‘They shriek, they rage, they cheer, they despair, they exult, they scream, they laugh, they cry!’ News Limited blogger Tim Blair was not talking about State of Origin spectators, but his poll to find ‘this nation’s most unhinged hysteric’ from among his list of ten ‘frightbats’, a group of opinionated female journalists and commentators. The frightbats themselves mostly laughed off the insults, and competed in good humour to get the most votes.

But what does it mean if women can still be dismissed as crazy, emotional, or “hysterical” when they express strong opinions or simply raise their voices? Three women of ideas discuss being trolled, insulted and not taken seriously, and the long history of demonising women with opinions.

Elizabeth Farrelly is a weekly opinion columnist for the Sydney Morning Herald, an Associate Professor in the Australian Graduate School of Urbanism at UNSW and author of several books, including Glenn Murcutt: Three Houses (1993), Blubberland (2007) and Caro Was Here, her first fiction, for children (2014). She won many awards for writing and for design, and has a background in science, philosophy, literature, city planning and architecture.

Clementine Ford is a freelance writer, broadcaster and public speaker based in Melbourne. She is a Writer and Contributor for Daily Life and writes on feminism, pop culture and social issues.

Jane Caro is a renowned journalist, broadcaster and author. She has appeared on ABC television's Q&A, as a regular panelist on The Gruen Transfer, and at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas. Jane has worked in the advertising industry and lectured in advertising at the School of Humanities and Communication Arts at the University of Western Sydney.

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