Womyn's

Womyn's Department

The Womyn's Department helps womyn to express their concerns, campaign around issues and improve conditions for womyn students, and provides representation, funding and support. It aims to politicise and empower womyn to fight for womyn's rights, on and off campus. The Womyn's Department also provides several Womyn's Only Spaces/Rooms at various sites across RMIT.

RUSU Supported Womyn's Rooms

Room Locations:
Swanston St > Building 8, level 3, next to the Queer lounge.
Carlton > Building 56 level 4, down the corridor from the SU Office.
Bundoora > West Campus: Building 204 level 2 room 2.
Tivoli/Business > Building 108 level 3, Room 34 next to the Student Union Office.

Womyn's Rooms:

• exist in recognition of the oppression and inequality experienced by women, both on campus and in society more broadly
• act as a vital point of information, advice and referral to womyn in crisis or experiencing problems such as domestic violence, unplanned pregnancy , rape and sexual harassment
• provide a supportive face for womyn to meet, and politically organise against attacks on womyn's rights, in an environment where their opinions are valued
• are a space where womyn can empower themselves and each other, through learning new skills, using the womyn's library, discussing new ideas and thoughts and collectively organising
• a place to organise womyn's only events such as surf camps, yoga, self defence and parties.
• A place to relax in a comfortable environment, get tampons and pads, have a sleep, breastfeed, get information about safe sex, counselling, womyn's issue.

Did you know that for every $1 earned by men in Australia today, womyn earn just 84c? And the gap has actually widened since 2004. If you take into account casual and part time work, women only make 66c of every male dollar.

If it was all just about the right to study, and work alongside men, why are there so few womyn in decision making roles? In the case of boardrooms, womyn's participation has only increased from 8.4 percent in 2003 to 8.7 percent in 2006.
Did you know that as many as 1 in 3 Australian womyn are affected by domestic and family violence? Domestic violence is the leading contributor to preventable death, disability and illness in Victorian womyn aged 15 to 44. (VicHealth (2004) The Health Costs of Violence: Measuring the burden of disease caused by intimate partner violence, Vichealth, Melbourne)

Womyn have a strong voice on campus at RMIT, thanks to the Womyn's Department. for further information, to contact this years Womyns Officer Shyneth or to get involved in the Womyns Collective please email; rusu.womyns@rmit.edu.au