It’s International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate women’s achievements. A day which male politicians will inevitably make about themselves.

This year’s theme is “Choose to Challenge”: choose to challenge gender bias, gender inequality and men saying dumb things. Australian women have done spectacularly well at calling out the crap in recent months.

Here at Crikey, women have stood up to the leaders of our country, demanding a better response to sexual violence — or in the case of Madonna King, rewriting what the response should have been. Tory Shepard has highlighted how our prime minister is paying us nothing but lip service, while Karen O’Connell questioned whether we’re in a new era of dealing with sexual harassment.

It’s not been an easy start to the year, but let’s not forget 2020 was enormous too, from women taking on the brunt of essential work in the pandemic and being left out of the budget, to fighting for reform around sexual violence both at home and in the workplace. Read our coverage of all these issues in our special International Women’s Day edition, below.

As Australian of the Year Grace Tame said in her Press Club address last week: “Let’s keep making noise, Australia.”

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

It's been a tumultuous 12 months for women.

MADONNA KING 3 minute read

The speech Scott Morrison needs to give in light of allegations of rape in Parliament House.

KAREN O'CONNELL 3 minute read

Yes, women are speaking up about harassment. But they still suffer great professional and personal harm when they do.

GEORGIA WILKINS 3 minute read

Doctors, nurses, teachers, carers and childcare workers are on the front lines in the fight against coronavirus. And the vast majority of them are women.

JANINE PERRETT 3 minute read

From Washington to Pyongyang to AMP, it's been a good 24 hours for female empowerment.

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

Crikey goes inside how a pair of journalists reported Dyson Heydon's downfall...

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

The government's spending on women amounts to a tiny fraction of the 2020 budget. It's not enough.

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

Despite the Me Too movement, boys' club culture is alive and well and still in control.

AMBER SCHULTZ 3 minute read

2020 may be the worst year for domestic violence in living memory.

AMBER SCHULTZ 4 minute read

It is given no say, has meagre funding and few staff. Just another example of the regard in which women are held by the government.

TORY SHEPHERD 4 minute read

Sexual assault is a crime. It's also a gender issue. Until the men holding the reins of power get that under their belts, it'll be same old same old.

AMBER SCHULTZ 8 minute read

This rape allegation against a cabinet minister can't be fully investigated and will likely not go to a trial. But the woman's story should be told.