The changing role of women in Australia has come about largely through waves of feminism. The first wave brought women the vote in federal and State elections. The colonies began to grant manhood suffrage halfway through the nineteenth century, however, women were not included in the begining. When Australia reached Federation in 1901, it was agreed that all women should be given the vote at a federal level since women from South Australia and Western Australia already had a State vote. In 1902 all women were given the vote in federal elections except for those who were Indigenous Australians, or of Asian, African or Pacific Islander descent.
Despite the enfranchisement, no woman was elected to an Australian parliament until 1921. The first federal female parliamentarians were not elected until 1943. This is just one example of how enfranchisement fell short of truly improving the lives of Australian women or changing attitudes about them.
Women were still seen as nurturers who had no other destiny than to marry and raise children. The few women who did work (excluding the wealthy who were involved in voluntary work) not only had to find paid work, but also had to carry the burden of all housework and child-rearing. The notion of what jobs a woman could do expanded during World War I, but women's role in public life was still very limited.
Factors which brought about the women's movement
Contrary to popular belief, women's groups and activists remained active throughout the decades in the lead-up to World War II. They continued to campaign on issues that affected women, such as the right to equal pay and the right for women to enter the professions, own property and participate in public life.
Despite the limited success in the area, this did not translate to any real change for women.
The 1930s were a hard time for women, particularly women of lower income groups of society, who had multiple hardships to endure because of the Depression and the primary task at hand was survival of their families.
World War II saw many women join the workforce due to necessity, taking up jobs that had previously been considered only for men. Whilst many were expected to give up their jobs to returned soldiers after the War, as they had done after World War I, social attitudes, towards what women were capable of doing, had changed post war era. Despite this, a woman’s attempts to achieve better conditions and pay for themselves in the workforce, in the post-war era was not an easy task, as the idea, that women should only be wives and mothers was still deeply entrenched in society. The conservatism of the post-war era had made it harder for women's movements to continue their momentum in the 1940s and 1950s.
Early feminists wrote books in the 1950s that questioned the roles of women. Women in Europe, the United States and Australia began to re-think long-held beliefs about femininity. Around the same time the contraceptive pill became available, allowing women greater control of their lives.
The Vietnam War sparked large protests in America and Australia which galvanised women. Realising that they were not treated as equals by their fellow male students and activists, women formed their own activist movement to seek liberation.
The women's liberation movement: methods and aims
The women's liberation movement grew very rapidly in Australia in a short space of time. Some women's groups sought to improve women's rights through existing power structures, including increasing women's representation in powerful institutions like parliament and unions. Other groups tried to find alternative forms of protest and expression. These women kept away from what they saw as a male-oriented power base and sought to change things through demonstrations aimed at raising the consciousness of all of society.
The main areas of concern for the women's movement were culture, education, health, and sexuality. Women expressed their opposition to patriarchy through art and literature as well as education at school and tertiary education level. Career paths, in professions that had previously been seen as exclusively male, such as sport and science, started opening up to women, while focus on meeting women's specific health and safety needs, including greater access to contraception, abortion and protection of violence from men, started to increase. Women recognised that one of the areas where there was inequality between men and women was sexuality and feminists began to explore alternative ideas of sexuality such as same-sex relationships or the choice of being single.
Success of the women's movement
The women's movement made huge changes to Australian society. Throughout the 1970s, 1980s and to a lesser extent the 1990s many initiatives were put in place in the areas of health, work, law, education and welfare that attempted to redress the imbalance between men's and women's power and opportunity. Women slowly began to infiltrate areas of power that had hitherto been closed to them and some attempted to use this power for the benefit of women in general.
Women's health clinics were set up around the country. Shelters and half-way houses were established for women escaping domestic violence. Women won official rights to equal pay and paid childcare. Some women were appointed to powerful positions in government, business and organisations. Laws encouraging equal opportunity were enacted around the country. Girls were encouraged to study subjects like science and sport that had always been male-dominated.
Women in Australia today
There are different views about how much impact the women's liberation movement has had on Australia. There is more recognition about violence against women but the violence has not necessarily decreased. Women have more choice over reproduction than they did until the 1960s. Women have been able to reach higher positions in politics, the professions and business. It is, however, far more difficult for women to attain these positions than it is for men. Laws attempting to create equal pay and equal opportunity for women do not automatically ensure these things for women. Women's and men's roles in the home have changed little despite the women's movement. Education has improved in terms of female/male equality. Overall there are greater possibilities for women now but there are still proportionately fewer women in key positions in the Australian workforce.

Equality laws
Women's rights are not fully protected in Australia.
Australia's Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (SDA) does not adequately address systemic discrimination or promote substantive equality – there is no general prohibition on sex discrimination; the burden for addressing sex discrimination is on individual complainants; intersectional discrimination is not adequately addressed; and exemptions to the Act, such as those for religious institutions, perpetuate unfair and unreasonable discrimination against women. Protection from discrimination against women in the workforce remains inadequate, particularly in the areas of pregnancy and family responsibilities. Proposed changes to the SDA, which will improve protections against sexual harassment, and discrimination on the basis of breastfeeding and family responsibilities, are welcome but further improvements are needed, such as those recommended in the 2008 Senate Committee Inquiry into the SDA. The Australian Government has committed to consolidating and harmonising federal anti-discrimination law into a single Act and to considering the unimplemented Inquiry recommendations as part of this process, but it is not yet clear how this will happen.
Inequality in business and the workplace
Women remain significantly underrepresented on boards and at senior management level. In 2010, only 8.4% of directors of the largest 200 publicly listed companies in Australia and 33.4% of government boards are women. Australia has recently introduced a new gender diversity target of 40% representation for both women and men on Australian Government boards. However the target of 40% applies when looking at the total number of women and men across all Australian Government boards – it does not address representation on individual government boards and may therefore have little impact.
The gender pay gap continues to widen, with women earning 82 cents in the male dollar (the biggest gap since 1994), and the gap is as big as 35% in some industries. The gender pay gap affects current incomes, living standards and the capacity of women to save for retirement. The report of the 2008-09 Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into pay equity, making it Fair, made a large number of recommendations to which the Government has not yet responded.
Violence Against Women
High rates of violence against women remain a major issue, with almost one-in-three Australian women experiencing physical violence and almost one-in-five women experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime. The government-appointed National Council to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children delivered its report in April 2009. In August 2010, the Australian Government released a draft National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and Children, but this has yet to be implemented fully.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience horrific levels of violence and are 35 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of spousal or partner violence than non-Indigenous women. Violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women is associated with a number of factors, including racism, dispossession, disadvantage and poor living conditions. Australia provides funding to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, however Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experience difficulties in accessing and gaining representation from these services. Australia has also funded family violence prevention legal services to provide services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, however these services are not available in all parts of Australia, including urban areas, and are not adequately funded for law reform and policy development work.
David Jones Sexual Harassment case:

Fristy Fraser-Kirk was sexually harassed by her boss, the CEO of David Jones Mark McInnes. This case was known as Australia’s largest sexually harassment cases.
Fristy Fraser-Kirk is a 27 year old woman, who worked at the retail division of one of Sydney’s larger department stores, David Jones (DJs). Whilst employed at DJs, Fraser-Kirk claimed that she was exposed to some unnecessary sexual harassment by her formal boss, Mr. McInnes; who in her opinion breached his duty of care to her. Fraser-Kirk states McInnes infringed upon her privacy by touching her and pulling her bra strap, also by lifting her up in a hug and trying twice to kiss her on the mouth - causing her loss and damage.
Fraser-Kirk declared that DJs knew how uncomfortable she was with Mr. Mclnnes. She was advised that if she wanted her boss to stop harassing her, she just needed to say no, firmly and clearly.
After this matter came to public attention, DJs and its directors allegedly made misleading statements, which were not in alignment with the retailer’s culture of sexual harassment. Fraser-Kirk believes this is a breach of the Fair Trading Act. Fraser-Kirk was not the only woman who had been sexually harassed by McInnes. Fraser-Kirk claims that there were several other women who were victims to McInnes inappropriate behaviour, and alleges that DJs knew about three of these women.
Fraser-Kirk believes she has incurred a considerable amount of loss and damages, from this incident. She and her lawyers have allegedly claimed a $37 million dollar compensation amount. Fraser-Kirk claims, that this money she is seeking, is not just for her loss, but for the other harassment victims as well.
With the figure so extremely high, some people may judge that this incident is just a publicity stunt. However, due to the high profile nature of the case, the media attention has been very high. The high profile of this case should encourage other women to speak out.
Fraser-Kirk believes that if other women see her seeking a $37 million dollar settlement, this will push higher penalties for this behaviour to not occur in the workplace. Fraser-Kirk also believes the $37 million dollar figure will send a message that she hopes all employees will respond to. As the majority of staff at DJs are women, it is likely that a huge percentage have been subjected to some form of sexual harassment.
McInnes resigned from his position at DJs and left the country, before the claim was lodged. He was allegedly paid $2 million by DJs.

In conclusion, Fraser-Kirk battled with some scrutiny from the media, after the release of the payout figure she was seeking. The media questioned her sincerity, after alleged photos were posted on facebook showing her smiling and apparently relaxed. However, Fraser-Kirk has attempted to send a message that sexual harassment is not accepted in the workplace, nor should it be tolerated. She has made an example of the retailer David Jones and encouraged other women to feel strong enough to also speak out about their experiences with sexual harassment. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-news/david-jones-sexual-harassment-case-settled/story-e6freuzi-1225939386247Source: The Daily Telegraph http://www.theage.com.au/business/no-gets-no-firmer-than-a-37-million-lawsuit-20100803-115el.html#ixzz2POQdHnBd. The needs of particular women
Different population groups amongst women, experience a diverse range of difficulties. There is limited access to family violence and sexual assault services in rural and remote areas. Women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face difficulties in reporting violence and accessing culturally appropriate accommodation. Violence against women with disabilities often goes undetected, unreported or uninvestigated, and there is a lack of access to appropriate services, including crisis accommodation, for women with disabilities. Violence against women identifying as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual or intersex within relationships often goes unacknowledged by national anti-violence strategies. Higher rates of violence, are also experienced by women of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
Three major government-commissioned reports have found that the family law system does not respond effectively to issues of family violence. As part of its last election platform, the Australian Labor Party had committed to amending legislation responding to these reports but has not done so since being re-elected.

What the UN Human Rights Council recommended in the Universal Periodic Review
In January 2011 Australia was reviewed by the UN Human Rights Council during the Universal Periodic Review (or UPR) (a process whereby the human rights performance of all UN member states is reviewed by other states). In June 2011 Australia provided its response to the 145 recommendations made by the Human Rights Council.
The Government has accepted over 90 per cent of the recommendations and has committed to incorporating the recommendations it has accepted into the National Human Rights Action Plan.