5 Books to Read During Women’s History Month

On average, at least one woman in Australia is murdered every week by their current or former partner. These stats are horrifying and only rarely do these stories make it in mainstream media.

While the discussion around violence against women is gaining traction, many times it’s accompanied by victim-blaming and over-identification with abusers.

In Fixed It, Jane Gilmore discusses the myths that we’re unconsciously sold about domestic violence and undercuts them in a clear and compelling way.

Purchase Fixed It here.

The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free is a captivating true story of the women-only New York hotel and its famous guests, which include Joan Crawford, Grace Kelly and Sylvia Plath.

Built in 1927 as a home for the “modern woman”, the Barbizon became the place to stay for ambitious, independent women who were attracted to the idea of fame and good fortune.

The Barbizon is a colourful tale of the young women who came to New York looking for something more.

Purchase The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free here.

14 years after receiving her endometriosis diagnosis, Gabrielle Jackson couldn’t believe how little progress had been made in regard to treating the disease.

In 2015, her personal story kicked off an investigation into the illness by The Guardian, with thousands of women reaching out to share their own stories.

Pain and Prejudice highlights how medical ignorance keeps women sick and searching for answers. And the truth is, women are not taken as seriously as men when it comes to chronic pain.

Purchase Pain and Prejudice: A Call to Arms for Women and Their Bodies here.

Collecting data is fundamental in the modern world. From healthcare to education, countries rely on numbers to make important decisions. But so much of this data fails to recognise women because it treats men as the default.

Feminist advocate Caroline Criado Perez dives deep into the root cause of gender inequality and research in Invisible Women, and the cost women have to pay because of this discrimination.

Purchase Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Pérez here.

In this novel, gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen provides an analytical look at how female celebrities are pushing the boundaries of what it means to be an “acceptable” woman.

In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Peterson explores the rise of 11 powerhouse women and looks at them from the lens of “unruliness”.

These women are Serena Williams, Melissa McCarthy, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Caitlyn Jenner, Jennifer Weiner, and Lena Dunham.

Purchase Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud: The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman here.