Defence

Equity

International Women’s Day – a global celebration

International Women’s Day (IWD), which will be celebrated on 8 March, is a global day that connects women around the world and inspires them to achieve their full potential. The day celebrates the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future.

By Petri Kristian, Rose Hays and Lorraine Mooka

AB Christel Buckman cleans a sand-coated .50 caliber on HMAS Newcastle during a sandstorm that reached out into the north Persian Gulf.

Vicki Thornton-McCulloch marshals a RAAF Caribou transport aircraft at Comoro airfield in Dili, Timor-Leste.

PTE Jennifer Watts (39 Personnel Support Battalion) is currently deployed as part of Operation Astute, Timor-Leste. Her role involves processing all mail coming in and out of the area of operations ensuring that all soldiers get their mail, adding to the morale of the deployed personnel.

IWD history

IWD was established in 1910 when women were fighting for issues of pay, conditions and political rights. At an international meeting in Copenhagen, an IWD of no fixed date was proposed to honour the women’s rights movement and assist in achieving female universal suffrage.

In 1911 the Copenhagen decision on International Women’s Day was honoured for the first time in various countries on 19 March. In 2007, IWD is now an official holiday in many countries and has the equivalent status of Mother’s Day. The tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

History of women in Defence

The history of women in Defence closely reflects the changes in women’s rights and policies in society. Women have played a crucial role in Defence operations since 1899, when Australia’s first Army Nursing Service was established and, since then, steady progress has been made towards their integration and progression into the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Until the mid-1960’s, women in the ADF and the Australian Public Service (APS) were subject to various forms of structural discrimination, including the statutory bar on the permanent appointment of married women, and a system of differential pay rates. The marriage bar was abolished in 1966, and equal pay for equal work was introduced in 1969. Until 1974, pregnancy for female ADF members meant automatic discharge. In 1984, the Sex Discrimination Act was passed making it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the grounds of sex, marital status or pregnancy.

Current status of women in Defence

Today, almost 100 per cent of employment categories are open to women in the Navy and Air Force, and approximately 90 per cent across the ADF.

A significant number of women from all three Services are deployed overseas in a variety of operations, including as crew on the P3 and C-130 aircraft in Iraq. Navy employs women aboard all of the major fleet units, including submarines, and has recently appointed the first female commanding officer of a major surface combatant. Army now posts suitably qualified women to serve in infantry, armoured and artillery units undertaking clerical, medical, logistics, signals and transport duties.

Women in the APS have also progressed through career development programs and initiatives aimed at increasing their numbers in management roles, including the Senior Executive Service. In Defence, women comprise 38 per cent of the APS workforce.

Improving the status of women in Defence

The recruitment and retention of personnel is critical to Defence in maintaining its capability. In a dwindling global labour market, Defence is facing serious workforce shortages. One way of addressing this challenge is to increase both the number of women in the ADF and their length of service. This is a priority highlighted in the Defence Strategic Workforce Plan 2007-2017.

Apart from the fierce global competition for scarce talent, there are a number of complex reasons affecting women’s recruitment and retention, including work/life balance and career development issues. To address these, Defence has established two working groups looking at recruitment and retention that aim to develop long-term strategies to attract and keep women and identify the institutional and cultural barriers impeding their careers in the ADF. The working groups are also reviewing flexible work practices that will accommodate the varying phases and needs of a women’s career.

Join us in our celebration

Fairness and Resolution Branch would like to invite all military and APS employees, both men and women, to join us in this year’s global celebration on International Women’s Day.

The day will be marked by a formal lunch at the Australian Defence Force Academy Officers Mess, with high profile Australian Capital Territory (ACT) women guest speakers. The first speaker will be Tracey Whetnall, a local Aboriginal woman who owns her own consulting business on cross-cultural career development awareness training, facilitation and mediation, negotiation and consultations. The second speaker is Hilary Russell who Chairs the ACT Ministerial Advisory Council on Women and is the Chief Executive Officer of Canberra Imaging. A ‘Welcome to Country’ will be officiated by a local female Aboriginal elder.

To attend the lunch please register via email to: rose.hays@defence.gov.au. For further information call Rose Hays on (02) 6266 8690.

[ top of page ]