The document discusses how globalization impacts Australia through outsourcing of jobs overseas, rising costs of living, and budget cuts that disproportionately impact students and lower-income groups. It argues that Australia has become increasingly reliant on larger foreign economies like China and the US. Unless the government invests more in education, healthcare, and local job opportunities, inequality will rise and Australia will become divided between the wealthy and poor.

1. Globalisation:Yourlife–IscontrolledbyourGovernment.
Week3
(Week 3: 695 words)
From small private businesses to large companies, from
the food we grow to the food we eat, from basic clothing
to the desires of high end designer wear… WE are all
involved in the processes of globalisation. We are
constantly presented with issues of power and politics,
and it seems that Australia is no longer a country of
independence, wealth and success like I was taught
about in Australian history, but merely a shadow
following larger and more successful countries like China,
USA and other parts of Europe, where the economies
seem to be booming.

2. Globalisation acts as a process of inequality through social
activity and the interconnectedness of countries globally,
which see local jobs being stemmed out internationally
because it is cost effective for the company. This process
which is also known as ‘glocalized identities’ results in
decreasing employment rates on a national scale, uprising
costs in housing and affordability, and cuts to already
limited government subsidies for low- median range
income holders as trade and employment opportunities
are exported overseas. Although Australia boasts its
economic capital through high living standards, tourism
and wages, many of the working class are feeling the
punch as Australia’s Government leads the nation into a
spiralling financial epidemic.

3. The issues of colonialism and nationalism affects us Australians,
as we are controlled and coerced into following a Eurocentric
perspective (Grosfoguel, 2008, pg. 1) of the Western world. Jobs
are being transferred overseas, as government companies adopt
a multipronged approach to expand their businesses and
increase profits by selling businesses to private buyers. Through
social media and world news, we are made to believe
globalisation and privatisation of companies is beneficial to our
economy, giving private owners an opportunity to make big
profits and create opportunities for employment, when the
reality is that trade in Australia has seen large and successful
businesses close down or be moved overseas forcing prices to
rise affecting the average working Australian in more ways than
one. Goods and services that are manufactured and operated in
Australia are no longer considered as important to the average
consumer as much as it used to be, due to the availability of
resources overseas and low costs.

4. Recent changes to the Australian budget in 2014 show that
Australia’s population is significantly decreasing, and a majority
of our population will fall out of the work force (Commonwealth
of Australia, 2014). The government aims to fund infrastructure
investments to build a better future for all Australians but do I
see this happening? My answer is no, due to the fact that the
recent budget deficit in 2014 affects me now as a student and
will affect me more so after I have graduated. Universities have
now been given the authority to charge for courses dependent
on demand and up to their discretion. Without the help of a
HECS student loan, I wouldn’t have been able to enter my
degree or attend university, and even when I do graduate, I now
will have a higher debt accumulated which means even when I
do gain a full time teaching role, it will take me longer to pay off
the loan. Medical cover has also been slashed so what will
happen to me if I get sick and can’t afford to pay for medical
assistance or attend work?

5. Unless the government removes these cuts, invests money into areas in
our communities where it is needed like education, public health and
our environment, Australia will eventually become a system of division
between politics and people, where the rich will only get richer and the
poor will become poorer. Individuals will continue being advantaged and
disadvantaged according to social class, race and ethnic backgrounds as
well as their level of knowledge and expertise in the given field
(Anzaldúa, 1996). Trade exports for larger companies is not necessarily
bad for our economy, but we do need more local job opportunities and
there is a need to bring product manufacturing back into Australia, to
benefit our nation and its people. As Australians, we follow where work
goes, work does not follow us. It would be politically correct to say here,
that we are a direct result of the processes of globalisation itself, we are
just a commodity. But unless these changes occur we will only be paying
more out of our pockets, and the gap will only widen.
The Budget in ninety seconds - YouTube

6. FairDinkum’! -Week11(684words)
In Australia, demands for equal pay and human rights
between men and women are constantly debated about.
Australia has seen many significant changes to Australian
law in regards to supporting females within the workplace.
Gender discrimination produces inequality within the
workplace and often companies and businesses tend to
cover up much of the discrimination that takes place unless
the victim (being the female) takes a stand against the
company through the court system. To my understanding
males are depicted as the ideal and stronger candidates
when issues of politics and employment arise. However, in
1902, Australia as a Commonwealth with the election of
their new parliament saw women granted the same rights
as men to stand in parliament and in 1969, liberal feminists
and feminist groups helped women achieved equal pay
rights with men.

7. Intersectional feminism is a term which explains the
different types of oppression suffered by women which is
influenced by categories of race, class, sex, gender, ability
and ethnicity (Vidal, 2014). The attached YouTube video by
Chimanda Ngozi Adichie demonstrates the ways in which
women are perceived by being African. Although the video
mainly focuses on African women and culture, it can be
argued that women from all different cultures universally
experience gender stereotyping and discrimination, as it is
a current issue experienced by women universally.

8. Crenshaw (1991) describes the common misconception when
discourses of intersectionality arise in relation to women.
Discrimination of colour is excluded from dominant discourses of
intersectionality which produces further issues of conflict and gender
stereotyping in society beyond gender discrimination alone. A classic
example of this was in 1902, when Australian women were granted the
right to vote but still excluded some Aboriginal women from
participating in the election.
Women are perceived as nurturers, home-makers and decision makers
surrounding domestic duties, whereas men are perceived as strong
characters, leaders and are raised up to believe that the more money
they make, the more masculine they become. As I have learnt from
this unit, it is the socialisation process which surrounds women and
men that forces, teaches and reinforces these perceptions. Cultural
traditions disservices gender types with reference to power.

9. In order to achieve or take a step towards achieving equality
between women and men universally, society must remove the
gender stereotypes and discrimination of all forms, not only
within areas of employment. A woman is just as capable as a
man can be in sustaining higher roles and being financially
equipped, they just need more opportunities to be able to do
so. In hindsight, I agree with some points Chimanda Ngozi
Adichie makes in her speech about the interrelations between
gender and culture and the systems of oppression which
currently operate within the world.
We should all be feminists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at
TEDxEuston - YouTube

10. Chimanda speaks about emasculinity. She makes reference to the
cultural traditions and expectations linked to the cultural traditions she
was brought up and taught throughout her life. The point she makes
here, describes the relation between gender and culture and how this
affects an individual’s mentality and way of living life. As females, we
are brought and policed about the ways we should dress, speak,
nurture and exclude ourselves from any roles that are expected to be
taken by males. In the same regard, males too are raised to be tough
and not have to depend on others. In both genders, inequality is
produced through power relations which operate across multiple
variables in life, through employment, financial stability and culture.
Society influences gender stereotypes and inevitably leads to gender
discrimination. Ways in which women are portrayed and perceived
within society becomes understood as the norm and therefore,
women who experience different types of inequality and
discrimination are immediately considered feminists with a neoliberal
approach to equality in gender (Power, 2009).

11. Actionforchange:SocialmovementsI:SexualityWeek12
(526 words)
We live in a world where politicians and government preach
liberty. Freedom for all they dictate, but are we really free? The
answer in relation to sexuality or sexual orientation is no. Let me
begin by discussing what Badiou (2008) discusses about identity.
We are brought up being taught about freedom, whether it may
be freedom of speech, religion, residence, employment and
then there is sexuality. Marriage equality and sexual equality are
my two main areas of focus for this analysis. Why is it so, that a
male and female couple are allowed to marry and adopt
children but same sex couples in de facto relationships cannot
be granted or entitled to the same rights?

12. Social movement groups and unions for Gay and Lesbians fought
for equal rights between gay and lesbian couples and
heterosexual couples. The Gay Liberation movement in the late
1960s to 1970s saw the emergence of widespread gay and
lesbians in society ‘come out’ to express their sexuality without
discrimination.

13. Through a timeline of events supporting homosexuals, there has
also been a significant change in society surrounding the
language and terminology used to describe these types of
sexualities. The type of language and terminology used to refer
to heterosexuals varies by age group and gender. For example
the term gay, initially defined as being happy or content, lead to
a new definition used to describe homosexuality in and amongst
men in the late 19th century, and is now commonly used
amongst adolescents to describe something bad or unfair. The
shift in meaning depicts how the term has evolved and been
redefined to mean something completely new.

14. Sodomy laws were laws which were introduced and had
forbidden any type of sexual act that was considered to be
immoral or unnatural. These laws were established against
any sexual contact other than that between heterosexual
contacts. These laws denied homosexuals equality and
prevented them from the ability to engage in oral and anal
sex, even in the privacy of their own homes, because it was
considered a crime to do so. The issue in focus here, is the
denial of freedom of choice, freedom of lifestyle choice
and freedom to be who they want to be.

15. In 2003, the first recognised same sex marriage took place
and this ceased all legalities of sodomy laws. Governments
in Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada have since then
legalised homosexuality, yet disputes and debates
currently continue between the church and the state
systems across the globe.

16. References:
• Abc News (Australia), (2014), The budget in ninety seconds, Youtube. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WOC3qemKF0 on 15 May, 2014.
• Anzaldúa , G (1996), 'To live in the borderlands means you', Frontiers: a journal of women studies, vol. 17, no. 3,
pp. 4-5.
• Badiou, A (2008), 'Eight points, to start with', in The meaning of Sarkozy, Verso, London, Uk, pp. 43-51.
• Badiou, A (2008), 'Only one world', in The meaning of Sarkozy, Verso, London, Uk, pp. 53-70.
• Commonwealth of Australia, (2014), ‘Budget 2014-15’, Australian Government. Retrieved from
http://www.budget.gov.au/2014-15/index.htm on 29 May, 2014.
• Crenshaw, KW (1991), 'Mapping the margins: intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of
color', Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 1241-99.
• Grosfoguel, R., (2008), 'Transmodernity, border thinking, and global coloniality: decolonizing political economy and
postcolonial studies', Eurozine, 4 July.
• Power, N (2009), One-dimensional woman, [Zero] Books, Winchester, UK.
• Tedx Talks, (2013), ‘We should all be feminists: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie at TEDxEuston’, Youtube. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg3umXU_qWc on 06 May, 2014.
• Vidal, A (2014), 'Intersectional feminism'. What the hell is it? (And why you should care)', The Telegraph, 15
January.