Call the Midwife’s radical vision of single women

Highly acclaimed BBC drama Call the Midwife has been praised for its ability to be both cosy and gritty at the same time – presenting a heart-warming vision of a close-knit community in 1960s London, while refusing to shy away from dark and complex issues. A nun develops post-traumatic stress after being attacked, neglected children fend for themselves, dozens of babies are born without limbs; … Continue reading Call the Midwife’s radical vision of single women

erinmollenhauerJune 17, 2018June 17, 2018Leave a comment

Feminism, Gender

Women’s hair as identity

I know a woman with four daughters. They all have thick lustrous hair down to their waists. Most days they braid it or hold it up in a bun with the biggest hairclips you can buy. Except on Sundays, when they all wear it loose. “My husband likes to see me and the girls with our hair loose,” says the mother. “People at church think … Continue reading Women’s hair as identity

erinmollenhauerApril 25, 2018April 25, 2018Leave a comment

History

Enlightened women of the Dark Ages

Partly due to the passage of time, the Middle Ages tends to be generally viewed as a foggy mixture of mud, crusades, plague and feudalism. Protestants tend not to take much notice of this era, skipping from the early church straight to the Reformation. Medieval history tends to be quite Eurocentric, and was idealised by the Victorians who liked the concept of chivalry because they … Continue reading Enlightened women of the Dark Ages

erinmollenhauerJanuary 30, 2018January 30, 2018Leave a comment

Literature

Jane Austen’s friendships

Jane Austen, possibly the most well-known female English novelist, is the author of what are considered to be the greatest love stories in western literature. The explosion in her popularity over the last twenty years (mostly due to that lake scene) and subsequent influence on popular culture has turned her into something of an authority on love and romance. But a closer reading of her … Continue reading Jane Austen’s friendships

erinmollenhauerJanuary 14, 2018January 14, 2018Leave a comment

History, Opinion

How bluestockings can change the world

Writing in last weekend’s Australian, Bettina Arndt who is best known as a sex therapist, expressed concern that many of the women who comprise around 60% of Australian university graduates are emerging from their studies as “fully fledged social justice warriors.” She is particularly worried that it is mostly women who are taking arts courses, particularly gender studies, which is indoctrinating them with left wing … Continue reading How bluestockings can change the world

erinmollenhauerDecember 17, 2017December 27, 2017Leave a comment

History, Politics

I’m no lady: May Holman MLA and other women in public life

May Holman (1893-1939) was Australia’s first female Labor parliamentarian, winning the WA state seat of Forrest in 1925 and holding it through the next four elections. After Edith Cowan, she was the second woman in Australia to be elected to parliament. Since her constituents were mostly timber workers, she worked to improve their conditions and helped introduce the Timber Industries Regulation Act 1926. “Surely it … Continue reading I’m no lady: May Holman MLA and other women in public life

erinmollenhauerNovember 11, 2017Leave a comment

Gender, Opinion

No, you can’t say whatever you want: why free speech should be tempered with kindness

[content notice: discusses suicide, online abuse, rape] In a democratic society, freedom of speech is frequently in the news. Attempts to alter section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, to replace “offend, insult & humiliate” with “harass and intimidate”, were fortunately stymied in Parliament. Contrary to popular belief, the Australian Constitution does not expressly protect freedom of expression. Many people get their ideas on … Continue reading No, you can’t say whatever you want: why free speech should be tempered with kindness

erinmollenhauerOctober 21, 2017October 21, 2017Leave a comment

History

Birthing on country: Indigenous midwifery and the Mt Margaret Mission

Giving birth was strictly women’s business in Indigenous communities – in some areas the woman in labour would lean against a ‘birthing tree’, in other places she would squat over a hollow in the earth lined with soft grass. Other women in attendance assisted with such pain relief as they are able, such as pouring cold water on the abdomen. When the child was born, … Continue reading Birthing on country: Indigenous midwifery and the Mt Margaret Mission

erinmollenhauerOctober 2, 2017October 15, 20172 Comments

Erin Gwendoline

Stories, ideas and issues I care about…