We live in a world addicted to scandal and drama, but why do women often come off worse than their male counterparts? In a political sex scandal, an older adulterous male survives whilst a young woman’s career is often left in tatters. When a sports star is accused of rape the accuser often fares worse than the alleged perpetrators as her life and morals are put under a microscope.Is this misogyny in action? Or do women rush to judge each other while men stand in solidarity? Is this the same pattern that begins in the schoolyard where the ‘pack’ chooses who is popular and who has to eat alone? How can we fight the human urge to judge each other? And are their unexpected lessons to be learnt from the Boys' Club? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Like many jobs where leadership is combined with long hours and late nights, not many women list ‘Theatre Director’ as their occupation. Or ‘Artistic Director’ or ‘Director’ for that matter, to the point where this has been a vexed topic of conversation in the arts for some time. Is it just the same set of difficulties for ambitious women as we find in business or industry, where once women have responsibilities other than their work, the going gets tough? Or are there some factors that are particular to the arts more broadly that make existing leaders even more likely to appoint people just like themselves?The Boys' Club is part of Culture Club, Sydney Opera House’s art talks series. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘She disappeared, she never came back, men came for her; today she would be celebrating her sixteenth birthday’. These were some of the heartbreaking statements that Jennifer Clement heard when researching her novel,Prayers for the Stolen, about the plight of missing girls in Mexico. The war between the Mexican government and the drug cartels has killed more than a hundred thousand people. This does not include the missing women – those stolen from their streets or their houses because they are young, poor and pretty, or those hiding from the violence.Join the author as she shares the stories she heard over ten years of immersing herself in the lives of Mexican women, including rural mothers who dig holes in their cornfields to hide their daughters from traffickers. Have the drug wars become a war against women? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How many people have you had sex with? No, don’t tell us! But was your first instinct to tell the truth, to exaggerate or underestimate your ‘magic’ number? We live in a time of unprecedented sexual freedom but underneath we are still governed by conventions and expectations surrounding our sex lives.Journalist and accidental sexpert, Rachel Hillsgoes beneath the covers to discuss how sex myths are causing women just as much unhappiness as ever. Is fetishing sexual activity creating as much of a gap between fantasy and reality as there was in more prudish times? And how is it shaping women’s identities? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many questions women ask ourselves about how to achieve equality can only be answered if we understand men and masculinity. The Women’s Liberation Movement triggered a worldwide debate about men, and a generation of research about what proved to be masculinities - in the plural. Over the last thirty years, knowledge has accumulated about men’s diversity and collective power, and the making and re-making of masculinities. This helps us understand men’s predominance in the corporate and political world, and problems of private life from how to share housework to how to stop domestic violence. How can we understand the dilemmas of men and boys today - and their potential for a more peaceful and gender-equal world? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Music was a means of self-invention for Carrie Brownstein. Before becoming a music icon, the Emmy-nominated actor and writer had a turbulent family life. From the moment she bought her first guitar at 15, music became her salvation and a way to find a sense of community. But it was her experiences in the independent music industry that sowed the seeds for the award-winning TV show,Portlandia that she went on to co-create and co-star in. With her band mates from Sleater-Kinney, the industry icon has been redefining notions of gender in rock since the nineties. Join this pioneering feminist punk-rock funny lady for a discussion about finding yourself and your life in music. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our understanding of the human body, how it works and what it needs, has been transformed in recent years by a wave of new scientific discoveries. Yet there is a huge gap between the latest findings and the advice we are given, leaving people more confused than ever before. Dr Michael Mosley, through his work for the BBC and researching his latest books, has had access to scientists round the world working at the cutting edge of research into diet, exercise and nutrition. Can you really get most of the benefits of exercise in just a few minutes a week? Why do diets work for some people and not for others? What is the best way to reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer? Learn some surprising truths about what really contributes to long-term health. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australian writer Rosie Waterland has lived. Before she built a global fanbase by writing hilarious online recaps of the reality television show, The Bachelor, she had to get through a tough childhood. She had to come to terms with not being 'cool'. Navigating her way through a housing commission childhood, eating disorders and mental health issues, she embraced all that she is to become an 'Anti-Cool Girl' (also the title of her debut memoir).In this talk the ‘full frontal memoirist’ shares her rocky road to self-acceptance and what it means to be true to yourself in the social media age. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you could change the world overnight, what would you do first? Featuring: Masha Gessen, Crystal Lameman, Mallory Ortberg, Ann Sherry, Anne- Marie Slaughter, Jenny Brockie (Chair) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With her feet firmly on the ground, and her finger in the mixing bowl, Nigella Lawson has charmed us with her approach to food and cooking. Based on the principle that food should be a simple pleasure to cook and to eat, her recipe books emphasise the importance of friends, family and celebration. At a time when many of the messages we get about food alternate between anxious exhortations to eat ‘clean’ and the technical wizardry of competitive cooking, her relaxed and realistic approach shows a different path, where food can be creative, a source of comfort and a joyful part of life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.