International Women’s Year – 50 years on

The United Nations International Women's Year in 1975 saw the start of significant change in the lives of women throughout the world. Half a century on, Helen Haynes and Marlene Farrell OAM reflect on the legacy of that year in Orange, the gains made in the fight for gender equality and how much is still to be done.

The United Nations had designated 1975 as International Women’s Year and in support, the Australian Government under Gough Whitlam had appointed Elizabeth Reid to distribute some $3 million in funding to events and projects to appropriately mark the year.

On March 4, 1975, representatives of more than a dozen Orange-based women’s groups, organisations and other individuals attended a meeting called by Orange Mayor Ronald Thomas to discuss the objectives and needs of local women.

“We were overwhelmed, weren't we? We just weren't expecting it. The hall was full,” recalls Marlene Farrell OAM, of the meeting held in the Holy Trinity Church Hall that evening.

“It was the atmosphere,” adds Helen Haynes. “Everyone was excited. There was a real buzz, to put it colloquially, people thought something was going to happen. People were inspired, you could feel it.”

This optimism, Marlene said, was fuelled by the many changes that had been brought in by the Whitlam Government in 1974, especially extending the adult minimum wage to include women workers for the first time.

“It was equal pay for equal work,” says Marlene. “We had an orchard, and the thing that bugged me was that the women, our pickers and packers only got a percentage of the male wage and every time you wanted to put it up, the world would fall in.

“And then [Whitlam] legislated for a single parents pension, but only for women. He provided funding for health services, for women's crisis centres… he removed the restrictions on the oral contraception pill, which gave women a lot of freedom and there was free education, again a big thing for women.

“The things he did sort of encouraged us in International Women’s Year here…  lots of women today really don't know how much better off they are compared to 1975.”

Out of that initial meeting at the Holy Trinity Church Hall a committee was formed to pursue a number of projects, including the need for better child care, establishing a women’s and children’s shelter and the appointment of a female police officer.

“There was no child care at all available in Orange in 1975,” says Marlene, adding that the establishment of an occasional childcare centre was one of the big wins for Orange to come out of International Women’s Year.

“It only came about because the Methodist Church provided us with their hall in Anson Street, and the two Lions clubs did all the renovations, they were very generous,” she says. “And believe it or not, it was staffed by volunteers! That grew and then Council gave us premises in Kite Street, which is still there… So that's still going 50 years later.”

By the end of 1975, Helen and Marlene say they all realised that the work of the International Women’s Year committee was far from done.

“We’d sort of opened a Pandora's box and you couldn't put the lid back on,” says Marlene. “So then we formed the Women's Liaison and Action Group and pursued all these issues that have come up until 1979. By then we felt that the women's movement had grown enough and women had enough confidence and had found their voice and they didn't need us anymore.”

Although the group disbanded, Marlene and Helen continued their advocacy for women, both going into local government along with serving on various other committees over the years.

Looking back ahead of the 50 year anniversary, Helen admits she did feel somewhat disheartened to realise women are still impacted by so many of the same issues as in 1975

“There’s still the same problems, the same issues —  domestic violence, housing shortages, still child care needs, there's not always equal opportunity in employment,” Helen says.

“There is still a glass ceiling, it's a bit lower, but it's still there,” adds Marlene, who says it can be easy to overlook what has improved over the past five decades.

 “There is more equal opportunity –  it's not there yet — but women certainly have a lot more opportunity for education and employment opportunities for women have exploded,” she says.

“I'm so happy when you see a woman astronaut, or you see the governor of the reserve bank is a woman. All the women now in the medical professions and legal professions, and all the trades; who would have thought you would have women carpenters, electricians and plumbers… so many doors have been opened for women.

“And I think the big thing with the kids now growing up is they accept equality much more.”

“Perhaps,” says Helen, “we should be a little more optimistic.”