Achieving gender balance of text authors

As we approach International Women's Day on Friday 8 March, for the first time the number of works written by women on the VCE English and English as an Additional Language (EAL) and VCE Literature text lists exceeds the number of works written by men.

Things have changed since 2008, when only eight female authors were included on the VCE English text list, compared with 28 male authors. Back then, literary works by women accounted for approximately a quarter of what was on offer for VCE students to study.

Jump forward to 2019 and the number of female authors selected for the VCE English and EAL text list has more than doubled to 20, with male authors now at 16. Among the works are Kate Grenville's The Lieutenant, Toni Jordan's Nine Days and Ursula K Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness. Following a study redesign of VCE Literature in 2017, the number of female authors also outnumbers male authors on the study text list (16 compared to 14), with students offered the pick of works by women, including historian Sheila Fitzpatrick, playwright Yasmina Reza and poet Petra White.

The text lists for VCE English and EAL and VCE Literature are approved each year by the VCAA Board. Each text is selected on literary merit, must be an excellent example of form and genre, sustain intensive study by raising interesting issues and providing challenging ideas, and reflect current community standards and expectations in the context of senior secondary study.

The text lists have to be suitable for a diverse student cohort from a range of backgrounds and contexts, including students studying English as an additional language. They must reflect the cultural diversity of the community, include texts by Australian authors (including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples), and provide a balance of classic and contemporary literature, exposing students to a variety of genres and writing styles.

'I think the most pleasing achievement is the balancing of canonical writers with women from marginalised groups who have traditionally been ignored, silenced and ridiculed,' comments a member of the VCE Literature Text Advisory Panel.

'Virginia Woolf "ventured to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman". Were she to peruse the text lists, she would be well-pleased to note the gender parity,' says another member.

For more information, including study text lists from previous years, go to the respective webpages for VCE English and EAL and VCE Literature.

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