Greer, Germaine (1939– )

Australian academic and feminist, author of The Female Eunuch (1970). The book is a polemical study of how patriarchy – through the nuclear family and capitalism – subordinates women by forcing them to conform to feminine stereotypes that effectively ‘castrate’ them. With its publication, Greer became identified as a leading figure of the women's movement.

However, the book has been criticized by other feminists for placing too much emphasis on sexual liberation as the way forward. In Sex and Destiny: The Politics of Human Fertility (1984), a critique of the politics of fertility and contraception, Greer seemed to reverse this position. Her other works include The Obstacle Race (1979), a study of women and painting; The Change (1991), a positive view of the menopause; and The Whole Woman (1999), a review of the feminist movement over the past 30 years.

Born in Melbourne, she was educated at a Catholic convent school and then at Melbourne and Sydney universities. She secured her doctorate at Cambridge, England. Based in the UK, she lectured at Warwick University from 1963 to 1964, and has also worked successfully as a television art critic and commentator.