ANOTHER internationally recognised day brings with it another chance to reflect.
Last week’s International Women’s Day saw widespread celebration of women in the community and was headlined by another well attended breakfast in Gawler.
Tales were told of success against the odds in an effort to inspire those in attendance, and no matter which way you look at it, the plight of International Women’s Day is an admirable and important one.
The statistics are there for all to see that society has stacked the odds against women from day dot and IWD brings with it a chance to highlight that – but perhaps it is time the way we do that is looked at with a more critical lens.
Gayle Joyce spoke passionately in an interview ahead of the day and her story on page eight of this week’s edition highlights a myriad of ways we can think about IWD differently.
While guest speakers of high esteem such as the incredibly impressive Franke Agenbag certainly serve a great purpose, and she should be commended for taking the time to tell her story, perhaps more thought needs to go into the message we are sending from the event organisers.
Having an incredibly gifted and hard-working speaker in that has achieved her goals through discipline and determination seems like a no brainer, but what of the plethora of people that will never get the chance?
Franke’s story is an inspirational one, but is it inspirational to the woman who is down on her luck, doing it tough in our backyard?
The answer is probably not, but Gayle’s point surrounding whether those in need are attending these unifying events is perhaps more pressing.
By no means should we shun celebrating our best and brightest, but for a day dedicated to celebrating inclusion and picking up those that have fallen down, more needs to be done by those with power and pull in the community.
We have a council in the middle of a budget headache, but are other avenues available to raise funding so the price of tickets to these events can be reduced?
Is there scope for a free event, with less focus on catering a delicious morning tea and a greater focus on bringing together women from all walks of life?
Kudos to those like Zonta and other local groups fighting for women’s rights, but there is an underlying need for deeper thought from all involved.
