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This episode of The C-Word with Catharine Redden comes to you from a spare bedroom in Loxton, South Australia. The sound is a little echoey. The ideas are not.

Today is not a rage episode. It’s a recalibration.

Using the Macquarie Dictionary definitions of sexism and feminism as a starting point, I walk through 115 years of legal, cultural and structural change for women in Australia and beyond. From the 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act to the criminalisation of marital rape in 1992. From the marriage bar to paid parental leave. From my Nana’s life, born in 1910, to the unfinished business of 2026.

This episode asks:

What does it mean when women are not counted in the design phase of life?

What does progress actually look like?

And what is still unresolved?

Feminism is not hostility toward men. It is structural correction. It is generational recalibration in systems that were not designed with us in mind.

This episode is dedicated to my Nanna ~ 

Evelyn Maud Eime (née Smith)

Born 14 February 1910 – Died 2010

Never far from my heart.

Further reading and influences for this episode include 

‘Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men’ by Caroline Criado Perez

‘The Beauty Myth’ by Naomi Wolf. 

I’ll also be writing on Substack about other texts that have shaped my feminism and understanding of structural inequality.

Content Note

We discuss women’s bodies, medical systems, trauma, and other hard-to-talk-about stuff. Also, I swear. A lot.

Support

These resources aren’t included as a formality. Catharine has personally used several of these services during hard and frightening times.

Australia | 24/7

• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (ages 5–25)
• 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732
• Emergency 000

Outside Australia, local crisis services are available.

Community

Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/zjooshyoursocials

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/catharine.redden/

Support the podcast
https://catharineredden.substack.com

https://buymeacoffee.com/CatharineRedden

Credits

Recorded on the lands of the Ramindjeri and Ngarrindjeri peoples.

Sovereignty never ceded.

Recorded & edited at Ridley Farm Studio by Luke Ridley

https://ridleyfarmstudio.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/ridleyfarmstudio/

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The C-Word with Cath...