Anti-discrimination law might be effective

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33869, 14 June 1975, Page 6

Anti-discrimination law might be effective

From LEO\E STEWART)

WELLINGTON. Legislation to ban discrimination on the ground of sex. as recommended bx the Women's Rights (Committee, could he very effective in New Zealand, the American anthropologist and feminist. Dr Margaret Mead, beliexes.

Such a lass could be easily implemented | here because of the country's small popula- , tion and uncomplicated political system. Dr Mead said in Wellington yesterday.

The. Equal Rights amendment to the American Constitution. which would make sex-discrimination illegal, is not having an easy passage into law. It was passed in Congress several years ago. but has still not been ratified by a sufficient number of states to become law. But. said Dr Mead, women and men had won many battles for equal treatment through the Civil Rights Act, which was passed in the mid--1960s Dr Mead believes prejudice cannot be legislated away. But she says the law can be a very useful tool. ''Universities, business, and Government departments don’t usually like to be involved in court cases, so they tend to make changes ahead of such moves,” she said.

The threat of withdrawal •of Federal funds prompted; ■ moves to increase the repre- ; sentation of women in many ! areas. But there are. she 11 said, some exceptions. Ironic-, .ally. Columbia University,! 11 where she has both studied f and taught—she maintains a i position there still —is one. i(“Their hiring policies are so, ■ bad that the cost of change t would be greater than the , loss of Government money,” • I she said Tokenism ' But sex-discrimination legislation can he a two-edged . sword. Many feminists fear| ’ it leads to tokenism, rather ’ than truly equal representation of women. And. said JI Dr Mead, it can open the way for men to dominate traditionally female occupations. "In America,” she said, "men have taken over all the best positions in teaching. And. for example. American airlines used to take great pride in the attractiveness of 'their air hostesses. Thev were bright, competent voting women. Now men are getting into the act as; | stewards.” Making a law is; lone thing, making it stick is another. “We have found! ways around legal provisions; ‘that are not supported by a; majority of the population.”; Dr Mead has been des-| cfibed as one of the twenti-' eth century’s most extra-! ordinary women. She is by! all counts an extraordinary, person. At 74 she remains | vital, involved,, and seemingly tireless. Youth still interests and. obviously, often I delights her, even if she; could be forgiven for think- 1 ing that she wrote much of today’s radical feminist chariter many years ago. She has won countless; awards, degrees, and fellow- ! ships. Beliefs questioned In the last 40 years she has written more than 24 books,, and collaborated in the writing of many more. Her for-j midable intellect and practi-' cal research in anthropology have brought into question many traditional Western be-i liefs about women and men.] and their roles in society. Dr Mead find it difficult to get her point across. She believes there are sex differences. Men and women, she maintains, can share both "masculine” and “femi--1 nine” characteristics. “Society makes its mistake by attributing one type I of temperament or another j exclusive! to men or to | women. If society says all men are aggressive and it

I follows that all woman arei meek and mild it can be' | very damaging to both sexes* 1 who are under pressure to conform,” she said. Dr Mead is ail for individ-l uality. And she is convinced ithat’ Western society is adapting all the time to* allow individual differences, to flourish. “Now you go to! [a symphony concert and i don't notice how many women are in the orchestra. We still jump if we see at male at the harp. But even' ithat we are getting used to,” ‘she said. Unisex clothing and hair! styles make it easier she] says, for women to be assimilated. Not that she wants men “liberated" into a life of; .'complete domesticity. The! [late 1940’s and 1950’s in the I United States had been a ! time of men being "dotty about babies" everyone was I totally absorbed in rearing I their families, the whole 'country was a “Noah’s ark” in which little creativity: [outside the home was| achieved. The 1950’5, were [she says with character-; istically caustic wit, a dreadful time of low-level good-j ness. No continuity . Neither does she see the; [solution to a satisfactory! | chi Id-rearing system in 'State-run day-care centres. “These days everyone’s op-i I ting out,” she says. “Em-1 i ployed people have to work' | certain hours giving children : no continuity, and that’si [very bad. What we must do; I is reorganise our commun[ities so that we are not diI viding the generations. The. [nuclear family needs support within a wider family.” New Zealand’s family, I benefit does not meet with! ‘ much approval from Dr [Mead, either. Much better,, j she says, to provide every-1 ; one with a guaranteed an- ; nual income. Societies! should be concentrating on limiting populations. she; maintains, not encouraging 1 reproduction. The women's rights committee has recommended the , setting up of a committee to | [ study State payment of a [wage to homemakers. Dr Mead would prefer. to see them provided with a superannuation. A homemaker’s [ wage would simply be used. I she believes, to supplement family income. She sees today’s woman i as being in a painful transiItion stage — expected to Take her place in the wider i world and yet still having to, bear heavy domestic respon-l ,sibilities. Everyone, she j maintains, gets hurt in this situation — men as well as women. What affects one sex, must affect the other. 1 But. she says, men should I understand that every liberated woman liberates a man. “A wage-earning woman relieves the husband of the I burden of being the, sole ' bread-winner.” Working women would, ! also want to live close tol , their place of employment. [Commuting in the United States has been, she says, as much of a strain on men as; isolated domesticity in far-'

flung suburbs has been on women. Exploitation Dr Mead has some strong opinions on the way in which the nuclear family can be economically exported. And she finds most women in rueful agreement when She complains that women, supposedly the allpowerful consumers, are the victims of bad male decisions in both the home and the market place. “We buy badly proceesed foods, live in badly designed homes, wear clothing that falls to bits in months — ail designed by men.” In her opening address tc the United Women’s Convention in Wellington this morning, Dr Mead will talk about ways to restore women's voices in planning. First, she says, women must be convinced that this is what they want, and what society needs. Then they must be educated for their future role. In the past women had the responsibility for home economics. “This traditional role has been progressively down-graded,” she said, “so that now men have all the decision-making roles.” To Dr Mead, home economics touches on the whole structure of today’s complex society. “We must have women where the decisions are made — in politics, everywhere, in fact.”