Each year on this day, I can’t but help to reflect on my own Mother’s story and on my strengths and weaknesses as a leader of women in an all-boys school and as a father of three adult women.
My mother, who passed away almost seven years ago, played a lot of different roles throughout her 78 years. Two of the most significant were as a Nun in a French Religious Order and another as an Officer and Plain Clothes Detective in the Queensland Police. Not at the same time!
What her and her sisters endured in dealing with the patriarchy of the institutional Church of the 1960s was of the times but deeply challenging. She wished to work with the poor in her vocation but was often appointed to roles that required subservience to some men within the Church. I say some because they were not all the same and some remained dear and respected friends throughout her life, but some were difficult, domineering and simply sexist in their hierarchical approach. In many contexts and sectors, we remain on a journey of change in inspiring inclusion, and I am certainly mindful and seek to be critically honest with myself as a leader within the Catholic Church.
Soon after leaving the Convent, my mother became the 28th woman to join the Queensland Police and after training and development, became a Plain Clothes Detective. The long and the short of the story, is that when she and Dad met in 1968, the rule of public service meant that she had to resign her career when they married. Again, this was of the times and seems ridiculous through the lens of another 56 years, but it is true; all that training, all that expertise, gone in a blink in a man’s world.
Her male colleagues who trained with her deeply respected their friend and colleague and our family appreciated their formal recognition of Mum through the presentation of her Service Medal when she had passed away, but it possibly may have been better if the Queensland Police had done something more proactive to recognise these women and inspire inclusion when Mum was alive!
As a society, as a Church and as a community, thankfully we have come some way. However, there is always more growing, evolving and learning to do; more critical thinking, challenging and decisions to do and make and more strategies, plans and actions to take.
The IWD 2024 campaign theme is Inspire Inclusion.
When we inspire others to understand and value women's inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there's a sense of belonging, relevance and empowerment. The #InspireInclusion campaign aims to forge a more inclusive world for women. Learn more about the IWD 2024 campaign theme here.
