Sparliament : Politics In Action

It seems a bit strange that my first post should be about something that's not technically a political issue, but I was so disgusted when I read this article that I felt I needed to have my say about it.

CHRISTINE HODDER, 38, was a much-loved woman with a husband and a three-year-old daughter, and had almost completed her Bachelor of Nursing degree when she killed herself in her backyard.

Ms Hodder, after enduring years of bullying by male colleagues at Cowra ambulance station, where she was the first and only female officer, hanged herself on her child's swing in April, 2005.

The article goes on to talk about her frustration, and how despite approaching the issue with a sense of humour at first (I'm sure everyone knows how it feels trying to "laugh off" insults), she started questioning herself, doubting herself, and basically talking herself down. She took multiple bouts of stress leave and lodged two formal complaints.

She could not even leave her car at work because the tyres were let down, her toilet at work was urinated "all over" and she was constantly ridiculed by fellow officers in front of patients...In a five-page complaint dated February 20, 2005, which has been made public, Christine Hodder said she felt she had never been accepted there because she was a woman.
"In the past six years I have been badly treated as other staff members collectively bullied, belittled and intimidated me," she said.
"The staff in this station has constantly alienated and attacked my character and physical appearance since my arrival."

The harassment and bullying of women in male-dominated workplaces is something which must be addressed. So after an investigation finding that bullying had indeed taken place in Cowra, what did the report suggest?

It recommended staff receive training in workplaces free of harassment and bullying, that the service should explore how to change the behaviour of staff, and that no female officer be appointed to Cowra for six months. No officer was disciplined.

Hmm.. not particularly effective, I would argue. How about instead of stopping women from entering a workplace, you show the bullies that there are consequences for their actions. Even if this doesn't involve firing those involved (peer pressure can, after all, turn most nice people into bullies), but at least making them take anger management or anti-harassment classes, reducing them to a lower pay bracket, or even officially charging them. Three strikes should mean that the officers involved are fired. I don't mean three incidents against different female officers, I mean ANY three incidents.

If we were talking about your average office environment, with a 50/50 split of men to women, then behaviour like this would never be tolerated. Instead, we find a male-dominated workplace happy to scare and intimidate women at work, which has led to keeping women out of that work! If anything, the opposite stance should be adopted - bring in more women and ensure that management is there to support them rather than simply maintain the status quo.

However, thanks to inactive management, no disciplinary policy, and an investigative report which effectively suggests nothing, a good woman who was helping to save lives has taken her own. Good work, fellas.

Labels: bullying, harassment, sexism