OpenTube

I refused to give up my baby as an unmarried mother | SBS Insight

SBS Insight

42,366 views

Baby Boomers are much maligned, but what Millennials mightn't know is how much their parents' generation pushed boundaries for social change. Insight meets single mothers who kept their babies despite pressure to abort or adopt, one of the first Matildas who played in the national soccer team before it even had a name and other trailblazing Boomers who broke taboos- from religion to gender to sex, asking how much have things changed? This episode is Thanks, Boomers and first aired in 2024. It reflects events and facts that were true at the air date and may now have changed.

00:00: Number 96: The TV show that broke taboos
04:40 I refused to give up my baby as an unmarried mother
07:54 OK, Boomer: Do Baby Boomers get enough credit?
09:48 Growing up Chinese in 1960s Australia
12:20 Dad sent mum to the psych ward after cheating on her
20:21 From Christian to diverse religious values
21:05 I was a punk: People were scared of us
24:06 As female footballers, the media focused on our bodies
29:20 Men wouldn’t let us join their trade union
38:44 Taking Qantas to court over discrimination
43:35 Has racial awareness made things harder today?

Insight airs Tuesdays at 8:30pm on SBS: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight

SUBSCRIBE: https://bit.ly/3txZoUN

Insight, hosted by Kumi Taguchi, is Australia's leading forum for powerful first-person stories offering a unique perspective on the way we live.

Insight first went to air in 1995 and has since been a mainstay of SBS current affairs programming. The team doesn't shy away from taboo topics: from polygamy, to brain implants, to the secrets revealed on the deathbed.

Do you want to be part of the discussion and join an Insight record? Insight aims to include a range of backgrounds, ages, and perspectives in our studio audience. If you want to be involved, register here: https://bit.ly/3vQlO7T

Visit our website: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/insight/
Catch up on full episodes: https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/progr...
Like us on Facebook: Facebook: InsightSBS
Follow us on Instagram: Instagram: insightsbs

Network Terms & Conditions: https://www.sbs.com.au/terms
Privacy Policy: https://www.sbs.com.au/privacy
Feedback or complaints: https://www.sbs.com.au/complaints

20 Comments

@IamParalegal 3 weeks ago

What's weird is that they wanted to chastise the woman for being impregnated and being a single mother, but not chastise the man who impregnated the mom and who was a single father.

@IamParalegal 3 weeks ago

Wow. Mem's mother's mental hospital incarceration is the most blatant case of gaslighting I have ever heard. That's disgusting.

@msartlit 2 weeks ago

I'm a "Boomer" who grew up in the US but moved to Canada at 21. I never really thought much about breaking free of societal norms as much as I felt I was breaking free of my parent's demands. This SBS Insight has be an enlightenment ! Thanks to all who shared their stories !

@Jeweleye62 2 weeks ago

Powerful episode for my generation. Kudos to all these brave men and women who had the tenacity to fight against the social norms. ❤

@dalehanlon8469 2 weeks ago

We need to thank the boomers, especially the woman.

@AmbientFaerie 3 weeks ago

This broke my heart. I’m so glad their stories are being shared.

@christinagiannaros9817 3 weeks ago

We used to get sent to bed when no.96 was on, we were very young though. It's amazing when I think how much times have changed.

@annazaman9657 2 weeks ago

The takeaway I got from all this is that it was the women who broke taboos more than men.

@hiwall4883 2 weeks ago

Yes this is very true, even living together was shocking then, we didn't care 😂

@afiomai69 2 weeks ago

The final comment about Social Norms and Rules ruining individuals and relationships is so true. I am a trans woman and agnostic I met and fell in love with an Arab Muslim man.The social & cultural stigma & fear that we faced from his community was awful. We had to keep our relationship secret and hidden. He loved me openly and was affectionate with me publicly It was beautiful but the dirty looks and insults we received from his community when we were out in public was painful He couldn't cope & we broke up due to an undiagnosed mental illness. I am still angry at the fact that strangers couldn't have just left us alone. All we wanted was to live together & love each other peacefully & quietly.

@judysibley1066 2 weeks ago

I’m so glad times have changed and women are free to so much more today and not be castigated for being “imperfect or making mistakes”. Im a boomer and I feel the church has so much to account for. I guess for men as well. 😢 Excellent show ❤

@roseannebyrne7233 3 weeks ago

Should be required viewing for younger generations. I grew up very aware of the reality of generations before me and respected them for the changes and the peace they'd given us. But someone decided we'd be a good target and newer generations are too self involved to wonder how we got to where we are today. Many if them ably assisted by a truly awful main stream media. Shame on them. Thanks SBS.

@hayleyfay4779 3 weeks ago

Christian women were such a force , so so brave and courageous .
They stood up against their religious and male suppressors.
I wish other suppressed women find that super power

@LadyGracious69 3 weeks ago

I have never come across a grumpy male nurse. My male midwife was fantastic. He was a father of 4 girls and married to a midwife. His wife had their 5th daughter the day after my son was born.

@Empoweredwoman1234 3 weeks ago

They might have brought about social changes, but that all stopped when they went conservative once they got to age 30. They were awful parents and teachers.

I don’t know why the poor woman with the nasty father didn’t ditch him after so much pressure to give up her kids. Dare I mention him putting her mother away because of his cheating.

I would love to have been around the innovative Boomers. Unfortunately I got all the crappy ones.

@HeatherGrahame 2 weeks ago

On a lighter note, Mark McCrindle is a living Thunderbird. The eyebrows.

@afiomai69 2 weeks ago

Such an interesting show. Thanks boomers!

@sarahcraig3028 3 weeks ago

Born 31 Dec 1959, and have never seen myself as a "boomer".... I (and others in my age group) have more in common with Gen X; believe we now carry the moniker GenJones!