Germaine Greer

Major feminist voice of the mid-20th century.

29/01/1939 -

Germaine Greer biography and information

Germaine Greer is an Australian academic and journalist and was a major feminist voice of the mid-20th century. Greer's ideas have created controversy ever since her book The Female Eunuch became an international bestseller in 1970, turning her into a household name and bringing her both adulation and opposition. She is also the author of many other books, including Shakespeare's Wife, White Beech, and The Whole Woman.

Greer was born in Melbourne in 1939, the eldest of three children. She grew up in the bayside suburb of Mentone. Her father was a newspaper advertising representative who served in the wartime RAAF. After attending a private convent school, Star of the Sea College, in Gardenvale, she won a teaching scholarship in 1956 and enrolled at the University of Melbourne. She left home permanently due to conflict with her parents. After graduating with a degree in English and French language and literature in 1959, she moved to Sydney.

Greer has defined her goal of 'women's liberation' as distinct from 'equality with men.' She asserts that women's liberation meant embracing gender differences in a positive fashion - a struggle for the freedom of women to define their own values, order thier own priorities and determine their own fates. In contrast, Greer sees equality as mere assimilation and 'settling' to live the lives of 'unfree men'. Greer's various views, not just those related to feminism, have attracted controversy throughout her career.

Following the success of The Female Eunuch, Greer resigned her post at the University of Warwick in 1972 after travelling the world to promote her book.