Generation Visible
Professor Megan Davis
At the age of 33, back in 1999, I was told to enjoy my 30s because “women are invisible by 50”. The woman who shared that advice was one of the most experienced, widely-respected and longest-serving magazine editors in the business. I was shocked that she saw herself as invisible at 50 when she was so visible to me.
Back then, a lot of women over a certain age felt overlooked in their careers, overlooked in their homes and overlooked by society. I was determined that wasn’t going to happen to me. And I wasn’t the only one.
There is truth to the saying, “You can’t be what you can’t see”. It is not that women lack the imagination to want to be the first; it is that many leaders lack the courage to be the first to make those appointments.
The first time I met a female board director was 20 years ago. As part of my company’s executive team, I was inspired by the fact a woman was sitting on our board, but I noticed that she couldn’t get a word in edgeways. The male directors would talk over the top of each other and cut off any attempt she made to enter the conversation. Fast forward to today and there is less of that around the board table, with women often pushing back and challenging the status quo. More women are chairing boards, too.
I was 36 and a media executive when I decided that I was ready to pursue a board portfolio career. I realised that change from the very top was the only way that organisations were ever going to meet the growing expectations of women who had begun the fight from the bottom: women of a generation that was already fiercely independent in its opinions and aspirations. We were following the careers we wanted, loving who we wanted, voting for the political parties that resonated with our values and making decisions about our own bodies.
At that time, there simply were not enough women sitting on boards to put diversity and inclusion firmly on the agenda. In 2004, the percentage of women on ASX 200 boards was in single figures. It crept to double digits, 10.7 per cent, in 2010. Now, thanks to the efforts of a number of determined and loud women, and some progressive chairmen, the percentage of women on ASX 200 boards sits at 30.7 per cent.
Women of our generation are creating the change we seek for ourselves and for other women. We know it is up to us. We are casting the net wide to help lots of women at once, as the founder of the #CelebratingWomen social movement, Dr Kirstin Ferguson, likes to say.
Our generation is visible and making a difference. A (by no means comprehensive) list of the women launching conversations and implementing changes includes some impressive names.
Nicola Wakefield Evans, 58
Advocating for gender equity on boards as Chair of Australia’s
30% Club.
Sam Mostyn, 54
Addressing violence against women and children as Chair of Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety
Ming Long, 46
Championing cultural diversity as Deputy Chair of the Diversity Council Australia
Wendy McCarthy, 78
Advocating for women’s rights as a founding member of the Women’s Electoral Lobby.
Julia Gillard, 58
Strengthening education systems in developing countries as Chair
of the Global Partnership for Education.
Ann Sherry, 66
Improving the prosperity of neighbouring nations by connecting governments and business as Chair of The Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum
Christine McLoughlin, 55
Creating pathways for professional female athletes to transition from sport to a business career as Chair and co-founder of The Minerva Network
Professor Megan Davis, 45
Advancing the Uluru Statement from the Heart as Balnaves Chair
in Constitutional Law, UNSW
Catherine Tanna, 58
Leading the voice for change in the energy sector as MD of Energy Australia
Carol Schwartz, 64
Encouraging more women to enter politics via the Pathways Politics Program that she initiated as Chair of Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.
Ronni Kahn, 67
Reducing waste and feeding people in need as founder and CEO of OzHarvest.
Natalie Isaacs
Fighting climate change as founder and CEO of 1 Million Women
Let’s make this conversation louder. Please share this list of Generation Visible women fighting for the greater good on your social media account, and tag 10 women of our generation that you know are agents for change.
Words_Marina Go
Photo_ Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net