Debate in Australia History - Essay Example

Running Head: DEBATE IN AUSTRALIA HISTORY Name Course Instructor Date Debate in Australia History Evidently, work carried out by historians during recent time especially this recent decade have widely assisted us in gaining a more richer and complete understanding the lives lived by convicts both women and men. Ganter et al (2011) maintain that, research indicates that the great founders of what is known today to be New South Wales were the convicts. An estimate of about seven hundred convicts collectively made New South Wales their home with year followed by another year joined by other convicts transported by ships. This history is very essential in this paper. This paper focuses on analyzing, discussing and evaluating various outlined debates greatly centered on the various changes in people attitude towards women convict. Evidently, women are given a different analysis as compared to their male counterparts’ convicts (Ganter et al 2011). According to Ganter et al (2011), it was estimated that women convicts comprised of about 15% of the total numbers of convicts that were being transported to colonies of both Van Diemen land and New South Wales. Most of these women convicts that were transported were young but relatively older than male and in most cases they had been in trouble with the Australian law aforementioned to their transportation. Nicholas and Shergold (1993) maintain that, almost all of the female convicts worked as domestic servants whereby they were transported in the form of larceny. It was quite evident that one in every three convict had been tried in Ireland or else one being born there. In a proximate, 10% of these female convict were tried in Scotland manly for larceny or a former conviction. Most debates on the female convict emphasize on the need to pay more concentration on the female convicts who had largely been neglected or ignored and thought of as a group that was separate from that of the male convicts. The term convict in most cases referred exclusively to the male unlike its original meaning which was to refer to both male and female. The female convicts were thought of being immoral as seen in the debates by Robson who used the middle class morality as well as the male’s view point in his analysis. Many debates on the female convicts often used the sexist language and they did not consider their historical contexts. Most of the convicts were referred to being ‘whores’ as they were believed to engage in prostitution. The classification of women founded on their sex largely contributed to them being harshly condemned as they were believed to be far worse than their male counterparts. Most debates as those done by Summers in the early 1970’s emphasized on sexism, social control, stereotypes and the objectification of women by the men. A lot of blame that had been placed on women was to an extent disapproved and shifted as it was mainly as an influence on the society by the colonialism and thus enforced this behavior on them (Anne, 1975). The emphasis however, did little to lift the perception of women being branded as whores as the debate pointed out that this accurately depicted the female convicts. According to Miriam Dixon (1976), this behavior was heavily as a result of the colonial influence on the society (Mariam, 1976). In the revision on the views by Summer, Portia Robinson in her debate, The first Forty years, the use of qualitative evidence played a major role in the establishment that the picture of women as depicted by other debates was true but only pointed or reflected the behavior of a minority of them in the society. She further argues that women in themselves are not immoral and further challenges the viciousness and repressiveness of the early colonial community as depicted in the early debates. In her arguments, she emphasizes on the need to form a conclusive picture of women convicts by also having a deeper analysis of the ex women convicts as well as the free settler women. The picture of women in the debates by Robinson point out women as being fixed to a particular status and not stereotyped victims of a society that is highly perceived to be sexist. Robinson in her debates views women convicts as an autonomous group of individuals that is industrious eager and respectable. Women convicts are also depicted as a group of the society that is willing to seize opportunities that are equally presented to them by the society. The society in which the women conflicts exist in has presented them with little opportunities thus forcing them to engage in activities that are perceived to be criminal in nature. This is represented in the level of skills, numeracy, literacy levels geographic mobility as well as experience that does not favor them (Portia, 1979). As compared to male convicts, female convicts had little or no information to recommend them and many of them were Londoners who led dissolute lives. It is notable that careers of Australian female convicts gave an impression of them surrendering to abandonment although not completely. Further, there is a sense that marriage rates did not appear to been high compared to the discrepancy existing between sexes across Australia. Evidently, most of the convicts that were largely transported to Australia were ordinary Irish and British working class women who initially were not habitual and professional criminals that were largely recruited from a divergent class and constantly trained to perform a crime from the cradle (Nicholas and Shergold, 1993). This previous statement can be backed by Deborah Oxley’s assessment of female convicts which gave an indication that they were neither professional nor habitual criminals. Most of the female to be had been convicted at the first day were found to be guilty of pretty theft. For many, the crimes they were tried for were mainly work related whereby they either stole materials or tools from their employers. Nicholas and Shergold (1993) assert that, it is quite evidence that with many Australian debates centered on the changes in attitude towards the women convicts. For instance, most of the female convicts transported were not initially prostitute but rather they were ordinary working class women with a great possession of immediate important skills. Change in attitude is displayed in the sense that while male convicts are widely assessed for significance of various crimes their female counterparts have largely stereotyped being useless whores. Prostitution was not considered to be a crime. With change of attitude emanating from being transported, research indicated that not more than 20% of the female convicts practiced prostitution earlier to their transportation. The change in attitude is also displayed in Deborah Oxley assessment whereby initial arrival of female convicts brought to Australia an immediate useful skill mostly linked to laundry, servant, housemaids, needlework and kitchen handwork which largely did not require adaptation of any kind of Australian environment. Based on current evidence it is more correct to state that female convicts are largely considered to be underemployed and unvalued especially in New South Wales. Skills displayed by female convicts were largely squandered thus denying these young people the great potential of a well designed valuable and productive resource. Further, it is quite evident that the detrimental impact on one economic development was lessened with the fact that only 11% of workers transported were women. According to Nicholas and Shergold (1993), change of attitude can be realized in both economic and social condition of the first years of white colonization of Australia largely fostered whores as opposed to wives. Based on Judeo-Christian notion, it is indicated that all women can either be categorized as either being evil and good. Currently, female convicts who had already served in their sentence usually have little chance of getting their status redefined thus creating great stereotyping to many other women across colony that had not been transported. Further, within Australia penal colony, women were seen to be only assigned one key function whereby they were widely viewed to be sexual gratification objects. For this gratification, British authority could find female convicts whereby these women were sentenced to harsher conditions. According to Nicholas and Shergold (1993), Women were treated badly such that sexual abuse of female convict began right during their transportation. For instance, during transportation men and female convict travelling in different ship where female convicts stated that they would receive insult from the ship master through being whipped publicly. Evidence of sexual mistreatment can be observed when Elizabeth barber accused the assistant surgeon of the ship seduced innocent girls while pretending that he was treating them of fever. It is unfortunate the women convict did not reach their destination due to being mistreated (Nicholas and Shergold, 1993). In conclusion, it is quite evident that women convict were greatly mistreated as compared to male both sexually and physically. The female convicts were used for sexual gratification to the sailors where they were highly undervalued and undermined. Australia female convicts have always faced the fate of being treated as prostitute in both a sexist and patriarchal society where women are largely chastised whereas men male who practiced prostitution with them escape from punishment and criticism. Women not only convicts receive great stereotyping based on their sexes where they are considered as whores. In Australia aboriginal women carried double of this sex stereotyping. Aboriginal women are viewed as sex objects to the whites and relatively termed to be fair game for white men. References Anne, S. (1975). 'Damned Whores' In Damned Whores and God's Police. The Colonization of Women in Australia. Ringwood: Penguin Books. Ganter, R., Whitlock, G., & Reekie, G. (2011). Australian Studies: Debates in Australian History . Queensland State: Grinnith University. Mariam, D. (1976). The Real Matilda. Women and Identity in Australia 1788 to 1975. Ringwood: Penguin Books. Nicholas, S., & Shergold, P., (1993). ‘Unshackling the Past” in Gillian Whitlock and Gail Reekie (Eds). Uncertain Beginnings: Debates in Australian Studies. Brisbanne: University of Queensland Press. Portia, R. (1979). "The first forty years" in Judy Macknolty and Heather Radi (eds) In Pursuit of Justice: Australian Women and Law; 1788-1979. Sydney: Hale and Iremonger. Read More