International Women’s Day at Footlights Theatre Restaurant
2 weeks ago I attended The International Women’s Day luncheon at Footlights theatre restaurant which was hosted by Desley Rial. Desley spoke about how important March 8th is and how far the women’s movement has come in 60 years.
Prior to the 1960s it was expected that married ladies stay home to look after the house and the children while their husbands attended work too earn a wage and to provide for the family’s needs. Being a housewife was a very rewarding job, seeing the kids grow up, attend school and enter the workforce. For a lot of women, they weren’t totally satisfied. They had ambitions of climbing the corporate ladder, being lawyers, business owners and professionals in their fields. Some men felt threatened about new competition, they’d insult women’s intelligence, like in the 1980 film “9 to 5” starring Dolly Parton, who had a smash hit with the title song. Try not let the song get stuck in your head!
Desley has seen progress due to the women’s movement. In the 1980s girls won the right to study manual arts in high school which opened the door for young women to be builders, mechanics and other traditional men’s careers. Mrs Rial was elected to the Livingstone Shire Council in 1997 and served the local community for 11 years as a Councillor. The current State Member for Keppel Britney Lauga was in attendance which shows women are capable to pursue their desires as well as have a family.
All in all it was an eye opening experience and great to meet some highly successful women of the community. It makes me wonder what other hidden gems walk amongst us regardless of gender, the stories they have to tell and the lessons that they can teach.
Hats off to all the ladies who attended and to the hosts at Footlights Theater Restaurant for putting on a great spread.
