This month, Aotearoa New Zealand is celebrating 125 years of women’s suffrage. After the celebrations die down, we should consider and evaluate what progress has really been made in the last century and a quarter.

The New Zealand $10 note, depicting Kate Shepard (1847 – 1934), a leading light in the Women’s suffrage movement in Aotearoa New Zealand.
12 Sep, 2018 at 2:25 am
Do you think much progress has been made in the last century? Or do we still have a lot more to do?
12 Sep, 2018 at 7:26 pm
Well, Aotearoa New Zealand is the only nation where the 5 highest roles in the land have all simultaneously been held by women, so some progress has been made. And female football players are now paid the same as their male counterparts, but…
When you look at statistics such as family violence, higher employment positions, politics and many other spheres of human endeavour, women are still disadvantaged.
But then the same can be said of some ethnic minorities, and of people on the autism spectrum, among others.
I think one issue is that we really haven’t defined what a fair an just society should look like and so there has been not target to aim for. Perhaps it’s time for such a discussion.
12 Sep, 2018 at 11:05 pm
I think this is a great point. What do we want? What type of world are we trying to build
13 Sep, 2018 at 10:07 pm
To be honest, I’m not sure what type of world we should be aiming for. I have vague ideas of a fair and just society where one is free to express themselves in a way that best suits them and without recrimination. But one purpose of having a discussion is to help clarify one’s ideas. I wouldn’t be surprised if most of us have a similar goal. Perhaps the biggest issue will be how we get there.