {'start': '73.680', 'end': '80.000', 'text': 'was announced, at least five Australian\xa0\nwomen have allegedly been killed by men.’”'}, {'start': '80.000', 'end': '85.600', 'text': 'They also use other euphemistic terms—I don’t\xa0\nknow why they bother—to highlight violence'}, {'start': '85.600', 'end': '91.760', 'text': 'committed by men against women. For example:\xa0\n“As politicians crisscrossed the country on the'}, {'start': '91.760', 'end': '100.480', 'text': 'campaign trail in recent weeks, gendered violence\xa0\ncontinued to make headlines.’ — only at the ABC.'}, {'start': '100.480', 'end': '107.120', 'text': '‘Gendered violence’ is such a loaded term, often\xa0\nused selectively to emphasise male-perpetrated'}, {'start': '107.120', 'end': '114.720', 'text': 'crimes while downplaying or underrepresenting\xa0\ncases where women commit acts of violence.'}, {'start': '114.720', 'end': '120.800', 'text': 'They provide some examples: “A woman was dragged\xa0\nfrom her home in Bankstown. Her body was found'}, {'start': '120.800', 'end': '126.720', 'text': 'in a burnt-out car.” Okay, you can also find\xa0\nrecent cases of the opposite. For instance,'}, {'start': '126.720', 'end': '133.760', 'text': 'from early 2025: ‘Women charged with murder\xa0\nafter man’s body found in burnt-out car in'}, {'start': '133.760', 'end': '140.960', 'text': 'bush.’ Two women allegedly murdered a man—yet\xa0\nABC didn’t mention that in their article.'}, {'start': '140.960', 'end': '145.680', 'text': 'Another example they highlight: “A mother\xa0\nof four was allegedly beaten to death by'}, {'start': '145.680', 'end': '150.800', 'text': 'a man who was on bail and in breach\xa0\nof a domestic violence order.’ Again,'}, {'start': '150.800', 'end': '155.280', 'text': 'there are examples of the reverse:\xa0\n“Sydney woman accused of murdering'}, {'start': '155.280', 'end': '161.680', 'text': 'and butchering husband before discarding\xa0\nhis remains in bins around her home.”'}, {'start': '161.680', 'end': '166.080', 'text': 'And once again, they show a wall\xa0\nof deceased women—yet not a single'}, {'start': '166.080', 'end': '169.920', 'text': 'man. It’s as if men didn’t die during that period.'}, {'start': '169.920', 'end': '176.320', 'text': 'Of course, they only interview female experts. One\xa0\nis Rebecca Glenn, CEO of the Centre for Women’s'}, {'start': '176.320', 'end': '182.800', 'text': 'Economic Safety. The other is criminologist\xa0\nDr. Hayley Boxall. But this isn’t unique to'}, {'start': '182.800', 'end': '187.920', 'text': 'these types of articles. Having followed\xa0\nthe ABC for a long time, I’ve noticed a'}, {'start': '187.920', 'end': '195.120', 'text': 'trend across many topics—they consistently\xa0\nfeature as many female experts as possible.'}, {'start': '195.120', 'end': '200.000', 'text': 'For example, in an article published a couple\xa0\nof days ago, “Why you should consider using'}, {'start': '200.000', 'end': '205.920', 'text': 'AI if you’ve been avoiding it,” a topic\xa0\nthat is traditionally male-dominated—like'}, {'start': '205.920', 'end': '212.480', 'text': 'most IT-related fields—it’s unsurprising that\xa0\nthe piece was written by a female journalist.'}, {'start': '212.480', 'end': '220.880', 'text': 'The first expert featured is also a woman, Nici\xa0\nSweaney, CEO of AI consultancy business AI Her'}, {'start': '220.880', 'end': '227.680', 'text': 'Way—a gender-focused AI company, no less.\xa0\nThe article even specifies, ‘Dr. Sweaney,'}, {'start': '227.680', 'end': '234.480', 'text': 'who lives on Yuin Country on the New South Wales\xa0\nSouth Coast.’ Who knows where Yuin Country is? But'}, {'start': '234.480', 'end': '241.520', 'text': 'this isn’t about informing the audience—it’s about\xa0\nshowcasing how progressive ABC wants to appear.'}, {'start': '241.520', 'end': '245.840', 'text': 'To be clear, I like this article—not\xa0\nto mention that I paid for it with'}, {'start': '245.840', 'end': '251.440', 'text': 'my taxes—but I just don’t appreciate\xa0\nthe virtue-signalling baked into it.'}, {'start': '251.440', 'end': '256.880', 'text': 'The next expert is Sandra Peter, an associate\xa0\nprofessor at the University of Sydney.'}, {'start': '256.880', 'end': '263.360', 'text': 'The final expert featured is Zena Assaad, a\xa0\nsenior lecturer at the Australian National'}, {'start': '263.360', 'end': '269.360', 'text': 'University, located on Ngunnawal\xa0\nCountry. She’s female, a minority,'}, {'start': '269.360', 'end': '274.800', 'text': 'and lives on Aboriginal land—this article\xa0\ncertainly doesn’t shy away from identity'}, {'start': '274.800', 'end': '281.600', 'text': 'box-ticking. One might think there are no men\xa0\ninvolved in the field of artificial intelligence.'}, {'start': '281.600', 'end': '288.640', 'text': 'What’s next? “A Woman’s Guide to Prostate\xa0\nHealth” – By Olivia Carter, or “How Women'}, {'start': '288.640', 'end': '294.800', 'text': 'Are Revolutionising Car Maintenance\xa0\nand Lawn Mowing” – By Charlotte Green?'}, {'start': '294.800', 'end': '299.120', 'text': 'I suppose none of this is surprising\xa0\nif you look at the ABC’s Diversity,'}, {'start': '299.120', 'end': '308.000', 'text': 'Inclusion & Belonging Plan 2023–2026.\xa0\nThey already have 55.4% female employees.'}, {'start': '308.000', 'end': '314.320', 'text': 'Will they slow down and reverse the trend\xa0\nback to 50/50? I doubt it. They also have'}, {'start': '314.320', 'end': '321.040', 'text': '55.4% of executive roles occupied by\xa0\nwomen. If equality is truly the goal,'}, {'start': '321.040', 'end': '326.640', 'text': 'does that mean 5.4 percentage points\xa0\nof those women should lose their jobs?'}, {'start': '326.640', 'end': '332.051', 'text': 'What do you think? Has the ABC\xa0\ntaken its focus on gender too far?'}]