I have to admit that I like the colour pink. In spite of my mum trying to avoid gender stereotypes when raising me – my sister and I were given matchbox cars alongside dolls and stuffed toys – I stillRead more…
Feminist studies in schools – a necessary addition to the curriculum?
Feminism and gender studies have, in Australia at least, often been the domain of the university. They’re typically subjects that come after secondary schooling, even though this is when young students are most impressionable and vulnerable to sexism and sexistRead more…
Not all “mean girls”: Female friendships in contemporary young adult fiction
‘I feel sorry for you, and I’m going to be your friend.’ ‘I don’t want to be your friend,’ Cath said, as sternly as she could. ‘I like that we’re not friends.’ ‘Me, too,’ Reagan said. ‘I’m sorry you ruinedRead more…
Swimming against the tide: the life of Annette Kellerman
Annette Kellerman had an unconventional life for a woman born in the late 1800s; with a career spanning swimming, vaudeville variety entertainment, film and writing, she was a trailblazer in and out of the pool. She freed herself from theRead more…
Balancing the Books: Changing the gender balance in English school texts
30 percent. According to the Stella Prize Schools Program, that’s the percentage of New South Wales HSC texts written by female authors. Victoria doesn’t fare much better with female writers making up less than 40 percent of their English textRead more…