Feminism in Australia

About this module

This Digital Classroom Module is supported in memory of Averill Edwards.

Explore Averill Edwards papers on Trove

Copyright for teachers

You can download all collection materials in this resource for education purposes. For more information, go to copyright for teachers.

Topics and learning activities

This module covers 5 key topics.

Each topic includes an introduction to key concepts, links to key resources in our collection and a series of learning activities that cater for a variety of classroom contexts and learning styles.

An aerial view of a large street procession with participants dressed in white, marching in rows and carrying banners. The crowded scene is framed by towering buildings on one side and tree-lined streets on the other. Spectators line the sidewalks, watching the organised march as cars and horse-drawn carriages are scattered among the crowd.

Bessie Mabel Rischbieth, Photographs of suffrage demonstrations and campaigning activities, 1900 - 1967, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-439976984

Women's suffrage

Topic

Learn about the history, struggles and triumphs of women in their fight for the right to vote. Reflect on how women's suffrage movement shaped democratic societies and influences political advocacy today.

Digital Classroom
A black-and-white photograph of Jessie Street seated at a desk representing Australia at a United Nations conference. She is wearing a white shirt and suit jacket and is writing, with other women visible beside her.

Jessie Street representing Australia at the United Nations, 194- , nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231551090

Prominent women in Australia’s feminist movement

Topic

Explore the contributions of key Australian feminists who shaped the fight for women's rights and reflect on their lasting impact on feminism today.

Digital Classroom
A collage of black-and-white photographs showing different items and types of clothing worn by members of the Australian Women's Land Army, including socks, gloves, boots, shirts, overalls, frocks, coats, and hats.

Australia. Department of Supply and Shipping, The uniform dress, Australian Women's Land Army, 1943, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-14120362

War as a catalyst for change

Topic

Examine the evolving roles women took on during the First and Second World Wars and how they impacted on women's labours, gender expectations and women's rights in Australia.

Digital Classroom
A black-and-white photograph of a woman standing against a wall covered in posters. She is smiling and holding a folded newspaper in her arms, casually dressed with loose hair. The posters in the background are partially torn and feature bold text and graphics.

Brendan Hennessy, Germaine Greer holding newspapers, 1988, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-149859225

Second wave feminism and 20th century social change

Topic

Explore how Second Wave feminism and social changes in the 20th century reshaped women’s rights, roles, and aspirations in society.

Digital Classroom
A colour photograph of Anne Summers. Anne has shoulder length blonde hair and wears a red outfit and a large round necklace, standing against a red curtain background.

Craig Mackenzie, Portrait of Anne Summers at the National Library of Australia, 2013, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-132320638

Modern legacies in Australian feminism

Topic

Explore the evolution of feminist movements in contemporary Australia. Consider the impact and progress made, and challenges that remain in achieving gender equality through analysis of key feminist movements, figures and topics.

Digital Classroom

Introductory activities

To introduce this module, as a class discuss an issue that is important to the students and about which they have strong beliefs. This might be a complex issue (such as climate change) or a simple one (such as the date and location of the school formal).

Voting rights

  1. Divide the class in half and tell students that only half the class will be allowed to vote on this issue today.
  2. Ask the non-voting half of the class to become the observers, at which point they must remain silent.
  3. Have the voting half of the class discuss the issue. Ask them to come up with a yes/no question about this issue to be voted on, and conduct a ballot-style vote.

After the vote, ask the students:

  • If you were unable to vote, how did it feel when others were discussing the issue? What did you want to share but couldn’t?
  • If you were able to vote, how did it feel to have that right when others did not?
  • How could you hold a debate but make it a more equal experience?

Debate

Ask the students to conduct a debate in class, arguing for or against the proposition that the voting age be reduced to 15.

A group of women marches down a city street, holding various protest signs. Signs include messages like "Sexism is alive & living in Australia" and "Dress for comfort, not for style." A large sculpture is visible in the background.

John McKinnon & Australian Information Service, Women on the march wave their placards at the International Women's Day march, 1975, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137045864

Concluding activities

Dr Clare Wright, a leading academic commentator on women’s history, states that ‘feminism and federalism were intertwined’.

Listen to Clare Wright give an alternative view on the ‘birth of our nation’:

Where was Australia born?

Dr Wright contests the common belief that Australia was born on the shores of Gallipoli. She believes that it happened much earlier, with federalism and women’s suffrage.

  • Do you think Wright is correct?
  • What celebrations and monuments do we have in Australia to commemorate our military achievements?
  • How do we commemorate federalism and feminism? How are young people encouraged to connect with these parts of our history?
  • Imagine you have been tasked with designing and building a monument to women’s suffrage to stand in Canberra alongside our other national institutions.
  • How would you get young Australians involved?

Write a biography

Choose one of the women explored in this unit who have fought for women’s rights. Write a short biography of that person. In researching their life, consider:

  • their background and personal story and how this led them to become involved in the women’s movement
  • the era in which they were most effective, and what was happening in the wider women’s movement at that time
  • their achievements and the effects these had on the women’s movement.

Propaganda and advertisements

Consider a range of propaganda and advertisements used over the last 150 years to:

  • reinforce the gendered assumptions of the time
  • recruit women into wartime roles
  • cultivate compassion towards women and women’s issues (including domestic violence, abortion rights and pay equality). How have the imagery and messages changed over time?

First Nations womens rights

Prepare a three-minute speech to deliver your classmates about an Australian Aboriginal woman who has made inroads into First Nations women’s rights in Australia. You might consider speaking about: Faith Bandler, Pearl Gibbs, Lowitja O’Donoghue, Evelyn Scott, Gladys Elphick, Joyce Clague, Megan Davis, or another Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander woman.

Curriculum links

This resource is aligned with the Australian Curriculum: Modern History for Senior Secondary students, with specific reference to content descriptions for Unit 2: Movements for Change in the 20th Century, and specifically those that fall under the examination of ‘Women’s Movements’.

The resource meets cross-curriculum priorities and promotes the use of historical skills such as analysis and use of sources, perspective and interpretations, and explanation and communication.

  • The legal and political entitlements of women in Western societies, for example the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and France at the start of the 20th century, including their right to vote, their right to stand for Parliament, marriage law and property law (ACHMH062)
  • The role of suffrage movements in the 20th century, for example the reasons why political participation was a key objective of the movement for women’s rights (ACHMH063)
  • The significance of World Wars I and II for women and the effect of international agreements, for example the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights on the status of women (ACHMH064)
  • The early contribution of important individuals, including Vida Goldstein and Emmeline Pankhurst and the subsequent influence of authors, influential women and activists, for example Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, Kate Millett and Germaine Greer, on the changing nature of women’s demands after World War II (ACHMH065)
  • The post-war economic and technological improvements that changed women’s lives, for example new technologies in the home, the rise of consumerism and social networking (ACHMH066)
  • The post-war changes in social conditions affecting women, for example birth control with the introduction of the contraceptive pill; improved pay and employment opportunities; affirmative action; campaigns against violence, war and discrimination and the development of child care services (ACHMH067)
  • The importance of legislation in securing changes for women since World War II, for example, Roe vs Wade (US); the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Australia); the failure of the United States to ratify the 19th amendment on Equal Rights; the Equality Act of 2010 (UK); and the Human Rights Act of 2001 (New Zealand) (ACHMH068)
  • The achievements and legacies of women’s movements (ACHMH069)
Page published: 25 Oct 2024

Need help?

Our librarians are here to guide you.

Ask a librarian