Are women funny? Is John Howard a Liberal?Another Melbourne International Comedy Festival, another debate over whether females bring the LOLs that the fellas do. You want funny women? Clem Bastow rounds up history’s best of the best.
Feminism
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Children, marketing and fast food
Crikey readers have their say.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Beware the brands!
Crikey readers have their say.
As Middle East moves ahead, are women getting left behind?
Women in Egypt organised a march for equality this week that resulted in a violent clash with a male crowd. As Middle Eastern countries fight against oppression, there’s a growing concern that democracy might not include women’s rights.
‘It’s about choice, not numbers’: Crikey readers on feminism
Yesterday, on the International Women’s Day Centenary, Crikey asked readers to reflect on feminism’s role in the twenty-first century. The response was, in one sense, heartening, writes Grace Jennings-Edquist.
Feminists — the faceless women of the ALP
Is Labor so on the nose right now, that no-one can acknowledge what a remarkable job the ALP has done supporting women? asks “faceless woman of the ALP” Tanja Kovac, National Co-ordinator of EMILY’s List Australia.
The feminist struggle: a lot like Groundhog Day
It may be International Women’s Day but the feminist struggle is about a lot more than high-profile advocacy and public campaigns, writes Shakira Hussein.
The feminism brand is designed to do itself out of business
Feminism is a brand that’s been thoroughly trashed. If it was a commercial product it’d be a good time to buy in, because when stocks are low they only have one way to go, writes Karen Pickering.
Female MPs: you’re either a mum, or the owner of an empty fruit bowl
Far more than men, female politicians have their political identities framed around their family and relationship situation.
‘So what if she doesn’t have a male handbag?’: female ex-MPs fight back
Crikey asked three female former politicians for their take on women in politics and whether anything has changed.
Mad Men isn’t sexist, just accurate
Don’t get angry at Betty Draper’s weak housewife character: Mad Men is the most feminist show on television because it accurately portrays how women were treated without a rose-tinted history, writes Stephanie Coontz.
Business missing out by not appointing women to boards
What is wrong with the boards of big business? Their competence in running companies is put in question by their poor record in selecting senior line managers and new board members.
Rundle: is feminism failing? Imperial feminism, perhaps
Is feminism failing, as Virginia Haussegger argues? It’s a stupid question, and misses the point. Imperial feminism is where the war is being lost, writes Guy Rundle.
Guy Rundle: Burqa ban is a mass displacement
Why is a burqa now offensive and its opposite — the bikini, which used to be banned in NSW — now acceptable? Now Italy is talking about a burqa ban.
Why women rule the right
The rise of Sarah Palin’s mama grizzlies in the conservative corner of US politics isn’t a new phenomena. Since the 1950s, the grassroots right-wing movement has been run by women, ironically spruiking values different from what they’re living.
Roller derby riot grrrls
Ruby Murray headed out for a theatrical, thrilling night of roller derby, with tats, sex and physical strength. Finally, a sport that elevates women to the same level as the fellas.
The sisterhood? Jesus. How about common decency?
The growing media obsession with both Julia Gillard’s physical appearance and her marital status could be dismissed as indicative of both the essential inanity of the press and its casual sexism. But it’s more than that.
Savva: Special treatment for female pollies? Come off it.
Don’t be misled by the media’s infatuation with Julia Gillard’s appearance. When the new PM makes a blunder her opponents will pounce - just as they would if she were a man, writes Niki Savva.
Gillard shatters the glass ceiling. So what now?
It’s a Big Moment, there’s no denying it. We might have a female PM, but women still struggle not only with misogyny but also with racism, poverty, disability and all the myrid forms that marginalisation can take.
Palin’s fake feminism
Sarah Palin portrays herself as queen of the sisterhood, representing the mamas because they are too busy looking after the kids. But Palin only adopts the feminist label as a political strategy, writes Jessica Valenti.
Mother of the bridezilla
What happened to feminism? We spent years fighting against institutions like marriage, only to turn around and find our daughters donning meringue dresses and wanting dad to give them away, writes an anonymous mother of the bride.
Dowd: All the single ladies put your hands up
It’s total bull that recent US Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan gets referred to by the White House as “unmarried” rather than “single”. Why make her sound depressing? asks Maureen Dowd.
Goward: Kristina Keneally gives women a bad name
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally acts like a bitchy girl in parliament, making personal comments about dress and appearance. If she’s such a feminist, why resort to typical sexist remarks? asks Liberal MLA Pru Goward.
How to be a male feminist
Feminism isn’t an abstract idea. It’s enforcing the separation of labour, having a true partnership and not accepting that men should work more because they earn more, writes Damon Young.
How to get a letter published in The SMH — #1: be a bloke
What does it take to get a letter published in The SMH? Well it helps if you’re not a cheeky feminist wanting to have a go at Paul Sheehan, advise Gabe Kavanagh and Rosa Campbell.
