ABSTRACT
The mythical view of Australia is that it is a classless, egalitarian country typified by mateship. The reality of Australia is that it is a country stratified by, among other things, ethnicity, gender and class. Let me make a brief point on each of these. Stratification by ethnicity is a complex issue in Australia. Many, but not all, migrant groups experience racism and ethnocentrism and inequality. It is, however, indigenous Australians who are the most oppressed group in Australia. On any nominated inequality dimension (housing, health, education, employment etc.), indigenous Australians fare worst of any ethnic group. Secondly, not only does Australia have the dubious distinction of having the most sex segregated workforce of all OECD countries but sexism pervades the ethos of the country. Indeed, “egalitarianism” is still understood in Australia through the phrase “Jack is as good as his master” and “mateship” refers to the friendships between men, originally between men isolated in the bush. This latter point is quite ironic in a country in which homophobia is almost a national obsession (see Hatton & Swinson 1994).
