A powerful panel of voices gathered today at UNE to reflect on issues of gender equity, leadership, and systemic change.
Women from the university and Armidale Regional Council shared their insights and experiences on how individuals and organisations can actively support and empower women in their careers.
MC Dr Lucie Newsome (Lecturer, UNE Business School), Annie Harris (Executive Manager, ARC People and Culture), Dr Somayeh Ba Akhlagh (Lecturer, UNE Early Childhood Education), Prof Susan Wilson (Deputy Head, UNE School of Environmental & Rural Science), Aimee Hutton (Chief Officer, ARC Corporate and Community) and Sam Fowler (Director, UNE Oorala Aboriginal Centre) shared the stage.
Kicking off the event, UNE Chancellor Dr Sarah Pearson sent a video message paying tribute to women enduring and overcoming. “Women have been, and in some countries still are being written out of history, held back by traditions and expectations, kept out of positions of influence, had education denied them … and yet here we are: resilient women, making our mark, changing the world, building on what our mothers and grandmothers have laid down before us, and building more for our daughters and our granddaughters.”
... and yet here we are: resilient women, making our mark, changing the world.
Dr Lucie Newsome spoke of the current state of gender equity, including research on how the perception of the ideal worker rewards masculine characteristics and devalues women’s strengths, contributing to a “leaky pipeline” of leadership. She also paid tribute to the “informal and formal pockets of activism” that were driving change.
Annie Harris spoke about the council’s focus on values-based recruitment over traditional selection criteria, in an effort to support gender equality and diversity. “We have changed our policy, we have changed our process [and] we still end up with great people who can do the work.” This was how systems and policies could create real change, she said. “I cheerlead for every single person in this room that is here celebrating and championing strong women, but for me, this is about systematic change.”
Dr Somayeh Ba Akhlagh reflected on her journey as a migrant, and the challenges women face in different parts of the world. She spoke about her recent projects supporting women in early childhood education in Iran and Saudi Arabia, underscoring the need for global solidarity and giving “a reminder that progress is intentional and requires a collective effort”.
Prof Susan Wilson reflected on her time with a university equity group and her joy in “the positive change that we've been able to make … raising the voice of where we need change for not just women but minority groups as well”. She pointed to the need for policy-driven inclusivity - “We must change systems and cultures for true progress” - and celebrated UNE joining the Science in Australia Gender Equity pathway to the Athena Swan program, a structured framework for improving gender equity and diversity in higher education and research.
Aimee Hutton spoke on the personal and professional balance she strives to maintain, particularly as a mother raising three boys “to be strong men that are inclusive and are great men to have in the world". She also shared insights into ARC’s culture change that drew enthusiastic applause: "We made a real commitment to the kind of organisation we wanted to be. We set values and behaviours that were not negotiable, full stop."
Sam Fowler shared her experiences of navigating both gender and Indigenous barriers as a proud Dunghutti woman, and the sometimes quiet, powerful change led by women and their allies. For her, it’s not only “about our own resilience, but also about those that walk beside us”. She also spoke of the importance of networks, both formal and informal, to support women.
When invited to reflect on the talks, UNE Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Simon Evans said International Women's Day was about the "change to structures and processes that we need to make a just society". The annual event was "great [as a] reminder, bringing it right to the surface". "But for me, and I hope for a lot of people in the room, the struggle for justice, fairness and progress is a year-round one ... No progress happens unless there are changes to the systems, structures, processes and cultural norms that reinforce the way things were."
Thank you to the many people who joined us at this event, both in-person and online, and to all our speakers.
