Book Review: Women and Power (Griffith Review 40: A Quarterly of New Writing and Ideas)

It actually was a genuine co-incidence that I read Women and Power the day after Julia Gillard gave her first public speech since leaving office (1 October 2013).

As both a lawyer and a woman, I am aware of the hindrance some men can be to a woman’s career and the help and inspiration some woman can be.

But, equally, I am aware of the genuine decency and professionalism some men have shown me, and the vitriol some women have shown me. And, as one of the “burghers of Griffith,” I actually like Kevin Rudd…

So, I set about reading my assigned book (Woman and Power) with an open mind …

Undoubtedly, the strength of the Griffith Review is, as The Sydney Morning Herald asserts:  “It is one of the “best literary journals in Australia.”  Indeed, this edition, Women and Power, is a collection of: poems by, for example, Mandy Beaumont; fiction; memoirs; and essays.  Named in honour of Sir Samuel Griffith (whose life was celebrated recently in the Banco Court CPD series), the review covers topics ranging from feminism through to politics.  It makes for interesting reading and it is mostly well written.

One of my favourite essays was that of Masako Fukui, “Madame Butterfly’s Revenge”.  Written about the supposed submissiveness of Asian women, Fukui reflects on the strength of the individual.  Referring to a documentary, Fukui says:

“This… reminds us how important it is to listen closely to women’s personal narratives if we are to dismantle Orientalist stereotypes…The problem with an ideology such as Orientalism is that it’s there…What we need to do is relate to each other as individuals.  On the one hand, we cannot escape being Asian, we cannot escape being woman.  But at the same time we are also so many other things on top of that.  And it’s those other aspects of our identity that will have to become a major part of our relationship if it’s going to become a complex and egalitarian partnership, I think.”

Other essays, such of Ann Summers’ on quotas and Mary Delahunty’s on the Gillard Prime Ministership (and the misogyny speech) are topical conversation starters.

But there I go again — as one of the fabled “burghers of Griffith” (also named after Sir Samuel Griffith), I am of the view that the manner in which women ascend to office is important, not simply the fact that they get there.  Mary Delahunty maintains the Gillard ascension of 2010 was similar to that of Hawke and Keating.  In my view, it was not — Keating went to the backbench and challenged openly. He did not profess to be a loyal deputy until moments before a coup of a first term prime minister who had led his party from the political wilderness.

Whilst I question Delahunty’s suggestion that Ms. Gillard was fundamentally plagued by sexism (and not Australia’s concern for coups), perhaps, former Prime Minster Gillard was herself correct when, as leaving office, she said “gender was not all of it, but it was not none of it, either”.

And, perhaps, the fact people like me are moved to write reviews like this demonstrates how the Griffith Review has done its job — of being a review that is thought provoking and informative for all.

Dr. Louise Floyd

Chambers

1 October 2013