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Airdate: Is Australia Sexist?

Hidden cameras will test sexism levels in Australia in a new SBS doco.

In December SBS will screen the documentary Is Australia Sexist?

SBS has commissioned the largest ever survey* on the issue of sexism in Australia, in conjunction with Sydney’s Macquarie University, led by Professor Catherine Lumby and Dr. Amira Aftab.

Is Australia Sexist? hosted by Yumi Stynes, uses hidden cameras to test sexism levels in Australia in 2018.

Yumi Stynes said: “Sexism is no longer a concept for activists and inner-city smart asses. The idea that we’re living in a state of gender inequality has caught on and become not just a headline grabbing topic, but the defining social issue of 2018.

“Making this show was really personal for me as I face down the reality of gender inequality every single day – in work, in culture and even in my own family. I am constantly reflecting on what my kids will be faced with in years to come.

“It’s fantastic to work with SBS to start a conversation about this issue with groundbreaking research, insight and humour. It’s an issue which affects us all, regardless of gender.”

The survey reveals unparalleled results and insights that speak to the state of gender equality in Australia in 2018:

In the last 12 months 40% of women 18 – 25 years old have experienced sexual harassment in a public place;
22% of men believe that women should take being wolf-whistled on the street as a compliment;
86% of women say they do the majority of the housework;
83% of women, but only 60% of men believe it is okay for boys to play with dolls;
37% of women and 52% of men believe that feminism has gone ‘too far’.

Through a series of experiments, some using hidden cameras, Is Australia Sexist? puts the survey data to the test. Confronting scenes reveal what harassment and gender discrimination looks and feels like through the eyes of a victim.

The experiments test a range of hotspots for sexism in Australia including the gender pay gap, gendered play with children, behaviours in online dating, harassment in the workplace, and the shocking truths of street harassment.

New documentary Is Australia Sexist? is a Joined Up Films production for SBS. Principal funding from Screen Australia in association with Screenwest and Lotterywest.

* The ‘Is Australia Sexist?’ survey was conducted in conjunction with Sydney’s Macquarie University with a sample of 3599 Australians in April 2018 and is representative of the Australian population. Of the sample, 51% of respondents were female, and 49% male. There was also a spread of respondents across different age groups starting with 18-25 years old and including Australians over 65 years of age.

8.40pm Tuesday 4 December on SBS.

3 Responses

  1. This is the same Yumi Stynes who said, “His gonna dive down the bottom of the pool and see if his brain is there.” Of course this was the incident involving “The Circle” and Ben Roberts-Smith. And now Yumi is fronting a program asking, “Is Australia Sexist?” Really?

    Why is still okay for women to objectify men but if a bloke was to speak on the appearance of a woman the #MeToo brigade are scrambling for their smartphones and accessing twitter?

  2. Without seeing the show, it seems that these analyses start from someone’s assumption that the issues raised are actually problems. Compared to human trafficking and kidnapping in other countries, these seem to be pointless first-world beatups. When will these producers be brave enough to confront the Australian culture supporting paedophilic slavery in SE Asia?

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