OPINION
Women's voices stifled while men run media
Julia Baird The way to stop women's views getting short shrift in public arenas is for more female bosses to give them the bully pulpit.
It wasn't a political stunt, it was a moment of clarity
Dan Andrews Remove politics from kids being returned to Nauru and the answer becomes clear.
Romance and the single girl
Wendy Squires 12:00 AM Contentedly single, Wendy Squires is happy to skip the sentimental gestures of Valentine's Day.
The four predictably basic moves of men's rights activists
Clementine Ford The good thing about sexist trolls is their predictability.
Refugee crisis
A letter to young Australians about the refugee crisis
Osman Faruqi "We have to make sure that when our kids are growing up, it isn't against the same backdrop of harsh policies we've experienced," writes Osman Faruqi.
Ruby Hamad
Are smarter people less racist?
Ruby Hamad For some time, researchers have thought so. But a new study indicates it's not so simple, writes Ruby Hamad.
Asian dudes
Asian-Australians – despite accounting for a tenth of our population – rarely see themselves on TV.
Clem Bastow
We need more women in power. But we also need the right ones
Clem Bastow "The notion that women must support each other come hell or high water for no reason other than 'women should stick together', or words to that effect, is as infuriating as it is infantile," writes Clem Bastow.
The conditioning that enables rapists to reoffend
Clem Ford: "Sexual assault perpetrators carry the conditioning that there will always be a drunk girl, a stray, a slut, a stupid woman who should have known better,"
Recognise
Why Constitutional Recognition isn't necessarily the answer to improving Indigenous rights
There are good reasons the Indigenous community is supporting a treaty over Constitutional Recognition.
Sovereign borders
Why we need a reminder about Australia's imperialist history with Nauru
If Australian borders are 'strong', it is only because for over a century we've treated our neighbours' borders with contempt, writes Alecia Simmonds.
Smug swimmers
How I became everything I hated, and loved it
Benjamin Law "Despite weekly swimming lessons, my siblings and I were terrible at anything water-related", writes Benjamin Law. Now he's about to swim his first Cole Classic.
Modern workplaces still not suited to modern families, research shows
Judith Ireland When MPs came back to Canberra for the start of the parliamentary year, they arrived to an apparently revolutionised institution.
Jo Stanley
We need a better vocabulary to describe emotional emergencies
Jo Stanley Jo Stanley wrestles solo with a 3am anxiety attack and wonders - is there a way to share the pain?
Our faves may be problematic, but here's why I'm standing by mine
"Having problematic faves doesn’t weaken my convictions – it encourages me to be a more critical consumer."
Nauru: How long can we keep lying to ourselves?
The history of asylum seeker policy in Australia will be remembered as a story of how successive governments legislated their lies to justify a world of make-believe borders and compliance.
What on earth is happening in American politics?
American politics are being transformed during the current presidential contest and it is impossible to say at present just where they will end up – let alone which of the still surviving candidates will win the White House.
Clementine Ford
Four signs that feminism is working in 2016
The tireless efforts of women activists are making huge inroads every day - and here's the proof, writes Clementine Ford.
Rape and racism
When the safety of women is used as a pretext for racism
Ruby Hamad False rape claims are extremely rare. But why did this teenager's obvious fib spread even after she owned up to it?
Jo Stanley
A bump in the night
Jo Stanley Jo Stanley wrestles solo with a 3am anxiety attack and wonders - is there a way to share the pain?
Does the colour of your skin affect your chances on the rental market?
Jenna Price Academic Heather MacDonald has devised an experiment that exposes racism in the real estate industry.
Student sexism
Are student evaluations fair on female teachers?
Alecia Simmonds There are compelling reasons for universities to ditch student evaluations as a tool for assessing professors.
Impostor syndrome
How to move through the world with the confidence of a mediocre white guy
Clem Bastow After that real-world confidence that only comes with being shown you're number one from birth? Here's how to get it, writes Clem Bastow.
What groups like Return of Kings say about domestic terrorism
Jennie Hill This is why it's so important to speak out about groups like Return of Kings and Real Social Dynamics and others.
How to make losers like Roosh V irrelevant
Eleanor Robertson Instead of playing visa whack-a-mole, the proven effective technique is to shut them down at the source of their power over women.
Street harassment
We need to talk about 'fatcalling' - not just catcalling
Catherine Bouris The mainstream feminist narrative surrounding catcalling doesn't allow much room for experiences like mine, writes Catherine Bouris.
Lost boys
Boys just being boys shouldn't be the norm
Jenna Price The struggle for our society is to bring up young men who value relationships and act respectfully, to women and to men. That will require a complete overhaul of the way we undertake parenting.
How the Zika virus will affect women's reproductive rights
Clementine Ford Why this is potentially a watershed moment for a countries like El Salvador, where birth control is limited and abortion is still a crime.
'Speak English'
The two words that are holding us back from true diversity today
Jenny Noyes The more monolingual we become, the more difficult it is to conceive of different ways of thinking.
Why do Australians love to queue so much?
Josephine Tovey Long lines used to be a universal trigger for whingeing and despair. Now we've somehow turned a nation of queuers.
I'm filled with freudenfreude and it feels pretty good
Julia Baird When one of your friends stands up on a cold wet day in Canberra to speak about a dream she has fought for and made real, you all stand just that little bit taller.
Just dismiss the issue as being PC
Judith Ireland It would appear that we are in the grip of an epidemic.
Marriage equality
Genuine marriage equality is more than overdue
Gillian Triggs Imagine seeing the words "never married" on your new husband's death certificate. As if the grief of losing your husband while honeymooning wasn't traumatic enough.
What Roosters captain Mitchell Pearce's lewd act says about the NRL's culture of entitlement
Clementine Ford Pearce's latest misconduct is about so much more than his disgusting, drunken behaviour towards a dog.
Mental Illness
Why speaking up about mental illness is a privilege
Anna Spargo-Ryan The only reason I'm able to share my experiences with mental illness is that I do so with little risk, writes Anna Spargo-Ryan.
Ted Cruz, stop using Australian rape victims to get yourself elected
Josephine Tovey Australian women don't want Ted Cruz's fake concern. Most are relieved and proud to live in a country where access to firearms is heavily regulated and our lives are infrequently, if ever, touched by gun violence.
The five kinds of guys who would buy a 'period tracker for men'
Clem Bastow Yep, we're talking about the app that promised to help your average bro out: "Track her cycle, keep your sanity."
Australia Day Honours: It can't be true that the wealthiest are our best role models
Jenna Price What does Australia Day honours list look like if we broke it down by postcodes? Jenna Price finds out.
What the? Australia's latest diversity advocate is a straight, white, male
Judith Ireland You could be forgiven for waking up this morning and thinking perhaps it is not Australia Day, but April Fools instead.
Pregnancy police
It's my choice to drink caffeine, not a barista's
Alexandra Smith I had been looking forward to a coffee for hours. That was until the barista looked at my 27-week bump over his counter and shook his head.
Australia Day
Why are people still 'proud' of the British empire and its colonial legacy?
Ruby Hamad You cannot divorce the success of British colonialism from its atrocities, writes Ruby Hamad.
How do we end the cycle of 'brotection' that shields popular men?
Clementine Ford What the sexual harassment revelations in the US indie music scene say about the toxic culture of 'brotection'.
Australia Day
If we're serious about reconciliation, we need to change the way we celebrate our national day
Natalie Ahmat "January 26 will always be the anniversary of the day the first British settlers arrived, and it will always be a sad day for Indigenous Australians," writes Natalie Ahmat.
Women shouldn't have to be punching bags so men can cope
Kasey Edwards The attitude that women exist purely to make men’s lives better is the at the heart of the domestic violence problem.
'Free speech'
Five common defences for the 'right to be offensive'
Matilda Dixon-Smith And all the reasons why they don't stack up.
Invasion Day
How to show solidarity with Indigenous Australians this Invasion Day
Celeste Liddle Celeste Liddle on the things you can do to not erase the views, history and struggle of Indigenous people on this national holiday.
M&C; Saatchi's birthday stunt shows advertising is still a man's world
Jane Caro A female stripper emerges from a birthday cake wearing a Louis Vuitton bag on her head? It seems, gentlemen, you have an image problem.
Violence against women is never caused by a 'broken heart'
Clementine Ford The myth of the Damaged Man only ever results in the supposed pain of perpetrators being priorised above the lives of his victims.
Every battle matters in the fight for equality
Joel Meares The case of British husbands David and Marco Bulmer-Rizzi shows there is still a way to go for equality in Australia.
Feminist politics
The definitive ranking of this government's engagement with feminist issues
Ruby Hamad Nine feminist issues ranked in descending order of importance to the Australian government.
#SayTheWord: Why I'm reclaiming the word 'disabled'
Jax Jacki Brown Disability activist Lawrence Carter-Long is campaigning to reclaim the term 'disabled', here is why Jax Jacki Brown agrees.
Here come the Habibs
Here's why 'Here come the Habibs' isn't funny
Candy Royalle The show panders to so many stereotypes and racist ideas that it's hard not to feel angry, writes Candy Royalle.
Gender roles
Five products overdue for a gender overhaul
Clem Bastow Advertising agencies, please send all intellectual property royalty cheques to Clem Bastow.
Refugee crisis
The ever-present threat of sexual violence for women and child refugees
Diana Sayed Fleeing the atrocities of war and leaving behind your home is traumatic enough, but for too many female Syrian refugees, the journey through Europe is providing anything but a safe haven.
Andrew P Street
How Australia casually discriminates against non-English speakers
Andrew P Street "Maybe we could start behaving as though people from overseas should be not just suspiciously tolerated, but actively made welcome," writes Andrew P Street.
Free the Nipple
Why are so many men outraged by a Free The Nipple picnic?
Clementine Ford "I have never seen a group of people more likely to have a collective meltdown over perceived exclusion than white men."
We shouldn't need a petition to stop pick up artists from exploiting women
Kasey Edwards If we're serious about tackling violence towards women then putting out spot fires is not good enough
Was it rape if the victim didn't fight back?
Clementine Ford Clem Ford on why this is a question no one should need to be asking.
Place your bets
16 predictions you can bet your bottom dollar on for 2016
Dom Knight Dom Knight has donned his Nostradomus hat and peered into his tisane leaves to try and forecast what's likely to happen.
Operation Boomerang
Why it's important to fight everyday cultural erasure
Ruby Hamad No national holiday can be a cause for unbridled celebration when it hinges on erasing the reality of a violent past.
