Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER.
In Fremantle we have statues of a Prime Minister, a pop star, fisherman, an immigrant a sculptor, footballers, an engineer even an abstract human. All men.
It was fun, and for some a little daring but by 8.00am evidence of our work was all but gone. In a city that prides itself on its history of creativity and as a home to the arts, this small act of public disobedience was as if it didn’t happen.
The theme of International Women’s Day 2016 was a Pledge for Parity. On the agenda were big picture issues, like job opportunities, work place discrimination and closing the wage gap. For us , a group of women whose youngest member is 51, our aspirations were more modest. It was opportunity to raise public awareness about the absence of female representation in the cultural narrative of our city.
We sent out photos and press releases but got very little traction. IWD breakfasts, speeches and political announcements dominated the news cycle. But like our bronze counterparts, we were all but invisible.
As middle aged women we are no strangers to invisibility. Next time we will use it as a weapon.
Zita Pal owns South of the Border