Feminist Legislation: Engendering gender justice through law reform

Imagine a world where laws truly reflect the needs and rights of all genders. This visionary goal drove this collaborative project, bringing together researchers from Monash University and the University of Warwick to pioneer a groundbreaking approach to feminist legislative change. By establishing a world-leading initiative on 'feminist legislation projects' (FLPs), this project aimed to equip feminist scholars, activists, and policymakers with the tools and ideas necessary to dismantle gender-based harms and create a more equitable future for women, non-binary, gender-diverse, intersex, and transgender individuals.

The project leverages the complementary strengths of Monash and Warwick. Monash researchers have nearly completed the world's first FLP in Australia, providing valuable experience in feminist legislative processes. Warwick's team brings expertise in feminist judgment projects (FJPs) and knowledge from Scottish, English & Welsh, Indian, and African FJPs. This collaboration fosters knowledge exchange, leading to a more robust and impactful FLP methodology.

The project goes beyond legal theory, incorporating insights from activism, policymaking, and creative expression. Researchers drew from legal scholarship, feminist legal theory, and the experiences of feminist practitioners. This transdisciplinary approach ensures that the project addresses real-world challenges and delivers tangible solutions.

FLPs aim to dismantle gender-based harms by creating "ready-made" legislative solutions. Through draft legislation, parliamentary reading speeches, and creative mediums like artwork, FLPs provide practical tools for advocates and policymakers to push for change. Additionally, this project aimed to generate academic publications and policy briefs to further influence legislation and legal practice.

This project is a stepping stone towards a sustainable global force for feminist legal reform. By fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge, the project aimed to empower future generations of scholars and activists. Building on this project's success, researchers plan to secure further funding to conduct a comparative FLP in Scotland or England & Wales, alongside an empirical study on the experiences of women law- and policymakers. These initiatives aim to create a lasting legacy of feminist legal change, improving the lives of women and marginalised genders worldwide.

Principle applicants

Prof. Becky Batagol Associate Professor Law Academic Monash University	Vanessa Munro Professor Law School University of Warwick

Co-applicants

Monash University

Professor Heli Askola and Ms Eliza Venville

University of Warwick

Professor Solange Mouthaan, School of Law and  Professor Sharifah Sekalala, School of Law

Third-party Fellows 

Professor Mairead Enright,  University of Birmingham