Every now and again a prominent figure makes an ill-informed comment regarding women’s workforce participation and representation.
It could be a comment about women on boards, the representation of women in certain industries, reasons why women ‘opt out’ of the corporate world or the dedication and ambition working mother’s have for their jobs. Many of these comments can and do go unnoticed, unless they’re said in a public forum and heard by someone willing to take the speaker to task.
But sometimes the person sharing such comments will attempt to link matters regarding women’s workforce participation to more emotionally-charged health issues, such as abortion. Those comments can’t go unnoticed.
Victorian MP Geoff Shaw managed to make such a link this week, and stir up a hashtag of his own on social media and plenty of contempt and mockery on forums online.
According to the Herald Sun, the MP is preparing a private members bill proposing sweeping changes to Victorian abortion laws. Among the six reforms expected to be debated include moves to have doctors resuscitate babies that survive the abortion process, mandating counselling sessions, and a requirement that the foetus is provided pain relief during the termination process.
The reforms go further than the Bill he was previously expected to introduce ending a requirement for anti-abortion doctors to refer women elsewhere.
In an interview about the changes, Shaw managed to link the issue of abortion to that of women on boards.
“If in society we are saying there should be more women on boards there should be more females in parliament, well you are killing them,” he reportedly said. “How can any women who are pro women’s rights say that you can kill girls?”
The Herald Sun also reports he said: “Here in Australia we can’t kill snake eggs but we are quite happy to kill an egg in the tummy and it should be the safest place for a baby to be.”
Shaw’s comments inspired a hashtag on Twitter, #tummyeggs, and the comments have now been picked up internationally, including by The Independent in the UK.
It’s all very amusing, until you realise the clout the individual making such comments actually has. Geoff Shaw holds the balance of power in The Victorian state parliament, supporting premier Denis Napthine’s government.
As for the women on boards comment, Shaw is missing the point by believing it’s merely a matter of being ‘pro women’. We need more women on boards and in other representative positions for better and informed decision making. If it’s no where close to a 50/50 split then it’s not a system based on merit, nor is it one that reflects the needs and desires of a diverse population.
A more equitable gender mix would mean we may be able to avoid ill-informed comments about ‘tummy eggs” in the future.