International Women’s Day: a time to recognise, celebrate and join forces for positive change
This year’s International Women’s Day marked the 40th anniversary since the United Nation’s first celebrated this event. Tom Baxter, CEO of Ostara Australia, says we should recognise the barriers that can make it even harder for women to achieve their dreams and celebrate the people and organisations that help women to overcome those barriers.
According to the UN’s IWD website, the commemoration has become “a rallying point to build support for women’s rights and participation in the political and economic arenas. It has also become a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities” (http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/international-womens-day).
Working with Ostara Australia, I am in the very privileged position of having contact with many women who demonstrate tremendous courage in order to achieve what many in our society simply take for granted – getting a job.
While many gains have been made for women in the workplace over the past 40 years, the women who come to Ostara Australia are, without doubt, amongst our nation’s most disadvantaged when it comes to gaining employment.
Many have, or have had, a mental health issue or other disability and need support to deal with the additional barriers these issues present. Many have been unemployed for a long period of time, or have never had a job. They are often single parents or may be struggling to return to the workforce after raising children.
When they come to Ostara Australia, they are often desperate to ‘turn their life around’, but simply don’t know how. It is the role of our staff to provide guidance and support to help them on a new journey – a journey that will help them to transform their life.
Often the most important support our employment consultants can provide is to keep believing in them – the journey to recovery and employment is rarely smooth. They can also help link women to training that can help them to achieve their goals. We have partnerships with many different training providers and also offer our own Work for Wellness program specifically designed to help women build their confidence and self belief in order to move closer to their employment dream.
However the biggest hurdle our job seekers and employers face is always finding an employer who is willing to take a chance on them. This is the final, critical piece of the equation that makes transformation possible.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we should all be joining forces to recognise the barriers that can make it even harder for women to achieve their dreams, to celebrate the people and organisations that help women to overcome those barriers and to challenge entrenched sexism. In doing so, we will not only help more women to shine, we will make our community a better place for every person.
Tom Baxter is the CEO of Ostara Australia. Mr Baxter’s career has included senior executive roles across the not-for-profit disability and commercial financial services sectors. Ostara Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation that works closely with the Australian Government, member organisations, communities and employers to place people disadvantaged through health, disability, age or cultural background into sustainable employment. Its approach is to address both the vocational and non-vocational barriers faced by disadvantaged job seekers. As such, Ostara Australia delivers personalised employment services working in collaboration with community and welfare organisations to help job seekers with any mental, cultural or emotional challenges.
