Choosing to Challenge Inequality

Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard. - Liz Fosslien

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day was #ChooseToChallenge. People across the world were challenged to make the choice to call out gender bias and inequality, to seek out and celebrate women's achievements and to work together to create an inclusive world on Monday 8th March, and every day.

With this in mind, year 9 students were given the opportunity to engage in Sovereign Hill’s fabulous A Women’s Work is Never Done program – immersing themselves to experience the lives lived and challenges faced by 19th Century women, as well as engaging in discussions with the contemporary women of Sovereign Hill.

Students arrived at the hill at 10am and were met by experienced education facilitators Alice and Michaela. They were taken to the Bright Visions Theatre to take part in a panel discussion chaired by Sofia Fiusco (Head of Learning at Sovereign Hill) and featuring Deputy CEO Katrina Nitschke and Events and Programs Producer Lucy McNeil; discussing their career challenges, successes and lessons learned. Students asked insightful questions; seeking advice about how they can advocate for themselves and other women, asking about the experiences that shaped the panellist’s careers and questioning what panellists wish they had known when they were younger.

After this powerful session focusing on the contemporary women of Sovereign Hill, students were divided into two groups to take part in two historical workshops exploring the gender roles of women in the 19th century and how some women chose to defy these norms. The first workshop was a costumed activity with students dressing up in historical garb to be sent off to work as young Irish immigrants. Students experienced the physically demanding daily lives of women, participating in butter churning, rug beating, cleaning clothes on a washboard and more. The second workshop was a walking tour, visiting sites around Sovereign Hill to meet significant women such as Lola Montez and Madam Midas, and hear about how they challenged societal norms with their garments, education, finances and professions.

The day was concluded with a return to Bright Visions Theatre to reflect on the program focus - connecting people through our history to adapt for a better future. Students compared 19th century life for Ballarat women and 21st century working womanhood, and discussed what could be learned from the past to change the direction of society and what role do men and women play in this. An insightful, thought-provoking day for all participants, celebrating the achievements of and acknowledging the challenges overcome by these Sovereign Hill women, historical and contemporary. We’re very grateful to the Sovereign Hill Team for allowing us to engage in such a powerful program for the fourth year in a row.

A huge component of International Women’s Day is to acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements. It is also an opportunity to raise awareness about women’s equality issues and highlight the challenges faced by women across the globe. Though great progress has been made since the first International Women’s Day in 1911, gender bias still exists, as these few statistics show.

Worldwide, only 1 in 4 members of parliament are women.
Women make up more than two-thirds of the world's 796 million illiterate people.
In Australian companies, women represent just 17.1% of CEOs.
1 in 3 women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetimes.
While women comprise around 47% of all employees in Australia, they take home on average $253.60 less than men every week (full-time ordinary earnings), making the national gender pay gap 14%.

These statistics are confronting; they can make us feel uncomfortable. And because of this, people may be tempted to dismiss them, to avoid discussing them or to downplay their significance.

But the truth is we need to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable. Not only for the sake of our mothers, daughters, sisters and aunts but for our fathers, sons, brothers and uncles too. For the family, friends, colleagues and other members of our local, national and international communities. For everyone. We all need to have these difficult conversations, examine our own biases and call out instances of inequality. Because these aren’t just statistics; these numbers represent the reality of half our world’s population.

A challenged world is an alert world. Individually, we're all responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day. Collectively, we’re responsible for a global mindset and the construction societal norms. And the only way we can challenge gender bias and achieve equality is if we work together.

What do you #ChooseToChallenge this year?

Harmony Fest 2021