Women’s Ministry a ‘separatist ghetto’

Press, 14 March 1985, Page 4

Women’s Ministry a ‘separatist ghetto’

PA Wellington Setting up a Ministry of Women’s Affairs could create a “separatist bureaucratic ghetto,” an Opposition member told Parliament last evening. Speaking during the second reading of the State Services Amendment Bill, which allows for setting up the Ministry, Miss Ruth Richardson (Nat., Selwyn) said the Government did not have a monopoly on wisdom for women. “Women know that it is not bureaucracies that secure results,” she said. There was a fear that women’s ambitions would be confined by the proposed Ministry, she said. That was not the way to advance the political agenda for women. For example, the National Council of Women warned that there was a fear that the Ministry would be dominated by radical feminists who would not tolerate other views.

Taking the logic of the bill to its conclusion, there should be a ministry of superannuitants affairs. She defied any Govern-

ment to assert that a particular range of issues could be labelled as women’s issues and "pigeon-holed” in a separatist Ministry. Miss Richardson said she had asked every Cabinet Minister whether his or her department devoted personnel or policy to the promotion of women’s affairs and, if so, in what way. There were 21 positive replies, she said. The Ministry of Maori Affairs showed it had 13 separate programmes designed to support women. “Every single Minister should accept that it is their responsibility to be sensitive to the political perspective of women,” she said. But if the bill was passed, Miss Richardson said the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Mrs Hercus, should legislate to ensure that a woman became permanent head of the Ministry.

Mrs Hercus said that of the 21 positive replies to Miss Richardson’s questions, almost every initiative was a result of the Labour Party’s policy for women. She encouraged that policy

in her role as Minister.

The vast majority could not have happened if the policy had not been in place, she said. The bill received 100 submissions relating to setting up the Ministry. Organisations which supported the concept included the National Council of Women, the Maori Women’s Welfare League, the Women's Electoral Lobby, the Federation of University Women, the Society of Research on Women, the Federation of Labour, and the Public Service Association. Mrs Hercus said that if she thought the Ministry was a form of apartheid she would immediately suggest that the bill be discharged. Further legislation would be introduced defining the Ministry’s functions. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, described the Ministry as tokenism without any policy to carry out. Although there was still a need to get rid of discrimination in the attitudes of some people, women did not want tokenism; they

wanted to be recognised for what they were — full and competing members of society, he said. Ms Anne Fraser (Lab., East Cape) criticised schools for reflecting sexist attitudes in such things as brochures which showed girl pupils learning typing while boys learned to use lathes.

Even though the concept of a Ministry for women was a separatist idea, it would not be ineffective. There was no suggestion that it should be staffed exclusively by women, she said. But Mrs Katherine O’Regan (Nat., Waipa) criticised the separate Ministry as a move to put women “in a ghetto”. The community would only move as fast or as slow as it wanted, and it was already heading towards equal opportunity. "How can a bureaucracy help?” she asked.

The Minister of State Services, Mr Rodger, said the bill would ensure that the position of all women was advanced. The bill was read a second time after a 48-32 division on his motion.