The elder daughter of a mystical artist and an entomologist, Deborah McCulloch moved to South Australia with her family in 1947 and was educated at Girton, the University of Adelaide (BA Hons and Dip Ed) and Flinders University (Sociology, Doctorate honoris causa). She taught at Adelaide Girls' High School from 1960-1966, Daramalan Catholic Boys' High School 1967-1968 and Elizabeth High School in 1969. McCulloch was a researcher for the Australian Dictionary of Biography in 1967 and lectured at Salisbury CAE 1970-1976. She co-edited two publications, Improving on the Blank Page and See What I Say.
In 1976 McCulloch was appointed the first Women's Adviser to the South Australian government, a position she held until 1979. She later became a consultant in management, affirmative action and market research. McCulloch was co-founder of the Women's Electoral Lobby in South Australia and a member of South Australia's Sex Discrimination Board. She has been a professional feminist since the 1970s, and is concerned with the politics of women, especially in relation to money, power relationships and art, and the politics of the earth in relation to Western culture. MCulloch has two children.
