All About Women 2026 program announced

Sydney — Tuesday 13 January 2026

Incisive conversations, fearless debates and pop-culture driven commentary will take over the Sydney Opera House at All About Women 2026, with the full festival program announced today.

Marisa Meltzer, Yumi Stynes and Chanté Joseph will appear alongside more than 30 other writers, experts and social commentators. They join previously announced headliners including former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, author Zadie Smith, journalist Emily Maitlis and novelist Laila Lalami for the annual festival on Sunday 8 March.

Exploring ever-evolving questions on gender, culture and equality, All About Women 2026 includes:

• Feminist roast – This crowd pleaser returns as podcaster and author Yumi Stynes (she/her), adventurer and writer Gina Chick (she/her) and more to be announced, give the movement that has shaped modern womanhood an affectionate ribbing, hosted by actress, author and Ydinji woman Steph Tisdell (she/her);
• Heterofatalism – Women are fed up … with dating men. Amid the rising belief that heterosexual relationships are inherently flawed and even embarrassing for women, writer and social commentator Chanté Joseph (she/her), whose British Vogue article on the phenomenon went viral, and Dr Lisa Portolan (she/her), an author and researcher of intimacy and dating apps, unearths what this pessimism is all about;
• Deborah Cheetham Fraillon – The renowned opera star and Yorta Yorta woman (she/her) has transformed the artform into a vehicle for truth-telling about our history and society. This illuminating conversation reveals how she went from Stolen Child, discovering her Aboriginal heritage, to playwright, composer and one of our most significant contributors to Australian art and culture;
• Seeking sperm – As Australians face a “sperm drought”, queer couples and solo parents are navigating the logistical, financial and emotional maze that comes with donor conception. Founder of Solo Mum Society Alisha Burns (she/her), artist and producer Maeve Marsden (she/her), author and Bigambul and Wakka Wakka woman Melanie Saward (she/her), and journalist Edwina Storie (she/her) draw on their lived experiences creating a family today;
• It girl – Journalist, humourist and author Marisa Meltzer (she/her) sheds new light on the original It Girl, Jane Birkin, reflecting on the erasure of Birkin’s individual artistic achievements and the inherent sexism of being branded a “muse” by Hermès and others, hosted by Kate Jinx (she/her);
• Labour of love – Is intimacy just another item for women to cross off their to-do lists? Yumi Stynes hosts a spicy and lively discussion with certified sex therapist and clinical counsellor Aleks Trkulja (she/her) on whether “keeping the spark alive” is yet another responsibility delegated to women or simply part of being in a relationship;
• After birth – Pregnancy and birth bring monumental changes to families as prospective parents prepare for a baby’s arrival. But what happens when post-partum also brings panic, delusion and paranoia? This essential discussion delves into post-partum psychosis with author, former child protection worker and psychologist Ariane Beeston (she/her), public policy consultant Rachel Skillington (she/her) and psychiatrist and researcher Anne Buist (she/her), moderated by journalist Lauren Novak (she/her);
• Money matters – A practical and empowering panel with social impact leader Tasnia Alam Hannan (she/her), MoneyGirl founder Zee Heart (she/her) and social entrepreneur Catherine Fitzpatrick (she/her), led by business and finance journalist Emily Stewart (she/her), on navigating the gender pay gap, the importance of financial independence in relationships and how to pass these skills on to the next generation of women;
• Don’t ask the trees for their names – Sharing their stories of migrating to Australia, general practitioner Loubna Haikal (she/her), university professor Oula Ghannoum (she/her), child protection worker Mariam Maatooq (she/her) and social worker Sivine Tabbouch (she/her), come together in a powerful reflection on cultural legacies and the complexities that come from forging new lives in new countries, guided by journalist Antoinette Lattouf (she/her);
• Raising boys – How can we raise boys to see beyond a world that continues to peddle archaic notions of masculinity? Walkley award-winning journalist and author Jess Hill (she/her) and clinical psychologist and men’s health researcher Zac Seidler (he/him) wade through red flags and bro podcasters to decipher raising resilient, emotionally literate young men;
• Medical misogyny – On the back of the first Australian inquiry into women’s pain, Director General for the Australian Centre for Disease Control Zoe Wainer (she/her) and Deputy Editor at Guardian Australia and author of Pain and Prejudice Gabrielle Jackson (she/her), examine the state of the medical industry and the reforms needed to better support women;
• A wisdom of age – Filled with the essential life lessons of Liz Hicklin (she/her), who performed stand-up comedy for the first time at 93 years of age, as well as lifelong educator and survivor of the Cultural Revolution Guosheng Cheng (she/her), and hosted by broadcaster and author Jacinta Parsons (she/her), this panel is all about speaking out, finding your confidence and ageing wisely, with love and maybe a little bit of rebellion; and
• The all fours effect – Lauded as “the first great perimenopause novel” by The New York Times, Miranda July’s All Fours asked timely questions about female desire, marriage and relationships. A book-club style discussion, led by Marisa Meltzer, with author and journalist Jacqueline Maley (she/her) unpacks how and why the novel became such a divisive cultural shockwave.

Rounding out the program are free financial literacy workshops with MoneyGirl and The Arise Foundation that will provide the clarity, skills and confidence needed for every day money management.