Annabel Crabb on what's changed since the Wife Drought
Fri Dec 12 2025
In all my conversations with women, the quote most often shared with me is this feeling we have as working mothers that we're expected to work as if we don't have children while raising our children as if we didn't have a job.
And today's guest is none other than the original author of that quote, Annabel Crabb, who's influential book The Wife Drought brought words to what women across Australia were – and are still – feeling; that women need wives, and men need lives.
Annabel's career spans journalism, television, writing, podcasting, speaking and generally being funny while she talks about smart things.
And now she's written a new children's book called There's a Prawn in Parliament House, so all the women who read The Wife Drought have something by their favourite nonfiction author to read to their kids!
Today's conversation is a meandering chat through how little has changed since Annabel wrote The Wife Drought in 2014, the progress that has been made, her take on shifting politics due to the influence of women, her new book, and maybe a bit of pop culture.
Enjoy the show!
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In all my conversations with women, the quote most often shared with me is this feeling we have as working mothers that we're expected to work as if we don't have children while raising our children as if we didn't have a job. And today's guest is none other than the original author of that quote, Annabel Crabb, who's influential book The Wife Drought brought words to what women across Australia were – and are still – feeling; that women need wives, and men need lives. Annabel's career spans journalism, television, writing, podcasting, speaking and generally being funny while she talks about smart things. And now she's written a new children's book called There's a Prawn in Parliament House, so all the women who read The Wife Drought have something by their favourite nonfiction author to read to their kids! Today's conversation is a meandering chat through how little has changed since Annabel wrote The Wife Drought in 2014, the progress that has been made, her take on shifting politics due to the influence of women, her new book, and maybe a bit of pop culture. Enjoy the show!