Lib Ferreira

Diana is a rare woman of her generation. She grew up in a time when women had very few opportunities, but she went against expectations and never married or had children. If you ask her why, she says she was too busy and it was not something she felt compelled to do. She learnt the harp and played in many orchestras in her time.

Now she loves teaching harp. Although life recently took a turn for her, on the discovery of a brain tumour, she has no plans to slow down - not when there is still so much to do!

Lidia D’Opera

The world view of Iran has been dictated by media representation, one influenced by politics and another by religion.
My view is different. Women are educated, respected and appreciated. Whether husband, friend or stranger, men in Iran have great respect for women.
Prior to 1979, Iran was a secular country. Since the re-introduction of religious laws, including the requirement of women to dress modestly, it does not limit them. The younger generation embrace it, sporting an ensemble of colourful scarves with a beautifully coordinated manto.
These girls fight for their right to equality by testing religious law to the limit.

Lilli Waters

The river is always moving; alive, never the same. Our bodies are largely made of water, and so many of our daily rituals, our beliefs, our rules for living, our imaginings and our figures of speech are connected to water. We talk about ebb and flow, about testing the water, about fluidity of identity. Water is a physical and spiritual power, a metaphor, a means of survival.
There is an exploration of feminine identity in these images. A shedding of confinement and restrictions that speaks of a yearning to be closer to our natural selves.

Lindi Heap

This image is about the distinct gender divide in kids clothing and questions the cultural bias we have to each. Ie “pink is for girls” and “blue is for boys”. Does how we dress our children keep perpetuating gender inequality?

When my daughter was born I grappled with what sort of clothing I should dress her in. I saw “girls” clothes as too “girly”– fragile, pretty, frivolous, and I did not want this for my daughter. Boys clothes on the other hand look strong, active, serious, dominant.
As my daughter has grown she has gravitated to all things “girly” which to start with I tried to discourage. I am now re-evaluating my unconscious bias. Can we love pink and sparkles and still be seen as strong and active?
The children in my image are all from my daughter’s class. They are all 5 or 6. Will their future be more equal?

Lisa Hogben

One of the seminal moments in my life was photographing the Australian Government’s Apology to The Stolen Generations of Aborigines. It was a great privilege to be one of only five additional photographers in the Parliamentary gallery to witness one of the most important events in Australia’s history but it was a much bigger privilege to be there amongst my friends to witness their reactions of solemnity, pain and joy they had after having had their lives blighted by the inhumane policies that intentionally and forcibly set out to separate Aboriginal children from their families to create an unpaid labour force. This photo of two women who left Parliament after running the gamut of emotions always astounded me. That Aboriginal people were able to say “Thanks” for saying “Sorry” was to me a sign of a people, who though had been so terribly treated had an incredible generosity of spirit. While Aboriginal voices had not been heard at all before “The Apology” it certainly was a step in the right direction in beginning the long process of redressing the past and bringing equality to people who had, up until 1967 been regarded in their own country as having no more rights than flora and fauna and thus were not considered humans that could be counted in any census.

Lori Cicchini

Equality – my interpretation of my own journey.

Lorrie Graham

Larissa Stores (aged 8 in 1999) had been Nipper since she was four. The Nipper is a young Life Saver in training. They can start as young as four years of age, however at this age they are called Minnows. Hundreds of children train as Nippers on Sydney's beaches each summer.  
Nippergirl, Larissa, is for me an image of equality. Her attitude … open, determined … her body language, unquestioning of her physical right to be there on the beach as a lifesaver.
Equality is when women no longer feel the need to explain their presence and no longer feel like a minority - for that is what women are, by every criterion except the numerical.

Lou Gilbert

Yolanda is street smart and speaks her mind. I watched her walk up to a car of known gang members in a high-crime South African township to seek their input for a local community project. When asked later by her peers, why she took the risk, she replied ‘it’s important to get everyone’s views. If these guys think we care they might care more too.’
I was so struck by her words. Knowing she was from a ‘previously disadvantaged’* community, I could only imagine the struggles she has endured. Despite her whole life being subject to discrimination on many levels, she was inclusive in seeking all viewpoints without judgement. I captured this in a quiet moment as she was listening to members of her cohort discussing the project.

*‘previously disadvantaged’ is a term used in South Africa to describe an individual who belonged to a disenfranchised population group as a result of the apartheid system, even though many of these communities remain disadvantaged today as a result of long term inequity.

Luella Dawson

I wanted to focus on gender expression and how much it can affect ones life. For one to feel slightly feminine or slightly masculine; to show that it’s more than okay to not know exactly what you are. There is a whole spectrum of gender and anyone can be placed anywhere, however they like. It makes a hell of a difference when one can finally feel as though they can truly be themselves through fashion, or interests etc by accepting it within themselves.
There is no pressure to be or look a certain way. You are who you are, and nobody can tell you otherwise.

Martine Perret

The Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the 10th outbreak and more than 2,000 people have died since it started in August 2018.
“Women are the most affected in North Kivu and Ituri” said a United Nations’s representative in the DRC. Children under 18 and women make up 70 percent of all Ebola cases in this outbreak with women and girls aged 11 and older have contracted Ebola at a higher rate than men and boys in the same age range.
When I visited Nduko health area in the health zone Musienene in North Kivu last August 2019, an Ebola Response team were vaccinating local population.