The Women's Agenda Podcast

How can we expect more women to be in leadership roles, when just seven per cent of managerial positions are part-time? We discuss ways that companies can shift their leadership model to give more women a seat at the table. Speaking of which, earlier this week Tarla sat down with Australian philanthropist and businesswoman Carol Schwartz about VC funding for female entrepreneurs and female-founded...

Is it enough to “hope” for more diversity in next year’s Startup Muster top mentors list? As a female mentor of Angela Priestly’s once told her, hope is not a strategy. It’s clear after the 2023 Startup Muster report’s first version of the top eight mentors in the sector that we must find a better action plan to have more diversity and inclusion in Australia’s startups. This week, we also take a l...

We have two special guests on this week’s episode of The Crux ! First, Angela Priestley speaks with Katherine Berney from the National Women’s Safety Alliance on the epidemic of family and domestic violence in Australia. Katherine, who received the Emerging Leader in the Not-For-Profit Sector Award at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards last month, shares her views on the last week, where we saw...

WARNING: This episode contains references of sexual assault and rape. If you want to avoid this content, skip from 5:45 to 10:03. PSA: Female business owners are not “side hustlers” – just try running Women’s Agenda for a day! It’s not something we can do in our free time. But not everyone thinks the same. It’s time people start taking female-owned businesses more seriously, especially since addre...

One week on from our Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards, and we are still on a high! It was a fantastic evening shared with the most talented, hard-working, inspiring women in the country. Thanks to all who attended – see you next year! It’s also one week on from the failed Voice to Parliament referendum, and we reflect on the Week of Silence some Indigenous leaders have committed to. We ask – where...

This week, the world has watched on as the conflict between Israel and Hamas unfolded. In today’s episode, we discuss what we know so far and how it will impact women and girls caught in the middle, particularly off the back of International Day of the Girl Child. We managed to find some bright spots amidst the darker news we’ve seen, including Cheng Lei’s release from Chinese prison, plus the VC...

Among many other things, boy math is not counting women for awards and on lists. This week, Katalin Karikó and Anne L’Hullier won Nobel Prizes in medicine and physics, but there is still a long way to go in recognising the achievements of women in all fields. Why do we think this? A list from LinkedIn on the top Australian startups in 2023 featured 32 men and just one woman. Boy math… On this epis...

Global media mogul Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as the head of News Corp and Fox News. His successor? His son, Lachlan. The Murdoch media empire continues… In this episode, we discuss the damning allegations against British comedian Russell Brand, plus the moment Jann Wenner from Rolling Stone said women and POC were not “articulate” enough to feature in his book celebrating Rock n Roll Hall of...

In this week's episode, we interview sexual consent activist Chanel Contos. Her new book Consent Laid Bare: Sex, Entitlement & the Distortion of Desire will hit the shelves on September 12. Be sure to pick up a copy! Speaking of consent, we are still talking about the infuriating case of Luis Rubiales and his non-consensual kiss with Jenni Hermoso after the FIFA Women's World Cup. He's been su...

It's been a while since we've heard anything from Nick Kyrgios... so he's put his two cents in about the Queensland government's announcement to erect a statue of the Matildas at Suncorp Stadium. He reckons it's "nuts", and former Australian basketball player Andrew Bogut thinks we should "move on". Sounds like someone's a little salty they don't get a statue... On this week's episode, we also dis...

We tried so hard to not talk too much about The Matildas… but we couldn’t help ourselves – we’re just so proud! Although the Aussies went down to the English Lionesses on Wednesday, we still see it as a win for women. Speaking of wins, Mark Latham has been sacked by Pauline Hanson as leader of One Nation NSW, and ASX top 20 organisation Transurban has a new female CEO, Michelle Jablko. Out with th...

Did you ever think we would go  backwards  in gender parity within government cabinets around the world? Neither did we. It’s happening in countries like Hungary, where they now have an all-male cabinet.   On a more positive note, the Matildas v Canada Women’s World Cup match became Channel 7’s most watched program of the year. We think Brazilian soccer icon Marta’s brilliant press...

We're interrupting our regular schedule to share this important interview with Professor Megan Davis! Megan is a Cobble Cobble woman from south-west Queensland with a long and impressive international career, and someone who is instrumental in The Voice debate and the upcoming referendum. Megan has just published a new book, co-authored with George Williams and published by UNSW Press, Everything...

When is a good time to take a call from you mum? Likely not on air, especially if you've lacked kindness and respect. Michele Bullock will replace Phillip Lowe at the RBA, a win or much of the same thing? Equal pay and the FIFA Women's World Cup. And we talk about Imposter Syndrome. Is social media making it worse? Likely, possibly, it all depends. Stories discussed this week include: Meet Michele...

If you "choose" to work from home, then you're saving time and money! As one 1990s premier proposed this week, how about taking a pay cut to support productivity and pay rises elsewhere? We discuss the idea, just as one of the country's biggest employers is set to offer more guaranteed flexibility. Elsewhere, we dive into a discussion on 'boundaries' as red flags to controlling behaviour, thanks t...

Good news, we've got only 131 years to wait for gender equality! That's according to the latest World Economic Forum report. In the meantime, we'll take heart in the Australian version of The Office putting a woman in charge. Also discussed, the "health leave" that men in politics take when they get found out, plus how only one in five Dad feels supported by their workplace during their partner's...

We find the wins in an otherwise difficult week on progress for women at work, given what's happened in parliament. We look at a new app for reporting racism and sexual misconduct, the Hollywood actors calling out ageism, and share an excellent interview with Effie Zahos, author and one of Australia's leading personal finance commentators. But also this week we delve into the 'dehumanising' of sex...

Feeling the cost of living crunch from rising rates, rent and everything else? RBA Governor Philip Lowe has the answer: just work more hours and spend less! Why didn't we think of that already? Also this week, we celebrate some of the women behind Kathleen Folbigg's release, and what they show about long-term friendship and the power of science. We ask if extending school hours to 6pm is the answe...

How and why are women the public face of the PwC tax scandal, when men made the mess? Plus we look at the Ben Roberts-Smith saga and defamation law in Australia. And the founder turned CEO who was ousted from her position -- and the advice Kristy Carr now has for other entrepreneurs. Plus! We have an interview with Tracey Spicer, following the release of her excellent new book Man Made. Check out...

What happens when a CEO shares a photo of herself breastfeeding her daughter during a team meeting? Plenty of positive things, but also misogyny. Also the significant and life-saving reduction in wait times to access paid parental leave. Stan Grant’s emotional words and call for the media to do better. Inaccessible and unaffordable childcare in regional Australia, and how it’s holding families bac...

Was it really a Budget for women? And one big tech appointment points to the 'glass cliff' phenomenon -- the idea of a woman being given a job when the likelihood of success in the role is already seriously compromised. Plus a new take on the extreme mental load on mothers, we look at all the latest stories and conversations from the past week. And in a special interview this week, we speak to Ing...

We talk the latest stories on Women's Agenda including Jarryd Hayne’s guilty verdict, Sanna Marin’s election defeat and what it signals for female leadership, and the gender pay gap bill that might just be a game changer.  The Cruz is produced by Agenda Media, also publisher of Women's Agenda. Stories discussed this week include: The beauty of age: 106yo tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od becomes old...

Polipedia founder Su Dharmapala joins The Crux to talk through the latest stories on Women's Agenda. This week that includes the latest data on what Australians think about violence against women, as well as what we learned about politics potentially being done differently, following the NSW state election. Also, we ask how just 3 per cent of VC funding went to all-women-founded startups in 2022 -...

Past your prime? Never. Michelle Yeoh's epic call on success and the true nature of the time it takes to achieve it. We look at the women's vote in the democracy Scott Morrison once celebrated, two years since he proudly said protesters were lucky not to be met by bullets -- like they are in other countries. We delve into the world of breastfeeding in courtrooms, and the judge that keeps booting w...

No purple cupcakes here. This IWD week, we talk the 100% of early educators who need a pay rise, the "jobs for mates" bill that needs to get heard, and the massive Climate Load women in Australia are taking on, an area we've researched extensively as our major report on the issue is released. Also, special guest Labor MP Sally Sitou joins the podcast to share more on her first year in politics and...