Encouraging the next generation of young women to be strong and to learn about their culture are some of the key messages from Indigenous women at Kybrook Farm.
The remote community is located eight kilometres from Pine Creek, in the Northern Territory.
Girls young and old came together over morning tea on Tuesday to celebrate International Women’s Day and share their stories and experiences.
Katherine Times reporter Lydia Lynch sat down with some of the Aboriginal women from the community to find out what life is like for them.
When asked if she thought men and women were equal in her community, one woman said, “not really, because men have more rights than women, in reality”.
So what does an Aboriginal woman do during the day? Well, many of the answers would strike a chord with women across Australia.
They care for their children, cook for their family, stay at home during the day and sometimes go fishing.
The Kybrook ladies spoke of the need for opportunities to be more active and for services to encourage women to be happy and instil a positive outlook for the future.
UN Women National Committee Australia executive director Janelle Weissman says “when women have unrestricted access to decent work, economies grow”.
“Economic and political empowerment of women are integral to creating safe, resilient and prosperous communities,” she said.
“When women are represented in decision-making at all levels, policies reflect the needs of all facets of society.”
Around the world today, women earn 24 per cent less than men. Worldwide, just 23pc of parliamentarians are women.
