WHILE this year’s International Women’s Day themes focus on achieving justice, safety and equality, as well as the generosity involved in sharing knowledge, resources and mentorship with women and girls, it is also an important time to remember the activists, leaders, scientists and artists whose actions remind us that one person can make a real difference.
Below are just a few of this nation’s most inspiring women who have impacted change not only for the betterment of women, but for all:
Edith Dircksey Cowan (1861–1932): Honoured on the $50 note, Edith Cowan was the first woman elected to an Australian parliament in 1921. A social reformer and pioneering feminist, she championed women’s rights, education, child protection and migrant welfare.
Vida Jane Mary Goldstein (1869–1949): A suffragist who campaigned for women’s right to vote and fair treatment. Vida was the first woman in the British Empire to stand for election to a national parliament in 1918. A gifted spokeswoman, she campaigned internationally for women’s suffrage, founded influential journals and advocated for peace, social reform and equal pay for equal work.
Julia Gillard: Australia’s first female Prime Minister, Julia demonstrated that women can lead the nation. The country’s 27th Prime Minister, she led a minority government, passing major reforms like the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and the Gonski education reforms. She is also renowned for her 2012 “misogyny speech.”
Elizabeth H. Blackburn: Won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009. Born in Hobart, Tasmania, Elizabeth’s work transformed our understanding of how cells age and die, or in the case of cancer, how they become immortal.
Melanie Perkins: Co-founder and CEO of Canva, a popular web-based graphic design platform, Melanie has helped people across the world share their ideas and creativity.
Opening pathways to future generations, these remarkable individuals are but a few of the many Australian women who, despite the challenges of systemic inequality have made a difference, demonstrating what’s possible when we both believe in, and strive for, change.
