The cast of Gilmore Girls, the cast of 7th Heaven, the Afghani national cabinet and, if you think about it, most Lynx commercials have more of the lady folk in them than Tony Abbott’s new cabinet. PM Abbott is ‘very disappointed’ that his new line up includes only one female MP. Anyway, that woman, Julie…
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Gloria Steinem to receive Medal of Freedom The well-known US feminist is headed to the White House to hang with the Obamas and receive presidential seal of approval. The Medal of Freedom is a pretty big deal–pretty much the highest award a citizen can receive, delivered at the liking of the President. The win is…
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British women on the money UK activists have launched themselves on the Bank of England to protest the planned removal of philanthropist and prison reformer Elizabeth Fry from the £5 note to make way for Winston Churchill’s face. This move would mean no women (bar the Queen) would appear on any British currency. The…
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Julia Gillard is no longer Prime Minister of Australia after a Labor caucus vote Wednesday night ousted her to Kevin Rudd, 45-57 votes. Rudd claimed he reconsidered his refusal to run for leadership because Australian people felt they had no real options vote-wise at the upcoming election. Gillard’s had a satirical TV show air about…
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The Age says Julia Gillard should go, re: gender, or policy? The Age has used its Saturday editorial to ask for the removal of Julia Gillard from the Prime Ministership and leadership of the Labor Party. The pleas, advertised on the front page of Fairfax papers, claim to call for the change with ‘all respect’…
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Femen protesters expelled from Tunisia The Guardian reports that three members of Ukrainian feminist group Femen have been expelled from Tunisia over suspicions they were planning a topless protest outside a court where three other Femen members were being tried for public indecency after staging a topless protest in front of the Tunisian Palace of…
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Minor newsflash: babies need someone to stop work and take care of them when they arrive in the world. Question is, how best to let parents stop that career thing long enough to do this? Paid parental leave schemes have been a key issue in the lead up to the Federal election, in part because…
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I dodged the Emerging Writers’ Festival last year. Not only did I not feel “emerged” enough, I had a fairly strong suspicion that my attending would reveal me as a fraud. I thought about how stupid that assumption was at the start of this year’s EWF Writers’ Conference. People floated in casually, caffeinated, and their…
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Paid parental leave for women (of calibre) Tony Abbott’s choice of phrasing got him in a little strife in the battle between paid parental leave schemes when he told a press conference his model would actively encourage ‘women of calibre’ to procreate. The Coalition’s model would see women be paid for leave at the level…
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For the majority of Australians in support of marriage equality, it kinda feels like everyone keeps. Beating. Us. And while many sit in wait for moments like this to become a part of Aussie history, it’s worth taking a look at where the major parties stand on the issue. Marriage equality is a two-pronged issue…
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Year first woman was elected to Australian Parliament? 1943. Year first female became leader of a state parliament? 1990. Year of first female Prime Minister? 2010. Mind blowing politics facts comin’ at ya! Yep, for most of you reading this, female political leadership is a thing that was only realised in your lifetime. It might…
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Ladies’ Night, Qanda style. The ABC loves a good ol’ fashioned theme. The national broadcaster’s ladies’ edition of panel program Q and A began as news of Margaret Thatcher’s death rolled in on Twitter on Monday evening. The panel featured indigenous opera singer Deborah Cheetham, author/research scientist Brooke Magnanti, Germaine Greer, Mia Freedman and The…
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An alleged rape victim from the remote Feydhoo Island in the Maldives has been sentenced to 100 lashes for engaging in pre-marital sex. It is alleged that the 15 year old was subjected to repeated rape by her stepfather, and that she gave birth to his child, whose death in 2012 is currently under investigation….
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Pregnant asylum seekers moved from Manus Island Six pregnant asylum seekers held in detention on Manus Island have been relocated to the mainland this week. The women’s partners and dependents reportedly accompanied them to Australia for medical care. The move has provided the standard shock and outrage that comes with Australian coverage of asylum seeker…
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