Women’s sport has a history of being undervalued and underrepresented in the media, however recent trends suggests women’s sport is gaining traction. Sport is considered an important skill and activity for kids. It teaches life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication and confidence. Yet by the age of 14 girls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys. There are several factors that lead to these statistics including social expectations, lack of investment in quality programs and unconscious bias leading to less opportunity. In male dominated sports like soccer, rugby and AFL, unconscious bias and the lack of funding…
Author: Madison Arnold
Women continue to make up the overwhelming majority of Australia’s teachers, raising questions surrounding gender imbalances in the education system. Females make up 72 per cent of education positions across all schooling levels in Australia, a number that is not unusual in the field, according to data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Teaching has been considered a majorly female dominated profession for decades alongside nursing, midwifery, and general clerks. Australian Bureau of Statistics Education and Training program manager, Michelle Ducat said in a report that the trend of female dominated professions continues to rise. “The number of female…
Marine pollution and biodiversity loss have been growing issues in Australia with tonnes of plastic and chemical waste being emptied into oceans and waterways each day. Oceans provide oxygen and food, regulating the Earth’s weather and climate systems, as well as acting as the world’s largest carbon sink, absorbing significant portions of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Despite its crucial role in supporting human health, 130,000 tonnes of plastic leaks into marine ecosystems each year, causing biodiversity loss and irreparable damage to marine life, according to the Society for Biology Conservation. Whilst plastic pollution along the Australian coast has decreased…
Doctors across all public hospitals in New South Wales unified by walking out for a three-day strike on Tuesday, marking what is the first state-wide strike in nearly a decade for doctors. The strike is the third by NSW hospital staff in the past year, with nurses and midwives walking off the job twice in 2024 in protest of similar disputes – better working conditions and increased pay. NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park released a statement in preparation of the strike and agreed hospital doctors should receive an increase in pay. He also urged the Australian Salaried Medical Officers’…
The arts industry has received a financial boost in the Federal Budget, with Creative Australia’s core funding reaching a new high of $318 million, up 3.72 per cent. Despite the increased funding, artists’ salaries still fail to reflect their value in society, according to statistics from Creative Australia, who claims artists spend their entire career engaging in ‘lifelong learning’ with more than 89 per cent of artists across various career stages currently engaged in some form of training. In Australia, only 9 per cent of artists are able to work full-time on their creative practice without relying on a second income,…
Wollongong Botanic Gardens has held its ‘Sculpture in the garden’ exhibition bi-annually since 2016. It is an opportunity for local and visiting artists to share their work with the public and gain exposure and resources, with three prize categories, the top winner rewarded $30,000. Exhibition coordinators say it is an integral part of recognising artists’ work and involving the general public in the art world as its location is set outside where hundreds of people walk past every day. Audio: To hear what the art making process is like, what exactly motivates these artists, and how important the exhibition actually is,…
Young children and adolescents are staring at screens for longer, according to new research, and experts claim it’s affecting productivity, mental health and sleep patterns. In 2019 screen usage data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) stated that 90% of children used a mobile phone, most of them doing so for more than 10 hours a week. More recent data from 2023 states that whilst the percentage of children using mobile phones has remained steady at 90%, the number of hours has risen to more than 20 hours per week, a statistic that is roughly 43% more than what…
At the Paris Olympics, 55 per cent of the National team were female athletes and Australia’s first 12 medals were won by women – a record-breaking achievement that was widely celebrated. So why is it that according to the Australian Institute of Sport, female coaches make up only 9 per cent of high-and-elite performance coaches in Australia? The number hardly seems fitting. Who comprises the support teams for female athletes? Who are their mentors? Their role models? More importantly, why is it so difficult for female coaches to progress to the top of the coaching food chain? Former Strength and…
Wollongong’s Premier League Netball team, South Coast Blaze, are looking to make their mark on the international stage, competing in the Australia-Fiji Quad Series set to kick off today at Vodafone Arena in Suva, Fiji. In a bid to enhance the prominence of Australian Sport in the Pacific region, Netball Australia in partnership with the government-funded PacificAus Sports (PAS) program and Netball Fiji, extended the exclusive invitation to the South Coast side, marking the inaugural inclusion of a local netball team in such a significant global event. The unique opportunity is one that Head Coach, Marji Parr, believes will act as a valuable…
Limitations placed on overseas study no longer apply as the number of students studying abroad reaches pre-COVID statistics, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in other cultures whilst they finish their degree. Studying abroad is a rite of passage for many students as they near the end of their university experience. While their ability to study overseas was hindered due to the pandemic, The University of Wollongong is one of many whose exchange programs are now back in full swing with more than 200 partnerships in 45 countries. UOW’s student mobility coordinator, Michaela Morgan said that it was her study…