So much to do, so little time!

Posted by Jenni Colwill on 15 October 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: Beijing +15, APNGO, pay equity, women, pay equity survey, working mothers

It's not often that I get upfront and personal in this blog, but lately I have been busier than a lizard being chased by a cat in a room full of rocking chairs, if you'll pardon my addled adages!

It's just that so much is happening, and it is all exciting. There's the most recent 2020women survey, the women's conference in Manila and the book of working mothers' stories. They all require action of some sort. It is time to stop and set some priorities.

First, the survey: we received over 700 responses to our first survey on pay equity, and then another 90 or so women shared in more detail what they think about the problem. Amongst other things, they tell us that pay equity is still out of their reach, and they are losing out in pay negotiations. We just have to get this information incorporated into our submission to the EOWA review to make sure that the point is driven home.

Secondly, Manila: Asia Pacific Women's Watch are conducting an NGO forum on Beijing+15, and in spite of the floods, I will be there.

Beijing+15 was an exciting time for women. It was the Fourth UN Conference for Women, held in 1995. At that Conference 12 areas of concern were identified: poverty, education and training, health, the economy, power and decision-making, human rights, armed conflict, institutional mechanisms, the environment, violence against women and the girl child.

Actions were to be taken in all these areas, and the conference in Manila is bringing women from the Asia Pacific region to discuss progress on these issues and to share stories about what is happening for women throughout the Region.

Lastly, there is the great book I was sent by an EMC, an international consulting and IT company. It tells the stories of the working mothers that they employ.

Just take a look at the following excerpt from the introduction, and you will see why it has inspired me:

If the professionals at EMC are star performers, the company's working mothers are superstars who glide along the tightrope stretched between their work and family lives, deftly juggling responsibilities, demands, and interests. They're the ones who make it look easy, consistently turning in top performances at work and home, doing it all with style, grace, and that ever-necessary safety net - humor. Sometimes a crowd of adoring fans cheers them on as they skillfully move across the high wire of their lives. But, all too often, they act in silence, their audiences unaware of the skill, strength, commitment, and perseverance it takes to move through their days with such agility.

You can see why we really need to get more stories from Australia's working mothers, can't you? And you can see why, on a scale from busy to out of control, currently I am at the too much to do and frustrated because I want to do it all now stage' aaaargh.

By the way, EMC have given me permission to share their stories with you.

You can download the book if you want to read the stories.