While in agreement with the perceived wisdom that events during World War
Two were responsible for many social changes for women in Australia, the thesis
disagrees with the implication in existent Queensland womens historiography that
these changes affected women equally in all parts of the State. Research
undertaken in Central Queensland provides evidence that, although some
similarities existed, the conservative forces in this region restricted the liberating
effect of such changes. It also addresses the subject of Queensland difference, and
argues that the rural patriarchal economy sustained the notion of rigid gender and
class differences in Central Queensland. It maintains that this affected women in
regional Queensland to a far greater extent than those in the Brisbane
metropolitan area because of the lack of secondary wartime industry and the
masculine nature of rural industry. Additionally , in opposition to the widely held
belief there was universal post-war financial security the thesis argues that poverty
did exist. In particular it addresses the subjects of rising inflation and what has
been termed the Social Security Poverty Group, basing conclusions on statistical
evidence, oral evidence, and secondary and documentary sources.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/217319 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Johansen, Grace, w.johansen@cqu.edu.au |
| Publisher | Central Queensland University. Communications |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.library.cqu.edu.au/cqulibrary/disclaimer.htm), Copyright Grace Johansen |
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