Australian journalist: "I don't want my kids sitting next to a man on a plane"

Australian Sky News Anchor, Tracey Spicer, might not be all that well known to us over here, but in Australia she is one of the most experienced and most respected female news presenters. She is not just a TV presenter, she is a radio broadcaster, columnist and has even done a couple of TEDx talks, in which I thought she made some excellent points.

However, her recent article regarding her children and how she doesn't want them sitting next to a men on planes should those seats be the only ones available.. disgusted me. For someone who labels her self a feminist and has been championing equality for the past couple of decades, I find it astonishing that she would have the gall to come out with the following tripe:

I don't want my kids sitting next to a man on a plane

I know it's sexist. But I don't want my kids sitting next to a man on a plane. Sure, almost 90 per cent of child sexual abuse is committed by someone in, or known to, the family, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, stranger danger is a risk and women are perpetrators in only about 8 per cent of cases, says the ABS data.

In 2001, Northwest Airlines paid a US family half a million dollars after a 10-year-old girl was molested by a 28-year-old man on a flight from Kansas to Detroit. So how do we protect our kids? A spokeswoman for Qantas says the airline is seeing more and more unaccompanied minors travelling, especially during school holidays.

In 2012, flight crew forced a male nurse to swap seats with a female passenger, because he was sitting next to an unrelated girl travelling on her own. "It seemed I had this sign I couldn't see above my head that said 'child molester'," he said later.

The airline defends its policy, which still states: "Unaccompanied minors are allocated seats next to adult female customers. Where possible, Qantas aims to seat children near crew areas or next to an empty seat. This policy reflects parents' concerns and the need to maximise the child's safety and well-being."

My nine-year-old Taj and seven-year-old Grace flew as unaccompanied minors, for the first time, on Virgin last year. They were put in the last row with a bunch of other kids where doting staff plied them with treats. It was a relief to see their smiling faces at the end but I was disappointed I had no choice about where they'd be sitting.

My advice is this: Plan well in advance, as airlines have only a limited number of unaccompanied minor seats on each flight. If you're worried, request that your child is seated next to another child, or an adult female. Some airlines will quietly comply. Talk to your child about stranger-danger: Not to scare, but to inform them. Sure, not all men are paedophiles but offenders are predominantly male.

I figure it's better to be safe than sorry.

Does anyone actually think she has a point with this?

I just can't understand how someone who is seemingly otherwise quite intelligent, could hold such a misandric view in this day and age, let alone think it printable in a bloody news paper article. If it was about skin colour, she would most likely be guilty of inciting hatred. I can't see how this is far off that to be quiet honest.