Sweeney ad’s disservice to men | Intergenerational Report’s dire forecast for young people

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Thanks to today’s partner Belvoir St Theatre

As a mother of three boys, Angela Priestley is doing everything she can to support them in becoming kind, caring young men. But she's also feeling a lot of pressure to get it right. From gaming, screen time, and social media, there's a lot to keep a handle on.

And she isn't alone. So many families are grappling with this every day. It's why we've partnered with The Man Cave, Movember, and The Foundation for Positive Masculinity to learn more about how parents and carers are faring in raising boys in the algorithmic age, via this survey. If you’re involved in raising a boy—in any capacity, from parent to grandparent, coach, mentor, or teacher—we’d love to hear from you.

That Sydney Sweeney/Novig ad is still playing on loop in our heads…

And ultimately, it’s because there was so much wrong with it. The sexualisation of women in sport, the glorification of gambling harm, and the aggravatingly obvious nature of Sydney Sweeney’s MO.

But there’s another part that hasn’t been discussed nearly enough: how the ad did a disservice to men, too. Ben Vassilou, CEO of The Man Cave, and Sarah Styles share this take.

Elsewhere, CEO and leadership coach Dr Sue Watson reflects on spending decades separating her polished professional identity from the story of her adoption and birth family. In this personal account, she explores what happened when she finally confronted that history and realised the parts of herself she had hidden were actually central to the leader she had become.

At 20, Freja Salt is looking ahead at the next 40 years and wondering what kind of future is actually available to her generation. The 2026 Intergenerational Report’s projections on home ownership, wealth, work and falling fertility leave her questioning whether she’ll be able to afford the milestones previous generations took for granted.

And finally, complainants in sexual assault trials will soon be able to give pre-recorded evidence as part of a wider suite of changes proposed today in NSW that aim to avoid victim re-traumatisation. Madeline Hislop reports.

More on site and over the day,

Tarla Lambert-Patel
Editor in Chief & Co-Founder

The Key Quote

No one giving birth is at risk of running away…Anyone who has given birth would agree that to be shackled whilst giving birth would be an incredibly violent and terrifying act.

Senator Lidia Thorpe

Senator Thorpe spoke out about incarcerated women being shackled whilst giving birth as she introduces a private member’s bill to prohibit this treatment. She speaks out about the stories many women have faced about being physically restrained during childbirth, “People are cuffed to their hospital bed by an arm and a leg in the delivery room, their legs shackled together by a chain,” Thorpe said.

On Women's Agenda Today

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The Novig ad doesn’t just objectify women. It stereotypes men

Novig’s Sydney Sweeney campaign shows what happens when gambling, sexualisation and outdated ideas about masculinity collide in sport. Read more +

I spent decades hiding the story that made me the leader I am

For women leaders, embracing the parts of their past they once hid can shape how they lead, work and see themselves. Read more +

The Key Figure

250,000

The amount more homeowners there would be aged 25 to 34 today if ownership rates had held at 1981 levels, according to the Intergenerational Report that was published yesterday. The report details what the economy is predicted to look like in 2066, and compares current statistics with statistics from 40 years ago.

The win

What if the life you’re expected to want isn’t the life you want at all?

Grace Chapple’s smart new adaptation of E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View follows Lucy Honeychurch from the rigid expectations of Edwardian England to the freedom and possibility of Florence. With sublime art, new perspectives and a passionate encounter with George Emerson, Lucy begins to question the life laid out for her.

Directed by Hannah Goodwin. 2 Oct – 8 Nov at Belvoir

On The Women's Agenda Podcast

Check out our weekly podcast

Our wrap of the biggest stories this week! As always, the wins: Hélène Huby raising a record $450 million for her European space company, the biggest round ever for an EU firm led by a female founder, and Australia cracking the top ten on the World Economic Forum's global gender equality rankings for the first time. Then, we dig into Ed Sheeran's claim of "neutrality" after Macklemore was dropped from his tour, then onto the HYROX incident and our obsession with pushing through and much more.

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