Feminism and women leaders | National Library of Australia (NLA)

Feminism and women leaders

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Sappho Hildegard von Bingen Aphra Behn rare books
Great female writers of centuries past: Sappho to Aphra Behn

Explore early women writers in the Library's rare books collections up to the year 1700.

Blog
Two portrait photographs side by side. The one on the left is a sepia toned image of a woman with a 1950s hairstyle and a fur around her neck The one on the right is a black and white image of a woman with a 1950 hairstyle wearing a dark velvet-looking dress.
First Women in federal parliament - Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney

The National Library has recently digitised two letters from the collections of Enid Lyons and Dorothy Tangney.

News article
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, Women on the march wave their placards at the International Women's Day march, Melbourne, March 8, 1975, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137045864

Feminism in Australia

Module

Explore the evolution of women's rights in Australia from women's suffrage to contemporary movements like #MeToo in this learning module. 

 

Digital Classroom
Celia Craig, a woman with very short brown hair, smiling and holding large book of sheet music with the title 'Symphonic Overture'
Exploring the letters of legendary musician Miriam Hyde with Celia Craig

Read about Creative Arts Fellow Celia Craig's experience of exploring the papers of musician Miriam Hyde.

Blog
A woman sitting talking to a man while using a recorder.

David Moore, Portrait of Hazel de Berg interviewing physicist Professor Harry Messel, 1972, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-138001621

De Berg Collection

1290 recordings of interviews and readings from many of Australia's poets, artists, writers, composers, actors, academics, publishers, librarians, scientists, anthropologists, public servants and some politicians

Collection guide
Natasha Maimbo, a young woman of colour, standing in a mechanical engineering lab with pictures of telescopes behind her.
Celebrating women in STEM

New collection material online reveals stories of Australia’s women scientists.

Blog
Four ballet dancers posing with their arms out and leaning in various directions

Bodenwieser Ballet performance of Blue Danube Waltz, with Moira Claux, Elaine Vallance, Nina Bascolo and Biruta Apens, 1953, nla.obj-234841849

Capturing movement: Dance photography and Gertrud Bodenwieser

Explore the dance style of Gertrud Bodenwieser through photographs with 2023 National Library Fellow Wesley Lim.

Blog
Film poster for Brazen Hussies featuring a woman, yellow background and women's protestors, with pink and purple protest graphics

Brazen Hussies documentary film poster, and cover image, Unfinished Revolution by Virginia Haussegger, 2025 (detail)

Brazen Hussies: Then and now

We reflected on the women's liberation movement of the 1970s and examined what feminist activism looks like today. 

Event
Video
Bold Types
Bookmark This podcast, Season 2: Bold Types

Season two, Bold Types, is hosted by political reporter and author Amy Remekis. Based on the book by Dr Patricia Clarke, Bold Types celebrates the pioneering women who took the world of journalism by storm, with each episode featuring contemporary female journalists reflecting on their experiences and those of their forebears.

Audio
On the left, the cover of 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women' which features a faceless statue of a woman standing on a piles of books on a pink and blue background. On the right is a photo of author Sita Sargeant smiling.
Book Launch: She Shapes History with Sita Sargeant

Sita Sargeant launched her debut book, 'She Shapes History: Guided Walks and Stories About Great Australian Women'.

Event
Video
A black-and-white postcard depicting a forest scene with a large wooden structure resembling a natural shelter or barricade. The structure is made from wooden logs and branches, arranged in a semi-circle or arch. The dense forest in the background features tall trees, ferns, and thick underbrush, creating a secluded and mysterious atmosphere. The ground appears rough, with scattered debris and fallen logs. The image is reminiscent of a hidden or protected space within the wilderness.

Postcard of a sketch by William Knight of a native camp, Midlands, Tasmania, sketch made on the spot, 1924, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-3265441693

Bates Collection

Papers, maps, photographs and other publications largely relating to Daisy Bates' research on First Australians.

Collection guide
First Australians

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