While March 7 is primarily a day of celebration (IWD is officially March 8), a concert such as this is also working towards overcoming a dogged dark cloud over our world. “International Women’s Day grew out of women’s worldwide struggle for voting and labour rights in the early 20th century,” Smith-Holbourn says. “It’s a day for us to honour our progress in the movement for gender equality and gain momentum for another year of pushing further ahead.”
The artists on the lineup have a vested interest in the event. Yes, they’re women – obviously – but they also realise that there is still work to be done and the journey is not over yet. “The artists are generously playing at the concert because of their support of IWDA and their belief in the importance of women’s rights,” she says. “Several of the artists such as Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier and Clare Bowditch are making repeat appearances this year after having supported IWDA at previous Half The Sky concerts. We’re really lucky to have such an excellent lineup and thankful that these artists share our vision of gender equality – and we’re looking forward to a really uplifting and exciting evening!”
When asked whether work towards gender equality is sometimes overlooked in the broader Australian community because the disparity is less obvious – for example violence against women and persecution is so much more obvious in developing nations and yet we still have a lot of work to do here – Smith-Holbourn agrees but points out that we may be looking at our own backyard through rose-coloured glasses.
“It’s true that gender inequality is an issue around the world [but it also] includes Australia,” she says. “We have unfortunately seen prominent examples of violence against women and sexist behaviour in the public sphere over the past few months here in Australia, but I think it is always more difficult for people to see issues at home and realise that their own culture could be part of the problem. We don’t see gender inequality as something solely to be tackled in other countries, but rather we see that we are joining together with our peers in Asia and the Pacific to address gender inequality across our region.”
For any of the men that haven’t yet turned the page on this article but may be thinking about it remember – we need you. “Men are important [to this issue] – if women hold up half the sky, someone has to hold up the other half!” she says. “Fortunately, there are lots of men who realise that gender equality benefits everyone in a community, and more of them are lending their support to the movement all the time.”
The work of IWDA and, in reality, the passive work that needs to be done by all of us, deserves a tip of the hat and Bowditch and co. are just the right company to celebrate with. Extensive information on the IWDA’s work is available online and all proceeds from the evening will facilitate the hard work of the IWDA and their regional partners.
BY KRISSI WEISS
