Issues may include: sexual and reproductive health, violence against women, gender equality, mental health and body image, women and cancer and many more. Informed media coverage increases awareness, creates greater recognition of important issues affecting women and can help generate change.
Media contact: all media requests should be directed to CEO Sally Hasler on (03) 9664 9300 or email sally.hasler@whv.org.au
A leading Victorian women's health organisation is calling for a national sexual and reproductive information hotline to be established in the wake of a senate inquiry into reproductive health. Women's Health Victoria said its free and confidential 1800 My Options service was receiving about 600 calls each month, a 55 per cent increase from 2022. Read more.
"The banning of a Sportsbet advertisement featuring a “foolish” blonde beauty pageant contestant is a rare win against sexism and stereotypes in advertising. Ad Standards, which adjudicates complaints about adverts, has ruled the “foolproof” advert contravenes the Australian Association of National Advertisers’ Code of Ethics by depicting material in a way that discriminates against or vilifies a section of the community on account of gender..." Read more.
Victoria has just one free, government-funded sexual health clinic that anyone can drop into — for a population of more than six million people. By comparison, New South Wales has 37 similar centres across a state with only a slightly bigger population. Having only one in Victoria means getting seen can be tough..." Read more.
"Fears law may allow health professionals to object to treating a person on religious grounds.Women would face further barriers to receiving healthcare under the proposed religious discrimination bill, advocates have warned, with the potential law overriding professional or employer obligations to treat patients..." Read more.
“…In the age of #metoo and Time’s Up a group of senior Australian business leaders have come together to launch the Not In My Workplace (NIMW) initiative aimed at tackling workplace sexual harassment. The brainchild of some of Australia’s prominent female business leaders from high profile organisations including Boral Australia, BUPA, Women’s Health Victoria and Guide Dogs Victoria, the like-minded women want to turn awareness into action when it comes to creating safe workplaces for all….” Read more.
“…With colleagues at Family Planning Victoria, Women’s Health Victoria and the Royal Women’s Hospital, Associate Professor Keogh interviewed 19 abortion experts, including providers and counsellors. It’s the first study to examine how doctors are using their legal right to claim a conscientious objection in practice.“ Read more.
“… The first Australian research to examine the links between advertising, gender equality and women’s health has found that women are more likely than men to be shown wearing revealing clothes, simulating sex acts, being dominated or portrayed as objects or animals. Women’s Health Victoria researchers reviewed overseas and Australian studies and found that the sexualisation and objectification of women in advertising is increasing and has a negative impact on their health and wellbeing…..” Read more.
“Dr Simonis felt that something needed to be done to counter the online bias that was influencing young minds, and thus the Labia Library was born. Created in partnership with Women’s Health Victoria, the Labia Library is a website that contains 40 images of real vulvas. “I like to bring these images up for my patients when I have these discussions [about labiaplasty],” says Dr Simonis. Since its creation in 2013, nearly six million people have visited the site from around the world, with an average of 3,000 to 5,000 visitors per day.“ Read more.
“…CEO of Women's Health Victoria, Rita Butera, welcomed the policy, which she said would empower more women to exercise their reproductive rights.
"Anything that we can do in our health service system to support women making decisions and getting access to what they need [more easily] … is a good thing," she said….” Read more.
“Women provide the lion’s share of unpaid work. In Australia, it is estimated that women spend an average of 64% of their ‘work’ time in an unpaid capacity, while for men the average is much lower, at 36%. In today’s analysis, Amy Webster of Women’s Health Victoria provides a summary of how unpaid care negatively impacts on women, and how multiple identities, including single parent status, having a disability, and women from CALD backgrounds, add complexity to care work. This analysis is a summary of the recently-released Spotlight on Women and unpaid care. “ Read more.
Counterpart, the Women’s Health Victoria service that connects, supports and informs women with breast or a gynaecological cancer, has celebrated its 15th anniversary. “Since 2003, we’ve supported women affected by breast or a gynaecological cancer more than 30,000 times,’ said Support Programs Manager Dianne Hill.” Read more.
Rita Butera, the head of Women’s Health Victoria, says our state leads the way in abortion law reform. But the work is not finished: “We’re not making sure our health system meets the needs of women to get an abortion when and where they need it.” Read more.
“The Victorian government is funding a world-first project to address sexual abuse and violence against women online through a program that will train people to call out sexism and aggression on the internet. The project is an alliance between a number of domestic violence and women’s advocacy organisations including Gender Equity Victoria, Domestic Violence Victoria and Women’s Health Victoria.” Read more.
“…the most recent issues paper by Women’s Health Victoria … brings together recent research and examples of promising practice to explore the health and wellbeing of young women. The report is the 12th issues paper by Women’s Health Victoria and covers six areas that are central to the health and wellbeing of young women …” Read more.
March 8 is International Women’s Day, and in 2017 the theme is ‘Be Bold for Change’. We have collected the smartest, funniest, most inspiring and most thought-provoking tweets, so you can see how people are marking the occasion around the world. Read more.
A ban on protesters going within 150 metres of abortion clinics has become law in Victoria after the upper house voted overwhelmingly in favour of the bill. “Thanks to the bill, women making personal and often difficult health decisions in relation to pregnancy can expect the same degree of privacy, safety and dignity that all Victorians are entitled to when accessing health services,” Rita Butera, Executive Director of Women’s Health Victoria, said. Read more.
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Women’s Health Victoria acknowledges and pays our respects to the Traditional Owners of the land that our offices are situated on, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. As a statewide organisation, we also acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters across Victoria. We pay our respects to them, their cultures and their Elders past and present.
Our Commitment to Gender Diversity & Inclusion
Women’s Health Victoria’s focus is women (cis and trans inclusive) and gender diverse people. We address feminist health issues and are committed to supporting all people impacted by gender inequity who can benefit from our work. As a proud intersectional feminist organisation, Women’s Health Victoria is working towards meaningful inclusivity, guided by and supporting people who identify as women, trans, intersex and gender diverse.
