Just a Girl by Tammie Adele

  You've got the upper hand But I've got nothing to lose When I'm trapped in a corner like this I might light a fuse   I have faith in the strength of female relationships. But, seriously, sometimes I wonder why.             I’ve written and published a NOVEL. As a NOVEL it is, obviously, a work of fiction. Sure, it is based in truth (lesson one of novel writing is write what you know ), but it is still a NOVEL. There is even a disclaimer in the front matter that states it is a work of fiction.             So, when a female relative started attacking me over a tiny part of the novel because she thought I was making things up about an event I knew nothing about, I realised that she knew there was an element of truth in my novel. So, I pointed her to the disclaimer in the front matter, giving her the opportunity to accept that I was not presenting the story as...

All the riches, baby Won't mean anything All the riches, baby Don't bring what your love can bring All the riches, baby Won't mean anything Don't need no other, baby   I want to start this post by saying I’m not a mum.             Now, not following the sisterhood down the parenting path wasn’t a choice for me, but, as far as I’m aware, becoming parents was a choice for family and friends that managed to make their own cherubs. My partner and I invested an awful lot of time and effort in practicing baby making, and then in attempting baby making. Then we invested significant finances in our baby making efforts as we navigated assisted reproduction. But it wasn’t to be. Now we’re investing in other peoples offspring through the tax system. I’m not saying I’m against paid parental leave, child rebates, public education, universal health care or whatever other tax redistribution programs there are out there to en...

  The ladies will kick it, the rhyme that is wicked Those that don't know how to be pros get evicted A woman can bear you, break you, take you Now it's time to rhyme, can you relate to A sister dope enough to make you holler and scream   So, we got a not so shiny and new king two years back. That’s right, Charlie finally graduated from his seventy-four-year apprenticeship and got his hands on the crown. Through all the ceremony and media attention, did anyone think of Princess Anne? I mean, the eventual Queen Lizzy got lucky not having an older brother and then having a son straight up. If Anne had of been just two years older, she would have had to step aside so her kid brother could take the throne. Thirty-four years later and Princess Di spared everyone the embarrassment of having a daughter that would have to step aside for a kid brother – and I’m pretty sure Di would have to keep at it until a son was born. It wasn’t until Princess Kate was pregnant thirty...

  This is a man's world But it wouldn't be nothing Nothing not one little thing Without a woman or a girl   So, this is old news for me, but I’m sharing it anyhow. As I discussed in Post 37 , I was up for jury duty a few months back. In this post I discussed how I had little to no chance of actually being selected as a juror because of my gender, age and education. Well, I had it wrong. I’ve apparently watched too many Hollywood movies and didn’t have any idea about the New South Wales (NSW) jury process. My first take home is that it is very refreshing to now know that juror “selection” in NSW is (almost) totally randomised. We were all assigned a number and then it was a lottery draw as to who’s numbers were drawn out. That said, the defence then had the opportunity to make three challenges to jurors without explanation as to why they didn’t want them there. Surprise, surprise , they challenged the three youngest females, who also happened to be very well dress...

  Girls just wanna have rights So, why do we have to fight?    You can call me irrelevant, insignificant I won't call on you at all   Wow . . . I don’t know what to say about what’s going on in America, other than I’m damn glad to be an Australian.             Thank you P!nk for putting it together in a great song and a moving film clip.             Feel free to read this article from Rolling Stone if you want more context.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54TqACn_9V8  

  R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me R-E-S-P-E-C-T Take care, TCB Oh (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me) A little respect (sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me)   Soooo, I’m up for jury duty soon. ‘How’s this relevant to a blog about women in the 2020s?’ you ask. Well, once I received my notice from New South Wales Communities and Justice I thought something along the lines of   This will be a hassle .   Then my thoughts moved to   This could be interesting .   Finally I landed on   I might have been called up as a randomised representative of society, but they’re not going to pick me .   Why are they not going to pick me? Well, I’m an educated female that is capable of thinking for herself. Solicitors, who are predominantly male, don’t want my type anywhere near their juries. Solicitors prefer the uneducated as they believe they can be more easily lead d...