Aboriginal Women as the Disadvantaged: What can be done to help this Group - Essay Example

Aboriginal Women as the Disadvantaged: What can be done to help this Group? By KRIS Academic Organisation Historically, the plight of the aboriginal women started with the onset of white colonisation of the indigenous communities in Australia. Following this, the indigenous women were made instruments of a system where her power and position were denigrated. She became an object of sexual gratification for men, what feminists call as the male gaze, and was forced to accept the andocentric and patriarchal views of society, essentially, male domination (Murphy, 1996).

As the aboriginal woman came to be denied a stake in land ownership in Australia by white settlers, she was rendered spiritually and culturally arid. This principle of the disempowerment of the Aboriginal women was carried on through centuries and she was reduced to bear the label of a diseased sex object (Fredericks, 1982). Another reason for the miserable condition of the aboriginal women, for that matter aborigines as a whole, is largely related to the issue of political representation. For a society that gained its electoral rights only in the Federal elections of 1965, (it was not before 1967, however, that they were counted in the distribution of electoral seats), only two aborigines have been elected throughout history to the Australian Parliament: Neville Bonner (1971-1983) and Aden Ridgeway (1999-2005).

As a result, the clamour of these marginal voices has never been sounded in the general canon of the Australian parliament. The heinous discourse of power and negligence has made these women mere instruments in the power game. And they continue to be exploited mercilessly at the hands of their own society, with its traditional laws, and also at the hands of a nonchalant government. More sadly, there has been no effort made by the government to recompense for the centuries of injustice and exploitation they have endured (Cole, 1993).

What is interesting to note in the case of these aboriginal women is the manner by which they have borne the drudgery of complete alienation. The aboriginal women’s sense of separation emanated from the fact that history had made her a mere spectator to the brutalities of the superior race and the colonial administration (Ashcroft, 1998). Moreover, the lack of support she received from the non-aboriginal women was also instrumental in worsening her condition. Apart from discrimination from their own class, the aboriginal women are a living example of creatures bearing the brunt of racism, sexism and classism.

Moreover, she has historically, and continues to, inhabit a world where the norms of education and social security are non-existent. With marginal government help available, the aboriginal women continue to live the legacy of inhuman exploitation and abuse. If the divide between Australian society and the question of Australian aboriginal feminism is not resolved, it is debatable if anything significant can be done to assist the aboriginal women. Steps should be taken whereby these women are not only given education so as to make themselves independent, but also be exposed to vocational training whereby they can become self sufficient.

Political leadership is needed in order to inspire a more compassionate Australian society and which reflects better the informed values of the Australian people (Mooney, 2003). In essence, political intervention is required in order to educate and motivate non-indigenous Australians to provide assistance to this struggling aboriginal group. Steps can also be implemented by appropriate political systems in creating an international network between countries and seeking solidarity with other indigenous groups around the globe, expressing that the needs of these aboriginal women are of paramount social imortance.

Even more crucial, steps should be taken by the administration to lessen the elements of suspicion, misunderstandings and mistrust associated with these women from a local perspective. It should be kept in mind that only through a sincere and passionate effort can we try to undo the centuries of injustice done to these women and create a society where these indigenous women can thrive as active, healthy citizens. References Ashcroft, Bill. 1998, Key Concepts in Post-colonial Studies, Routledge, London.

Cole, Anna. 1993, Taking Female Subordination for Granted : Aboriginal Womens Labour and the Concept of Underemployment: Sexuality and Gender in History - Selected Essays ed Penelope, Hetherington Philippa Maddern. Fredericks, Bronwyn. A Reconstituted Social Environment: Feminism and the Plight of Aboriginal Women in Australia. Available: http://www.newtopiamagazine.net/content/issue18/oped/aboriginal.php [March 30, 2007]. Mooney, Gavin. 1997, How do we progress from here?, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, vol. 365, no.8303, p.64. Murphy, Joanne.

1996, Interview with Margie Friel, Aboriginal Law Bulletin: Special Womens Issue, vol. 3 no. 80, p. 14-16.