9 March 2025
As more potential parents question the ethics of bringing a child into the world, is opting out of reproduction a generational trend or a sign of the times?
| Date | Time |
| Sunday 9 March 2025 | 10:30am |
| Ticket | Price |
| Standard | $35 |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 14 January 2025
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 15 January 2025
General Public tickets on-sale
9am, Thursday 16 January 2025
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Run time
This talk runs for approximately 60 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Recommended for ages 15+.
Gina RushtonIt’s never been more of a choice whether or not to have kids. There’s a huge population of people pushing back against the idea that it’s the default.
Useful information:
The calculation around conception, both personal and political
Deciding whether or not to become a parent is a deeply personal and totally life-changing choice. But the politics around parenthood are also entering the conversation, with many questioning the impact that raising kids has on everything from financial stability to climate change.
These big-picture consequences are increasingly a factor when contemplating the future – with or without a baby on board. With birth rates dropping, social division becoming more polarised and a general sense of uncertainty looming over many, it’s no wonder that people are thinking about if procreating is the right thing to do.
This panel seeks the answers about why so many women are voting with their uteruses and opting out of reproducing.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
Livestream this event
Can't make it to All About Women in person? Watch this talk live streamed from the Opera House stage directly to your living room.
Liz Allen (she/her)
Demographer Dr Liz Allen’s life story offers insights into how social inequality can be fixed. Liz grew up in a large family in western Sydney and dropped out of school in Year 7. She experienced homelessness and became a teenage mother. With great determination to change her life she completed Year 12 at TAFE before stumbling into Demography as part of Bachelor of Social Science studies. Demography gave her the language to understand her life’s trajectory.
Dr Allen is a senior lecturer at ANU Centre for Social Policy Research. She is a member of ANU Council and an advocate for inclusive and accessible higher education. Liz was named among the ABC Top 5 Humanities and Social Sciences academics in Australia in 2018, and a woman to watch by the Australian Financial Review in 2023. Liz serves on the National Foundation of Australian Women Social Policy Committee, and is a regular media commentator. Her book, The Future of Us, is a call to action to build a stronger Australia through fairness and equality.
Laura Henshaw (she/her)
Laura Henshaw is the CEO and co-founder of Kic, a health and wellness platform and brand with a mission to change the relationship people have with wellness and themselves. Laura is also the co-host of the KICPOD, host of the Do I Want Kids? podcast mini-series, author and keynote speaker.
Gina Rushton (she/her)
Gina Rushton is a reproductive rights journalist, author of The Most Important Job in the World and the former editor of independent news outlet Crikey. She was the inaugural Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists media excellence award winner and an Australian Human Rights Commission media award finalist for her coverage of reproductive rights.
Avani Dias
moderator
Avani Dias is an investigative reporter for the ABC’s Four Corners, whose extensive work has consistently driven legislative and corporate change. Previously, she was the ABC’s South Asia bureau chief in New Delhi, where her investigations into the Narendra Modi Government led to a campaign of intimidation, forcing her to leave the country. Avani was also the host of Hack on triple j and has reported across TV, radio and online from Sydney, Darwin and regional Australia.
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
The Tradwives Club
9 Mar 2025
As the Trad Wife phenomenon rises up the algorithm, clips of women collecting newly laid eggs and baking bread are finding their way into “For You” pages everywhere. Rejecting the grind of girlbossing has its allure, but is this trend harmlessly traditional or scarily archaic?
Skin Deep
9 Mar 2025
The pursuit of flawless skin has always been linked to idolising youth. But in the age of 12-step routines and ‘get ready with me’ reels, the demographic of those consuming the latest skincare trends is skewing younger and younger.
Feminist Roast
8 Mar 2025
Back by popular demand, this satirical roast is (lovingly) telling feminism to pick herself up by her bootstraps and get on with her (revolutionary) job.
