Politics is still a man’s world. Let’s reimagine the law of this jungle

Blue suits. High-vis vests. Cans of beer.

One thing we can be sure of as we march – or dawdle – towards this election is that our next prime minister will be a bloke. Given we have watched two men wrestling for the nation’s top job, the whole campaign has been unsurprisingly free of the irrational, feverish sexism that can dog the steps of female contenders. Distracting, foolish sexism.

This has been one of the most boring elections I can remember. Small targets, little bribes, narrow horizons.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, James Brickwood

But this has been one of the most boring elections I can remember. Small targets, little bribes, narrow horizons. Looking at the chaos in America, some I know relish the boredom, almost a luxury in a stable democracy where basic civility remains largely intact – something to be proud of. But the combination of the boredom, a curious disconnect between the conversations politicians are having and the big things that most obviously threaten our future (like climate, the instability of the US alliance, the reliance on China), and the absence of women in key political debates has led many of us to turn down the sound and disengage.

Which is why I think it’s time to ponder what lessons we might take from the mighty bonobo, one of our closest living relatives – but I will explain.

First, how we got here. There is a reason women have been moving from major parties to independents, who can speak without caveats about integrity and equality and protecting the Earth while bolstering a greener economy to shore up our future.

Female voters told the ABC they are deeply worried about housing, health, education and the cost of living but remain disconnected from politics. But researchers report that “women are feeling underrepresented and struggle to speak up about the issues that matter to them”.

These issues include: regional childcare deserts, renters, environmental policies and responses to severe weather events, and lack of resources in healthcare and education.

Bonobo apes in the wild. “Female solidarity can invert the male-biased power structure that is typical of many mammal societies.”Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The ABC’s Vote Compass, which relies on a demographically weighted sample of more than 350,000, has confirmed that young women (under 29) are drifting further to the left – not a surprising finding, but one that points to a growing gap with male peers. While 50 per cent of young men identify as progressive, 67 per cent of young women do.

They’ve watched anxiously as women’s reproductive rights are wound back in the US, and allegations of sexual assault are repeatedly dismissed not just as fiction but irrelevant.

Some progress has been made – analysis from the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University found women are not far off half of all candidates across all parties and independents, at 45 per cent. Labor increased its number of female contenders by about 10 per cent – it’s now 56 per cent – but the Coalition has gone up by only 3 per cent to 32 per cent, and most of its female candidates (84 per cent) are running in marginal seats.

But it’s not just about these numbers. It’s about the way politics is done, what we are told we care about, the ever-present assumption that we are all selfish and should be bribed like toddlers. The death of Pope Francis in the middle of the campaign was a reminder that many seek a different kind of leadership: one that values empathy, cares for the vulnerable, demonstrates values we’d like to teach our kids. When one leader says, “you don’t have any cards, loser”, another might say, “let me give you some”. Or: “I do – I will stand beside you”.

Illustration by Dionne GainCredit:

Which brings me back to the bonobo. They live in matriarchal groupings, something that has always puzzled scientists because the males are bigger and stronger. This week some fascinating research emerged that has finally explained why. And the answer is simple: because females banded together and supported each other.

The study, published in the journal Communications Biology, examined 30 years of data gathered about six wild bonobo communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1993 and 2021. The researchers concluded: “Female bonobos team up to suppress male aggression against them – the first evidence of animals deploying this strategy. In 85 per cent of observed coalitions, females collectively targeted males, forcing them into submission and shaping the group’s dominance hierarchy. The study suggests that power isn’t solely determined by physical strength. It can be driven by social intelligence and coalition-building by females.”

Female bonobos generally decide when they want to mate and who is allowed to feed first. The women sit relaxed on the ground, munching on fresh kill, while the males sit above them in tree branches, waiting their turn.

To exert their wills, females cluster in groups of three to five, often with a piercing screech – and in most cases where they show aggression, it’s against male bonobos, and they usually win.

Coalitions can form in seconds – if a male tries to hurt the young, for example, the women gather to chase them, screaming, sometimes causing fatal injuries.

The lead author, Martin Surbeck, a behavioural ecologist at Harvard University, says: “To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that female solidarity can invert the male-biased power structure that is typical of many mammal societies. It’s exciting to find that females can actively elevate their social status by supporting each other.”

I’m not suggesting we ladies loll on the ground eating fresh meat while starving blokes dangle from branches. But when this study emerged, in the middle of an election where women have barely featured, really, and many have disconnected, it was a reminder of the importance of coalitions. When you think politicians can’t hear you or aren’t serving you, for example, one option is to form alliances. Ease focus on differences. Find the like-minded; determine common goals. Don’t give up.

We all feel impotent individually, but collectively, mountains can tilt. The key to victory, according to Surbeck? “You can win a conflict by being stronger, by having friends to back you up, or by having something that someone wants and cannot take by force.”

A vote, perhaps, and a voice.

Julia Baird is a journalist, author and regular columnist. Her latest book is Bright Shining: How Grace Changes Everything.

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