NPR : News

Australian PM's Fiery Speech, Prompts Change In Definition Of 'Misogyny'

By: Eyder Peralta // October 17, 2012
comments

Mark pointed out the fiery, unrelenting verbal beat down that Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard delivered to the leader of the opposition on the floor of Parliament.

It was as hot as political fireworks get and The Guardian reports that the speech provoked a debate about the treatment of women in politics and another, more nerdy, conversation: Was Gillard misusing "the word misogyny and falsely accusing Tony Abbott of hating women?"

Australia's Macquarie Dictionary, the premiere authority on Australian English, has now settled the debate, saying it is changing the definition of the word. Reuters explains:

"[The dictionary] has decided to broaden the definition of 'misogyny' to better match the way the word has been used over the past 30 years.

"The dictionary currently defines misogyny as 'hatred of women,' but will now add a second definition to include 'entrenched prejudice against women,' suggesting Abbott discriminated against women with his sexist views.

"'The language community is using the word in a slightly different way,' dictionary editor Sue Butler told Reuters."

The Oxford English Dictionary, the authority on the English language period, already included "prejudice against women" in its definition.

Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.

Arts & Culture

NPR

China Builds Museums ... But Will The Visitors Come?

China is on a spree to build world-class museums and has opened about 100 of them annually in recent years. Two of the biggest opened on the same day last fall on opposite banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River. But filling these museums — with both art and visitors — is proving more challenging.

Food

NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.

Politics

NPR

Oklahoma's GOP Senators Find Themselves In Tornado Aid Bind

Sens. Tom Coburn and James Inhofe have become the faces of pushback on federal emergency spending. Now the deadly and devastating tornado in their home state has put them in an awkward position.

Technology

NPR

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

Architects have come up with spectacular concepts for vertical farms that would grow crops in city skyscrapers. But many horticulturists think the future of vertical farming isn't in skyscrapers but rather, in large, indoor warehouses lit up magenta by super-efficient LEDs.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.