March is Women's History Month!
This is a collaborative calendar that lists public events for Women's History Month. The events are hosted by a range of organisations - government, academic, professional and community-based - in the history sector.
If you are organising an event during March 2023, and if it relates to Women's History, we encourage you to publicise it here. We are using the #WomensHistoryMonth hashtag on social media and will help publicise your event.
Click on the 'Host your own event' button at the foot of this page to get started. Please note that there may be a delay (for moderation) before your event becomes visible on the website. Please email our Executive Officer on [email protected] to advise when you have added an event.
To download the Women's History Month logos to use on your promotions, please click here: Women's History Month logos
The concept of Women's History Month was revived by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria during 2019 with support from several interested organisations. This calendar is hosted by the History Council of Victoria.
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Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 02:30 PM
Yarra Room, Melbourne Town Hall in Melbourne , AustraliaQ&A Public commemoration here, now and future.
This is a conversation about public place naming and commemoration equality
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Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Old Treasury Building in Melbourne, AustraliaNever done: change and continuity in women’s work
‘A woman’s work is never done’ says the old saying, referring to the endless round of household tasks assigned to women in the past. Whether as ‘housewives’ or domestic servants, most women worked in the home throughout the nineteenth century, kept there by social conventions that barred women from many occupations. But from the 1860s other paid work began to emerge for women, in Victoria’s expanding manufacturing industry, and then later in office jobs. The rise and fall of manufacturing and the transformation of office work, is also a story of women’s changing world of work. Housework changed too, but slowly, and even now women perform far more household tasks than men. In this presentation Margaret Anderson reviews the history of women’s work in Victoria within the context of both continuity and change.
This talk is being held on Zoom.
The link to attend will be sent on the day of the talk.
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Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 05:00 PM
Online in Melbourne, AustraliaMaking Public Histories: A 'National Disgrace': the (long) history of violence against women in Australia
In October 2022 the new Federal Labor Government launched a ten-year plan to end the ‘national disgrace’ of violence against women and children in Australia. In this seminar Dr Zora Simic, Professor Lisa Featherstone and Dr Alana Jayne Piper will discuss their current research projects charting the history of violence against women in this country.
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Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 11:00 AM
Old Treasury Building in Melbourne, AustraliaDuty and Recognition in the Australian Women's Land Army
Were the Australian Women's Land Army really the Fourth Service? Many women who joined the Australian Women's Land Army, saw their war work as members of Australia's women's auxiliary services - they had the uniforms, the rules and regulations to follow, they would go wherever in the country they were sent, they would not unionise. Yet, by the time the war ended, it was made abundantly clear that they were not officially an auxiliary service, and they would not be granted any of the privileges of the services. In this presentation, Jessie Matheson explores the conditions under which AWLA workers lived and served, and what happened to them once the war was over.
This talk will be hosted via Zoom.
Attendee links will be sent on the day of the talk.
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online in Melbourne, Australia
A fascinating new Australian Midwifery History website has been created documenting midwives and midwifery practice from pre-colonial times to the modern day
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Australian Midwifery History Project would like to present our new website: https://australianmidwiferyhistory.org.au/.
The website outlines the history of midwifery in Australia as well as that of the Australian College of Midwives; it is the only site in Australia that contains this comprehensive source of information. Launched in December 2021, the site is a living history project so we are continuously adding new historical material as colleagues, families, local communities and others share valuable information and memories with us.
As you know, midwifery is one of the oldest recorded professions. All towns and cities throughout history would have had a local midwife. These women were important members of their communities. Besides attending women in childbirth, they were often the person who was called to assist families around death and dying.
Older members of your family or someone you know may have memories of one of these ‘Granny Midwives’ or of one of the growing number of professionally trained midwives who practised in the first half of the 20th Century in Australia. You may have knowledge of midwifery and childbirth for First Nations people, pre-colonisation. If so, we would love to hear from you on [email protected].
The website is for all who have an interest in the history of midwifery and childbirth in Australia. Please peruse at your leisure.