Sexual Violence in Australia, 1970s–1980s

This book explores sexual violence and crime in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s, a period of intense social and legal change. Driven by the sexual revolutions, second wave feminism, and ideas of the rights of the child, there was a new public interest in the sexual assault of women and children. Sexual abuse was studied, surveyed and discussed more than ever before in Australian society. Yet, despite this, there remained substantial inaction, by government, from community and on the part of individuals. This book examines several difficult questions of our recent history: why did Australia not act more firmly to eradicate rape and child sexual abuse? What prevented our culture from looking seriously at trauma? How did we fail to protect victim-survivors? Rich in social and legal history, this study takes readers into the world of victims of sexual crime, and into the wider community that had to deal with sexual violence. At the core of this book is the question that resonates deeply right now: why does sexual violence appear seemingly insurmountable, despite significant change?

Lisa Featherstone is an Australian historian and Head of History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, University of Queensland, Australia. Her work focuses on sexuality, medicine and the law. She is interested in the ways these authoritative discourses intersect around the body, in particular around sexual violence. Featherstone has published widely on sexual crimes, including child sexual abuse and rape in marriage. She is the author of two previous monographs, Let’s Talk About Sex: Histories of Sexuality in Australia from Federation to the Pill, and Sex Crimes in the 1950s (co-authored with Andy Kaladelfos). The latter was shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Prize. She has published extensively in international and local journals in history and gender studies, including articles in Gender and History, Women’s History Review, Feminist Legal Studies, Australian Historical Studies and The Journal of the History of Sexuality.