> Skip to content

Article  •  1 June 2022

 

With 10 women sworn into office, now is the best time to read Women and Leadership

On 1 June 2022, a record-breaking ten women were sworn into cabinet positions under Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. With more women in parliament, now is the perfect time to read Women and Leadership by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Today the new Labor government was sworn into office, and a record of ten cabinet positions have been filled by women. Among them, Linda Burney has been named the Minister of Indigenous Australians, making her the first indigenous woman to ever fill the role.

While it’s still not a fifty-fifty split, like we saw in Labor’s shadow cabinet, it’s nevertheless a step in the right direction.

‘This is the largest number of women ever in an Australian cabinet with 10 women in the cabinet,’ said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. ‘In addition to that … there are 13 women in the ministry and 19 frontbenchers [which includes assistant ministers]. A record number, in all three categories for women’s representation – in cabinet, in the ministry and frontbench positions.’

Needless to say, it is a positive step forward, signifying a greater shift towards an increased number of women in positions of power.

If you’re feeling abuzz amidst this exciting news, what better time to revisit Women and Leadership? This inspiring and informative book was written by Julia Gillard and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to share advice from extraordinary female leaders.

Featuring Jacinda Ardern, Hillary Clinton, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Theresa May, Michelle Bachelet, Joyce Banda, Erna Solberg, Christine Lagarde and more, the book combines academic work with lived experience to analyse the influence of gender in leadership roles.

This road map of essential knowledge will not only inspire you, but set out an action plan to encourage change, take control, and combat gender bias.

Interesting Stats from Women and Leadership

Interested in learning more? Get a taste of what you’ll find by scrolling through these statistics from the book.

  • Only 24 per cent of persons heard, read about or seen in news media are women. Even worse, only 4 per cent of news stories clearly challenge gender stereotypes.
  • Pick one of the top one hundred box office successes and the likelihood is the voices will be disproportionately male. An annual study of these movies conducted for twelve consecutive years concluded female speaking characters filled only 30.9 per cent of all roles.
  • Across the whole spectrum of prize categories since the awards started in 1901, over nine hundred individuals have won a Nobel Prize. Only fifty-three of them have been women. (Note: Since the book was published in 2019, this number has increased to fifty-eight.)

Want more like this? Check out Dare to Lead by Brené Brown which reframes leadership as act of courage and connection. 

Feature Title

Women and Leadership
An inspirational and practical book written by two high-achieving women, sharing the experience and advice of some of our most extraordinary women leaders, in their own words.
Read more

More features

See all
Article
Bold, wise and funny girls

The best books for educators to share on International Women’s Day 2021

Article
The people’s choice

In Women and Leadership, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern reflects on the importance of role-modelling in shattering gender stereotypes.

Article
Gender bias: by the numbers

Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala crunch the numbers and offer an urgent rallying cry in Women and Leadership.

Article
Catch these authors at Australia’s biggest writers festivals this May

Find out which Penguin Random House authors will be attending writers festivals in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney this May.

Article
Authors were back on the road in 2022 - and we loved it!

Join us as we travel back in time through 2022 with the authors that hit the road this year.

Article
Memoir Madness: 5 memoirs to dig into this month

See some of the best books – old and new – that recount the real lives of influential people.

Article
Books of the year 2022

From fantastically funny rom-coms to straightforward self-help, these are some of the best books of 2022.

Article
20 of the best non-fiction books of 2022

See some of the best non-fiction books of 2022 so far, as well as more great titles coming this year.

Article
Julia Gillard announces new book, Not Now, Not Ever

Ten years after the famous Misogyny Speech comes Julia Gillard's new book, Not Now, Not Ever.

Q&A
Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Q&A

The Women and Leadership co-authors answer our questions on gender equality and finding the inspiration to lead.

News
2023 ABIAs shortlist announced

Winners will be announced on 25 May 2023.

Article
QUIZ: Which Aussie dog are you?

Take this fun quiz to find out which amazing Aussie dog you’re most like.

Looking for more articles?

See all articles
penguin pop image
penguin pop image