Victory, history and a pink recession: the highs and lows for women in 2020

Female leaders in Australian politics and public life has been more prominent and successful than ever before, but the pandemic set back a broad swathe of women at home and in work and education.

Using regional forums to advance the women, peace and security agenda

As we move past the 20th anniversary of the UN’s women, peace and security agenda, Australia can pursue innovative, complementary paths for embedding its principles in the international peace and security realm through regional organisations.

The ‘Samoan model’ offers hope to female politicians in the Pacific

While elections in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Guam and Solomon Islands have brought in record numbers of women MPs, the Pacific region as a whole is still at the bottom of global league tables on women’s representation.

The myth of female multi-tasking

Women may have more to juggle in terms and work and family, but they performed no better than men in a new study investigating different types of multitasking.

Backlash and gender fatigue – Why progress on gender equality has slowed

The MeToo movement has swept the globe, but women’s equality issues are increasingly facing opposition. The increasing push-back in society against gender equality issues is also spreading into the workplace.

Women in Parliament: A global perspective on Australia’s performance

Australia likes to boast that in 1902 it became the first nation in the world to give women the right to vote and run for federal parliament, but in reality we have lagged behind other nations in terms of women in politics.

Gender equality on the G20 agenda

The G20’s W20 is a transnational network that brings together female leaders to help increase women’s participation in their economies and societies, but how effective is it?

7 steps to success for women in science

From the ‘maternal wall’ to the ‘boys’ club’ and beyond the glass ceiling, a group of geo-scientists have unearthed the reasons behind the lack of female advancement in their own sector.

Sexism, women and Australian politics

The sexist remark thrown at Senator Sarah Hanson-Young underscores the urgent need for more women in Australian parliament.

Gender equality in Australia under review by UN Committee

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women recently reviewed Australia’s record on women’s rights. So, how did Australia fare? Susan Hutchinson and Hannah Gissane offer an overview of Australia’s record on health, domestic violence, economic security, and homelessness.  

Feminists should remember ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’

The best selling women’s health book “Our Bodies, Ourselves” teaches that there is no one correct course of action. Women differ from one another, and various experiences will lead to a range of priorities and goals. This is okay – and it probably has the best chance to make the world a better place.

Career, culture and character: New Zealand’s three women Prime Ministers

When Jacinda Ardern became New Zealand’s Prime Minister in 2017, not only was she the youngest PM in 150 years, but she was also the country’s third female leader. When it comes to women in politics in general, there seems to be a lot that we could learn from our neighbours.