Option theme 4: Breaking barriers for women in politics: the struggle for visibility and voice

In this theme, students examine the progression of gender equality in Australia and the world. Students explore past and present barriers and consider a range of strategies through which to advocate for and act on gender equality issues. Students investigate ways in which gender inequalities are perpetuated through the societal structures and barriers that are embedded in our everyday lives. In addition, students challenge their world view in order to rethink cultural norms and practices that contribute to inequality.

The four inquiry questions are:

1. To what extent are women the repressed majority in Australia?
2. How did the suffrage movement progress?
3. Are women recognised and heard?
4. Is the glass ceiling for women still a reality in society today?

In addressing inquiry question 1: ‘To what extent are women the repressed majority in Australia?’, students may consider:

• the South Australian experience
• parliamentary and party inequality
• female power and decision‑making beyond parliament
• selected international case studies.

Students may consider the experience of South Australian women who were first being legislated to vote. Students reflect on the reasons for the decline in female activism in politics, and examine the contemporary situation in which new barriers to equality in representation in politics at various levels have appeared. Students examine examples of outstanding female national leaders amid direct or indirect global repression.

In addressing inquiry question 2: ‘How did the suffrage movement progress?’, students may consider:

• the first wave of feminism
• subsequent waves of feminism
• evolution of tactics used in selected countries
• global areas of minimal progress.

Students trace the development of the struggle and the associated sacrifices of universal suffrage in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Students review debates around equality and the changing methods used to highlight and nominally end discrimination. They assess the effectiveness of the changing tactics employed to advance the suffrage movement. Students consider contemporary non‑Western and Western geographic areas of little progress — not only in less economically developed countries, but also in the more economically advanced countries.

In addressing inquiry question 3: ‘Are women recognised and heard?’, students may consider:

• daily experiences of discrimination
• significant inspirational literature
• past and current global voices
• Indigenous leadership figures.

Students may examine the overt and covert discriminatory practices affecting women’s lives, and reflect on challenges faced by women in making their voices heard. Students examine examples of written and digital works by female authors that challenge views on gender stereotypes. In addition, they review the impact of significant past and current global leaders, both male and female, as beacons of light in global darkness. Students examine case studies of Aboriginal leaders who have influenced change within and beyond their communities.

In addressing inquiry question 4: ‘Is the glass ceiling for women still a reality in society today?’, students may consider:

• women in political leadership
• the role of Australian parliaments in addressing the issue
• glass escalators and the bamboo ceiling
• the entertainment industry.

Students may investigate the extent to which women have achieved equality in positions of power, both inside and outside parliaments. Students investigate the acknowledged metaphor of a glass ceiling in a diverse range of areas in the wider community, including contemporary cases in the entertainment industry. Students explore reasons for the ongoing gender inequalities in Australian parliaments. They question current proposals, and suggest innovative solutions to reverse gender imbalances. Students explore discriminatory practices in a range of situations both in Australia and overseas, particularly in Asia and Africa.