Three Masquerades

Marilyn Waring probes the 'world behind the mask' in these three remarkable essays on women in politics, economics and work, and human rights.

First, she pulls away the masks that women who are elected to parliamentary office are forced to wear. How do we women find ourselves trapped in the institution's games? How does that affect our ability to make progress on issues of primary importance to us? What does that do to our self-image? Can we even afford to be aware of this? The second essay continues Waring's powerful writing on economics and the concept of work. She updates the international situation described in her bestseller Counting for Nothing. Based on her project experience with the United Nations, she exposes the gap between rhetoric and consequence: you wash your pig: this is work; you wash your child: this is welfare... it has no value. The last essay unmasks the rhetoric of human rights. Waring shows how nation states exploit United Nations conventions, while also explaining the opportunities the conventions provide for political action.