Women and the new normal

During this pandemic, a phrase that has been thrown around is the 'new normal'. The concept of the new normal describes a far-from-ideal situation, from which many crave the return of the 'old normal'. But for women, the old normal has never been ideal.

The gendered issues that surfaced in the new normal, not only in NSW but across the world, were not solely caused by the pandemic. They were also caused by the systemic injustices already embedded in the old normal.

While stories of women like Hannah Clark were not out of the ordinary in the old normal, the new normal has seen a spike in domestic violence cases across the globe. The difference is that these women’s names have been swept under the rug because of the pandemic. Domestic violence was an issue before, it is an issue now, and the sad reality is that it will continue to be an issue long into the future. For centuries we have normalised and praised the aggression in men; we have provided them medals for their achievements of murder in wars. We are far from resolving the issue of domestic violence.

I have heard this question from many, why don’t these women just leave?

If they are being abused, why don’t they just leave?

She can’t leave, because she came to this country only knowing her mother tongue. She never wanted children, but her family begged, and her husband wanted to carry on his lineage. She bro the children she never wanted, and desired the freedom that danced outside her window. She asked her husband for a credit card, and that was the first time he laid his hand on her.

That was the first of many times.

Sometimes she spoke louder than she was supposed to, and sometimes it was because she was exhausted from taking care of children. She couldn’t call the police, because then who will pay her rent and who will buy her food? She couldn’t get a job, she didn’t know the language, and reaching out would only make Jim angrier. She didn’t know how to live a life without him. That is why she couldn’t leave.

Her story is not unique. It is the story of many migrant women that I had the privilege of knowing.

They are a group of people that both our State and Federal Governments have left in the cold, not only in the new normal but in the old normal as well. In the old normal they were the first to lose their jobs and received no income support from the federal government.

The epidemic of domestic violence and gendered issues is a preventable one. Many women have lost their lives in the epidemic. it existed in the old normal and it exists in the new normal, and we need to do better.