Whitlam’s three years show women can’t rely on Labor
What a state concedes, a state can take back. This book is an argument for a new women’s movement.
Matildas’ success caught up in a wave of nationalism
The widespread admiration for the Matildas has been a blow against sexism but it has also fuelled nationalism.
Higgins inquiry reveals entrenched police sexism
Former Judge Walter Sofronoff’s report on his Inquiry into the Lehrmann trial is a white wash of the entrenched sexism in the ACT police.
Labor falling short on women’s equality and wages
The Labor government has been talking up its commitment to women’s rights since it came to power.
Lack of ongoing movement allows sexist backlash against Brittany Higgins
Selective leaking of text messages and other evidence has been used to try to discredit Brittany Higgins, as part of a backlash against demands for action on sexism.
Official transphobia legitimises the far right
The appearance of a handful of Nazis at the “Let Women Speak” rally in Melbourne last weekend has caused a furore.
Gillard’s misogyny speech tainted by her hypocrisy on sexism
Sunday 9 October is the tenth anniversary of Julia Gillard’s Misogyny Speech, when she destroyed Liberal leader Tony Abbott in parliament.
The 1970s and the fight for abortion rights in Australia
Abortion became a political battleground in the 1970s, as social attitudes, court decisions and the Women’s Liberation Movement forced dramatic changes writes Judy McVey
Worldwide outrage as abortion rights overturned in US
The US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade has drawn worldwide outrage.
Wave of anger as US Supreme Court to overturn right to abortion
The United States Supreme Court is set to wind back the clock after a leaked document revealed it plans to overturn the historic Roe v Wade ruling.
Can we ever get rid of sexism?
Sexism is a product of structures and institutions that benefit the rich and powerful, writes Jordi Pardoel, and to get rid of sexism we have to get rid of capitalism
Katherine Deves’ outright bigotry derails Morrison’s transphobic campaign
Scott Morrison has refused to dump Katherine Deves as his candidate for Warringah despite appalling transphobic comments.
Time for a reckoning with the system that breeds sexism
Jess Hill’s Quarterly Essay The Reckoning is an assessment of the #MeToo movement in Australia.
Morrison’s push for bigotry bill backfires
Scott Morrison has been humiliated after five Liberals crossed the floor in parliament to vote against him over amendments to the Religious Discrimination Bill.
Parliament sexism report reveals a foul system: fight for change
A federal government review into workplace culture in federal parliament has found that an astonishing one in three staffers there have experienced sexual harassment.
US marches against Texas abortion ban
Hundreds of reproductive rights rallies took place across the US, one month after Texas’s near-total ban on abortions went into effect.
High school students march against sexism in Adelaide
The Youth March Against Sexual Violence on Kaurna land (Adelaide) on 24 June saw a spirited crowd of up to 1000 take to city streets.
Will communicative consent laws keep women safe?
The NSW government has announced plans to reform sexual consent laws that it says will deliver better justice to survivors of sexual assault.
Carceral feminism—will new laws and longer sentences protect women?
New laws around coercive control have been proposed as a way to tackle violence against women. But the police can never be relied on to protect women, argues Thandi Bethune
Youth survivors on the march against Morrison’s ongoing failure on sexism
A crowd of 200 people, most of them high school students and young women, gathered at Sydney Town Hall yesterday to protest Scott Morrison’s ongoing failure to act on sexism.
Organising at work key to stopping wave of harassment against women
To fight sexual harassment at work, we need to fight for secure and well paid jobs that give women the confidence to stand up to abuse.
Sexist Liberals run a sexist system
The recent rape scandals highlight the need to smash a system that reduces women to sex objects and unpaid carers, writes Ruby Wawn
Teaching consent won’t counter the sexism all around us
Consent lessons cannot solve rape. The degradation, humiliation and objectification of women in our society have deep roots.
Sexism, rape, private schools and the Liberals: a sexist elite overseeing a sexist system
The rape allegations, harassment and cover-ups of assault within the Liberal Party, coupled with a viral petition about sexual assault by Sydney private school boys, have exposed the cesspools of sexism and misogyny within the Australian ruling class.
‘Porter must go’: Students rage against sexism and rape
A rally led by survivors and young women, many of them high school students, took to the streets in Sydney on Friday to call for an end to sexual violence and for Christian Porter’s sacking.
Hundreds protest against anti-trans website
Staff, students and members of the NTEU union are organising against a transphobic website published at the University of Melbourne.
South Australia set to finally decriminalise abortion but women still not in control
A Bill to remove abortion from the criminal law passed in South Australia’s lower house in the early hours of 19 February by 29 votes to 15.
Parliament House rape highlights sexism at the heart of the system
The rape of former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins by a colleague at Parliament House has exposed the depth of sexism and contempt for women at the heart of the Morrison government.
A window into the upsurge for Women’s Liberation
Brazen Hussies shines a light on the Women’s Liberation Movement in Australia in the 1960s and 1970s.
Pressure on women and families during lockdowns due to sexist system
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the reliance of capitalism on the nuclear family and women’s unpaid domestic labour.
Socialism and transgender liberation
Pan Karanikolas reviews a new book on transgender oppression that argues winning the working class to the fight against oppression is the key to dismantling it
Abortion finally decriminalised in NSW despite right-wing mobilisation
Women’s rights advocates are celebrating after abortion was
finally removed from the 119-year-old Crimes Act in NSW.After months of debate, the Abortion Law Reform Bill
(previously the Reproductive Health Care...
What causes domestic violence?
Lucy Honan looks at a new book by award-winning journalist Jess Hill on the causes of domestic violence—and what can be done about it
Berejiklian pandering to anti-choice bigots on abortion bill
In an effort to appease the bigots in her party, Premier Gladys Berejiklian delayed the vote on the abortion bill and is considering amendments.
More women deserve places in STEM—no to sexism at UTS
Removing barriers for women in gaining entry to STEM courses is a welcome step in addressing entrenched sexism.
NSW set to decriminalise abortion
A bill to decriminalise abortion in NSW passed the lower house of state parliament on 8 August, overturning an archaic law written 119 years ago.
New campaign fights to decriminalise abortion in NSW
A new lobbying group, the Pro-Choice Alliance, formed by 60 medical and health organisations around NSW, has shone a light on the state’s archaic and sexist abortion laws.
Women in parliament won’t lead a fight against sexism
Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young's suggestion that it was time for a women’s caucus in Parliament to combat sexual harassment and bullying completely missed the mark.
Germaine Greer—ignoring the causes of rape
Germaine Greer’s On Rape ends up trivialising rape and offering only meagre legal solutions that do nothing to tackle the system of sexist oppression, writes Lucy Honan
Abortion decriminalised in Queensland after 50-year struggle
Queensland has finally decriminalised abortion, after state parliament approved new laws on 17 October. It has taken 50 years of struggle and campaigning.
Rape, violence and the fight against the system
Blaming men for sexism and rape obscures the way women’s subordination is structured into capitalism, writes Lucy Honan, and our common interest in fighting it.
Eurydice Dixon and the sexism of the system
In the immediate aftermath of Eurydice’s murder, the Victorian police reproduced the standard victim blaming script. But focusing on changing men's behaviour in response risks taking attention away from the real causes of structural sexism and violence.
Historic vote sees overwhelming victory for abortion rights in Ireland
Ireland has once again made history, voting resoundingly to repeal its 35-year-long constitutional ban on abortion.
Zelda D’Aprano—a fighter for women workers and equal pay
Zelda D’Aprano, who died last month at the age of 90, became a symbol of the struggle for Equal Pay in Australia in October 1969 when she chained herself to the doors of the Commonwealth Building in Melbourne.
#MeToo exposes systemic problem of sexual assault
#MeToo shows how pervasive sexual harassment and abuse are in the lives of all women. The Weinstein case is just the tip of the iceberg in an industry where wealthy sexual predators operate with impunity.
Campus record of sexual assault product of a sexist society
Australia’s universities are fostering an environment where sexual assault and harassment are commonplace, a new Human Rights Commission report shows.
Ford exposes a sexist society, but how do we fight it?
Feminist and media personality Clementine Ford’s first book Fight Like a Girl has gained enormous attention since its publication in October.
Trump’s foul sexism mirrors the sexism of the system
The outrage against Donald Trump’s revolting sexism has dealt a possibly fatal blow to his presidential campaign.
Lessons from women’s liberation in the US
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, originally released in 2014, has played to dozens of sold out screenings in Australia, and is now streaming on Netflix.
Suffragettes: The vote, the war and working class women
Geraldine Fela discusses the new film Suffragette, and how the fight for the vote polarised between wealthy and working class women
Domestic violence a product of poverty and class oppression
Malcolm Turnbull and new Minister for Women Michaelia Cash have made a great show of confronting domestic violence. But politicians, celebrities, media outlets and sporting codes have already thrown their weight behind the massive White Ribbon awareness campaign, with no reduction in violence.
Eleanor Marx: A fighter for workers and women
Lucy Honan reviews two new works on the lesser known Marx and her important contributions to Marxist ideas about women’s liberation and class struggle
Position paper on Sexism and Women’s Oppression
PreambleSexism is as alive as ever. The movements in the 1960s and 70s won gains and transformed women’s lives, but women continue to suffer from unequal pay, gendered...
SOS for women’s shelters in NSW
The NSW government is facing a community backlash over new reforms that are forcing women-only shelters and refuges to close or be taken over.
Intersectionality, sexism and the left
Jasmine Ali examines the renewed interest in the idea of intersectionality associated with the revival of feminism
Sexism and the myth of male benefits
The resurgence of feminist organising has led to renewed debate about who benefits from sexism, and who has an interest in fighting it, writes Amy Thomas
Was misogyny to blame for Gillard’s demise?
The Misogyny Factor by Anne Summers, New South Publishing, $19.99Feminist Anne Summers has argued that unprecedented misogyny was key to Julia Gillard’s demise as Prime Minister.Many are convinced that...
Protests in India take on sexism and rape
The horrific gang rape of a woman by six men on a public bus in Delhi, India, sparked angry protests across the country in December.In New Delhi, thousands defied...
On that speech: Julia Gillard, sexism and women in power
It was a speech that stunned the nation and went viral on social media. But what does Gillard’s anti-sexism represent, asks Judy McVeyJulia Gillard's speech on October 8 left...
Sexual liberation and the politics of pornography
Money Shot: A Journey into Porn and Censorship
By Jeff Sparrow
$29.95, ScribeThe left is tangled up in knots over the politics of pornography. Left-wing academics like Clive Hamilton are trying...
Gillard’s anti-sexism hypocrisy
Was it the “real Julia” on display or was it a politician desperately trying to cover up an inglorious political history and her own hypocrisy? But, then, that is...
The murder of Jill Meagher and the fight against sexism
There was an outpouring of community concern at the rape and murder of ABC journalist, Jill Meagher. The circumstances of her death—while walking home after a night out—were shocking....
Sexism, psychology and pseudo-science
Review: Delusions of Gender By Cordelia Fine, Allen and Unwin, $29.99In Delusions of Gender, neuro-scientist Cordelia Fine takes an axe to the drivel of biological determinism that self-help books...
Time to fight the rise of sexism
The thousands taking to the streets for “slutwalk” rallies show the anger at the widespread and growing sexism in society—exemplified in the efforts to blame women for rape. Solidarity...
‘SlutWalk’: Women refuse to take the blame for rape
Protests, billed as “SlutWalks”, are spreading after a cop’s sexist comment to Toronto students. Our society promotes and constantly reinforces the idea that women are to blame if they...
Army’s rotten sexism: a product of training killers
New scandals have again exposed the extreme sexism in the Australian military. Jasmine Ali looks at whether promoting more women into combat roles will make any differenceDefence minister Stephen...
One million protest sexism in Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” Italy
In early February, over one million people rallied across Italy asking “se non ora quando?” (if not now, when?), demanding an end to the rampant sexism characterising Italian politics...
Alexandra Kollontai: revolution and women’s liberation
Solidarity continues a series on the lives and struggle of revolutionary women
The 1917 Russian Revolution saw women win greater political, civil and legal equality with men than in any other...
Exposing raunch culture and the new sexism
Living Dolls: The Return of Sexism
By Natasha Walter
Virago, $35Living Dolls is a compelling must-read for all those interested in understanding sexism today. Through interviews and research, author Natasha Walter...
Equal love, equal rights: rediscovering the red in the rainbow
Amy Thomas reviews Hannah Dee’s The Red in the Rainbow, an essential look at why fighting homophobia means fighting the systemSince the federal election Julia Gillard has continued to...
Fighting sexism back on the agenda, but how do we do it?
Touted as the first feminist conference in Sydney in 15 years, “F: the conference” was a reminder of how far governments have wound back women’s rights over the same...
Abortion laws on trial in Queensland
The horrible ordeal faced by the Cairns couple, Tegan Leach and her partner Sergie Brennan, charged “for procuring an abortion” is set to continue after they were committed to...
Sex, sexism and sport: the Caster Semenya case
Caster Semenya, world champion South African runner, is both “a woman… and a man!” So said the New York Daily News, days after the results of “gender tests” had...
Campaigners oppose Queensland charges and call for repeal of anti-abortion laws
Pro-abortion activists are rallying in Queensland to defend a Cairns couple, Tegan Leach and Sergie Brennan, who have been charged under Queensland’s Criminal Code with attempting to procure an...
NRL scandal: why will no one call it rape?
On May 11, the ABC’s Four Corners ran a program exposing numerous cases of sexual abuse by National Rugby League (NRL) football players. The ensuing media frenzy unleashed a...
Shopping, sex and the city
Review of Sex and the City, directed by Michael Patrick King
Coming to DVD
SEX AND the City (SATC), the film based on the television series of the same name, has...
Fear and fantasy in the ‘war on terror’
The Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 AmericaSusan FaludiScribe Publications, $35COULD SEPTEMBER 11 really be blamed on the women's movement? Why did the US respond to the...
