Australia’s Trailblazing Feminist Tells Her Own Story
On the cover of her memoir Don’t be Too Polite, Girls former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard calls Wendy McCarthy a “woman of action.” Apt indeed because for half a century, McCarthy, 80, has championed women’s rights. From her beginnings as a sheltered country schoolgirl to her advocacy on abortion, contraception and education, it’s not just a life story but a survival guide and mandatory reading for everyone.
What prompted you to write a memoir?
I wrote this memoir in 2019, which felt like the right time. The successful ProChoice campaign to decriminalise abortion [in NSW] had clearly demonstrated to me that there was not much understanding about the issue. At the same time, I came across an Isabel Allende quote: “Write what should not be forgotten.”
What’s the story behind the title?
Singer Glen Tomasetti became a heroine of the feminist movement in 1969 when she adapted the words to an old shearing gang ballad – “All among the wool, boys”– to be sung as “Don’t be too polite, girls.” She wrote it to support the 1960 High Court case for equal pay, and so I’ve included a short chapter to honour her.
You work as hard as ever, pushing for an equal world for women. Does that get easier?
Yes and no. There is much more strategic thinking and planning these days. And the gift of my generation was increased access to education, which has since been embraced by women.
Do you think your story will be received differently in today’s environment, given our approach to women who speak out?
Yes, [because] I hear the broad range of support for Brittany Higgins and Grace Tame, and many other young women, who are finding their voices around gender and race.
You appear regularly on lists of the most admired Australian women. Who is the woman that you most admire?
I take a collective view. I am full of admiration for women who enable other women to achieve in their daily lives; women who are risk takers and the unsung heroines of the feminist movement. [I admire] those who care for the women who are victims of domestic violence. I admire women journalists who write our stories and the politicians who advocate for our rights. I admire our teachers.
Would you change anything about your life so far?
Nothing of consequence. I have a sense it is what it is, and I am the sum of my experience.
What are you most proud of in your career?
The sense of achievement that comes with being a proud mother, wife and feminist activist simultaneously – despite being advised that it would all end in tears! More specifically, being the chair of the ProChoice campaign which removed abortion from the [NSW] criminal code in 2019.
What would you like your legacy to be?
That I helped grow confidence in women and girls so that they embraced autonomy, and like my friend [politician] Susan Ryan – I just kept going.
Don’t Be Too Polite, Girls: A Memoir by Wendy McCarthy, $34.99, is published by Allen & Unwin.