Best Political Resources For Women’s Issues and Politics
By Bethany Alvaro
Want to be informed about issues impacting women in politics? Or looking to ‘sink your teeth’ into a new political drama? Here’s our pick of some of the best media from around the globe, created by women and for women!
PODCASTS
Pantsuit Politics
Taking a “different approach to news”, Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers host a weekly double-episode podcast where together they discuss a range of both breaking and in-depth political news for listeners, along with a daily Substack post.
In recent episodes and blog posts, this podcast emphasises the importance of upholding democracy in politics, and with the hosts landing on opposing sides of the political spectrum, they are great women to spread this message. An excellent episode in April explored varying views on the US Medicaid proposal, with Sarah and Beth offering insightful commentary and bringing thoughtful and well researched perspectives to the topic.
This is a must-listen for anyone wanting to get a holistic and respectful discussion of contemporary US politics.
A Podcast of One’s Own
How could we make a list of the best political resources for women and not include one from Australia’s first and only female Prime Minister herself!
More than just being hosted by the former PM, this podcast, established in her role as Chair and Founder of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, is a great resource for anyone to learn about the stories of the impact women around the world are making to advance gender equality across society.
A fantastic recent listen was a live recorded episode where Gillard sat down with renowned Australian journalist Leigh Sales to discuss her role as one of Australia’s greatest journalists and the power of contemporary media.
The Better Politics Podcast
A politically hopeful podcast, this series explores not just the practice of politics, but the possibility of change that politics can bring. Produced by the Better Politics Foundation, based in Germany, former heads of state, politicians and academics join Lisa Witter to explore how governments and social institutions can cultivate “courageous, trusted and ethical leaders we need for the 21st century”.
We love the episode with Australian MP Kate Chaney, one of our alumni at WFE, about the “importance of crowd wisdom and optimism in challenging traditional political paradigms”. It’s an insightful and informative listen for anyone wanting ‘political hope’ during uncertain times.
Madame Speaker
Created by Hilma’s Network, an organisation focused on providing Liberal women with community, and raising money for female Coalition candidates, this podcast discusses the stories of women running as coalition candidates in federal elections.
The podcast “explores the diverse backgrounds, opinions, and visions of these women as they navigate the challenges of governance, leadership, and democracy”. The episodes offer great insight into the challenges, hardships, inspirations, and journeys that women have taken to be able to find the courage to run for office.
Ladies in the House
Produced by the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, this is a fantastic resource for young feminists!
Created with children in mind, these mini podcasts aim to celebrate the lives of a range of women who worked in Australia’s Old Parliament House from 1927-1988. Each episode offers insightful information about individual women’s experiences, and offers an activity for listeners, typically students, to complete.
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) podcast
A global, intergovernmental organisation that supports democracy worldwide, IDEA’s podcast focuses on challenges and opportunities to democratic processes. Each episode is a ‘deep dive’ into a topical issue, from AI’s impact on electoral processes, to rethinking political finance for a digital world, and ‘crisis proofing’ democracy and draws engages experts from around the globe.
WEBSITES
International Women's Development Agency
IWDA is an Australian organisation doing exceptional work, and their website is a great hub of information. From interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in positions of power, to breakdowns of how the national budget effects women, and discussions of how to be a feminist ally, this site covers the wide and ever-expanding scope of feminism in Australia and across the world.
Australian Women’s History Network Blog
Welcoming the works of feminist historians, professors, and writers, this fantastic blog explores a range of women’s issues across Australia. The insights from academic contributors spark conversation on contemporary issues with rich and deep Australian women’s history and ongoing fight for equality, making this blog a great resource and exceptional read.
Pathways to Politics Knowledge Hub
Pathways to Politics is an annual program delivered in partnership with eight Australian universities, designed to prepare women to run for public office. The Knowledge Hub contains a wide range of reports, news articles, speeches, interviews and research, all focused on women in politics.
Inter-Parliamentary Union
This global website is a fantastic resource that has a primary focus of being the global organisation representing national parliaments and promoting democracy. Their page on gender equality offers a range of well-researched information, statistics, and data on gender equality and women’s representation in politics around the world.
RADIO
FBi Backchat
For all the Sydney locals, Fbi radio’s flagship news and current affairs show is for you! Hosted by two women, tune in every Saturday morning to hear a mix of discussion of heavy political issues with local interviews, cut between local up and coming artists and the big names in music.
A great broadcast earlier this month regarding the discourse of choice and collective feminism offered great insight into how feminism has been changed socially, politically, and culturally in recent years with factors like the internet, influencing, and modern-day media.
FILM & TV
Ms Represented
One hundred years after Australia elected its very first female parliamentarian, this four-part ABC series, hosted by Annabel Crabb, provides a raw and honest account of politics from the female perspective. The show tackles important questions such as: how does the everyday experience and public perception of women in politics differ from that of men?
Brazen Hussies
Between 1965 and 1975, the Australian women’s liberation movement gained immense speed and significance – it was a groundbreaking era for Australian feminism. Director Catherine Dwyer cuts previously unknown and unused ASIO footage of protesting women, with interviews from marching women, to discuss the need for the feminist movement in Australia and why it is still relevant today. A must watch for Australian women, men, and feminists alike!
Total Control
This drama series, created by the ABC, focuses on the main character, Alex Irving’s experience as an Indigenous woman and federal Senator. The series explores the challenges as not only a woman, but as an Indigenous person in Australia’s government and political sphere. In 2024, Deborah Mailman won the 2024 Logie Award for Best Lead Actress in a Drama for her performance in the show.