One of the challenges of being a woman in the modern world is that no matter how far we’ve come in equality, in a heterosexual relationship women still, generally, bear the burden of the ‘mental...
Report: The gendered distribution of household work persists
Who does most of the housework is a sore point in many households. When we conducted the second Families in Australia Survey in November-December 2021, 2,610 partnered participants had something to...
Unequal media: 69 percent of quotes from men
The “Women For Media: Take The Next Steps report” explores the role of female voices in Australian news, those quoted in news stories, and those who wrote the stories. The 2021 report combines...
I’m a Facebook jailbird: the system is sexist
Content notification: This post contains discussion of and examples of online abuse and commentary some people might find offensive. It is published here in the interest of genuinely and openly...
The ecosystems of Parliament need urgent change
With a Christmas tree behind him the Prime Minister unwrapped a recycled theme years in the making and painful in its unpacking — the findings of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkin’s...
Will the Jenkins review fix parliament’s toxic culture?
In the wake of Brittany Higgins’ shocking allegations about being raped in a ministers’ office by a colleague, Prime Minister Scott Morrison initiated multiple inquiries. Arguably, the most...
Gender and office housework: Who cleans the microwave?
Think about the microwave that sits in your office. Who cleans it? Also, think back to your last office birthday party. Who organized the party? Who brought a birthday card and cake? Were they...
Stop applauding the launch of initiatives for women
It’s way too easy to launch an initiative supporting women. It’s a lot harder to fess up to whether they worked, which is maybe why no-one does. Applause should be linked to results, not empty...
When misogynist cyberhate turns you into international news
QAnon is a far-right conspiracy movement, which revolves around false claims made by anonymous individuals, much of it online. In this edited excerpt of her new book ‘QAnon and On’ Van Badham...