Women's rights

In 19th century Victoria women couldn't vote and were paid less than men for doing the same job.

Times have changed, and in the 21st century, some areas of women's rights have come a long way. Learn how these changes came about – how Vida Goldstein fought for women's suffrage, how Zelda D'aprano battled for equal pay, and how Victoria's first women's hospital came about.

In Victoria, it's taken over 100 years for equality of the sexes to be legally realised.
The struggle for female suffrage in Victoria took decades of lobbying and hard work.
Victorian women's political rights didn't come without a struggle. Leading the battle was a woman called Vida Goldstein.
The Australian medical profession was a man's world until ten Melbourne women took it upon themselves to make a change.
A key figure in the campaign for Equal Pay for women was Zelda D'Aprano, a working-class crusader prepared to take action.
In 1970, an Australian author wrote a bestselling book that helped define women's rights around the world.