The following is intended to act as a general guide to anti-discrimination law in Australia. It does not constitute legal opinion.  This paper provides an overview of sex discrimination legislation in Australia in relation to:
- Bodies covered by the legislation; and
- Grounds of discrimination.

Women in medicine continue to experience professional barriers in their medical careers, because of their practice styles and life courses, that differ to those faced by their male colleagues.  This discussion paper was funded by the Australian Government Office of the Status of Women under the Women’s Development Program Project Grants 2003-04 to look at the current status of women in medicine. As part of this study, we will be proposing ways of incorporating the diversity of medical men and women within medical practice and outlining discriminatory practices that are still occurring.

I have just completed a PhD thesis that may be of interest to those working with young mothers who are victims/survivors of childhood sexual assault. Maternal touch and maternal-infant physical boundaries emerged as important issues.

Gendered medicine is the central theme in an emerging international movement where gender is taken to be central to all aspects of medicine.

Those who espouse the discipline of gendered medicine take gender as a key aspect of all medical knowledge. This includes teaching, learning and professional development for medical students, postgraduate medical training, and of medical educators and teachers themselves. To improve the quality of medical education, gender and sex differences in medical knowledge, and in making clinical judgements in accord, must count as core curriculum, and gender considered at all levels of educational policy making including educational leadership in the medical profession.