Women on Top
Hannah Ferguson | Jane Caro | Farhana Dawood
Statistics can sometimes paint a rosy picture. Women now make up half of federal parliamentarians in Australia, more women graduate from university than men, and over 60% of Australia’s Winter Olympic team in 2026 were women.
But the reality of gender equality and progress is disappointingly stagnant if not downright regressive and concerning. From the alarmingly high prevalence of gendered violence online and in relationships, to the burden of the mental load in household chores, to the uneven playing field in which women are promoted and paid. When even the most accomplished women are exposed to everyday misogyny and double standards, the question must be asked: is this the kind of progress the feminist foremothers had in mind?
Join authors and leading women’s advocates, Hannah Ferguson and Jane Caro alongside journalist Farhana Dawood as they explore the reality of gender equality. Women on Top will be a candid conversation about feminism in the age of the manosphere, the real and perceived gains and losses in Australia and globally, and how we can confront the truth.
LIVE EVENT & VENUE INFORMATION
Leighton Hall is located inside the John Niland Scientia Building at UNSW Sydney's Kensington campus (G19). Please note this is a live event only, and will not be available via livestream.
TICKETS
ACCESS
Wheelchair Access
The closest accessible drop off point to Leighton Hall is via Gate 11, Botany Street. More information on getting there can be found via our interactive accessibility map available here.
Assisted Listening
Leighton Hall has hearing assistive technology available. Patrons wishing to utilise this service must collect a Roger™ inductive neck loop receiver from the venue staff, and this system can be used with a hearing aid or cochlear implant with a T-coil, or with headphones.
Auslan & Captioning
Auslan interpreting services and/or live captioning can be provided for selected talks upon request.
Contact
To book and discuss access services, please call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485 or email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT & PARKING
Leighton Hall (John Niland Scientia Building) is easily accessible via public transport. The closest light rail stop is the UNSW High Street (L2 line) and the closest bus stop is UNSW Gate 14, Barker Street (303). For more information please call the Transport Infoline on 131 500 or visit transportnsw.info.
Free parking is also available in the Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) from 5.30pm. For access to free parking, event patrons must park in the UNSW Permit Holder bays, available on all levels. The Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) parking station is located here.
Paid casual and visitor parking is offered via the CellOPark App and ‘pay by plate meters’ in all other UNSW car parks. The Botany St Car Park (Gate 11) parking station is the closest to the venue, and is located here. For more information head here.
PROGRESS FOR ALL
Social cohesion, the connectedness of people to each other and their trust in the institutions that give society structure, is an important element of societal stability and security. As challenges to social cohesion increase, bridging divides to foster inclusive communities becomes an increasingly urgent and critical issue.
In the next decade, UNSW will continue efforts to strengthen societal resilience, security and cohesion. This will build on our significant education and research into human rights, justice, resilience, cohesion and inequality across Australia and the Asia Pacific region. We will focus on enabling access, ensuring equity and building trust in the digital age, through active participation in policy development, our deep research expertise, and genuine engagement with the people, communities and partners throughout our region.
You can read more about our objectives in our UNSW Strategy: Progress for All.
CONTACT
For all enquiries, please email centreforideas@unsw.edu.au or call the Centre for Ideas on 02 9065 0485.
The Centre for Ideas is happy to receive phone calls via the National Relay Service. TTY users, phone 133 677, then ask for 02 9065 0485. Speak and Listen users, phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 02 9065 0485. For more information on all other relay calls visit here.
Hannah Ferguson
Hannah Ferguson is the founder and CEO of Cheek Media, and a Forbes 30 under 30 honouree. She is also the co-host of news and pop culture podcast, Big Small Talk. Hannah is the bestselling author of two books, Bite Back (2023) and Taboo (2024). Hannah has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing from The University of Queensland. Her work has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper's Bazaar, InStyle, the Sydney Morning Herald, and Crikey.
Jane Caro
Jane Caro AM is a Walkley award winning columnist, author, novelist & social commentator. She occasionally appears on TV, regularly on radio, makes a lot of speeches and writes often in SMH, Age &The Saturday Paper. She is on the board of the Public Education Foundation. She was awarded the B&T Women in Media Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. She is a feminist and an advocate for public education. She’s written 14 books. Her two latest novels The Mother and Lyrebird are best sellers. She is working on a third (best seller, she hopes).
Farhana Dawood
Farhana Dawood is a journalist and academic. As a journalist she has worked for the BBC, ABC and SBS. After living in London for 20 years, she returned to Sydney in 2022, joining the ABC to launch their On Demand News Stream. At the BBC she produced their most successful podcast, The Global News Podcast. She travelled the world for the BBC, living and reporting from the Middle East and Europe. Her academic career has spanned Goldsmiths at the University of London, University of Sydney, UNSW and Western Sydney University. At UNSW she launched and presented The Journalism Podcast.
