The
CEILINGSMASHER
When Julia Gillard became Australia’s
first female prime minister in 2010,
she didn’t immediately comprehend
the magnitude of her appointment.
It wasn’t until she was being sworn in
by then-governor general, Quentin
Bryce, that the significance hit her.
“Quentin has fought all her life – and
continues to fight – for gender equality.
In that moment, I could see in her eyes
how much it meant to her to see the
first woman sworn in as prime
minister,” recalls Gillard, 57. “That’s
when I took a few minutes to reflect
on the historic significance of a femalegovernor general swearing in our
first female prime minister.”
During her three years in the
top job, Gillard continued to fight for
equality – even in the face of relentless
sexism and misogyny in parliament,
in the media and on the streets. In
an off-the-cuff speech on October 9,
2012, she famously called out the
chauvinistic behaviour of her male
colleagues. The video went viral,
with women around the world
applauding her bravery and bravado.
Reflecting on the difficult
moments of her prime ministership,
Gillard credits “a sense of purpose and
a drive for fairness” for keeping her
going – as well as the support of the
women in her party. “In my journey
in parliament, I was always supported
by women who had my back and
wanted me to succeed. I had a real
sense of comradery with women like
Nicola Roxon, Jenny Macklin, Penny
Wong and Tanya Plibersek,” says
Gillard, who was in Europe on the
day of the Glass Ceiling Awards.
Accepting the Ceiling Smasher
Award on Gillard’s behalf, Plibersek
described her former colleague and
long-time friend as our most productive
PM, a brilliant negotiator and an
extraordinary mentor. “Julia
smashed the highest and hardest
glass ceiling in Australia, and it
wasn’t an easy ride,” said Plibersek.
Six years after leaving politics,
Gillard is still passionate about
encouraging more women to get
into politics. “I’ve been known to say
that before my life’s journey’s done,
I would like it to be so common for
a woman to be prime minister that
no-one keeps count anymore,” she
says. “That it’s just the new normal.”W
e launched
the Glass
Ceiling
Awards to
celebrate
the incredible women and
game-changing companies
smashing gender barriers in
the workplace today.
In businesses across
Australia, people are working
hard every day to close the
gender pay gap, to promote
women into leadership roles and
help working parents excel at
work and at home. These are
companies that believe in the
benefits of harnessing the
amazing talents of their female
workers and recognise the
bottom-line benefits they bring
to their companies.
Our inaugural Glass
Ceiling Awards, in partnership
with Bumble and with the
support of Estée Lauder
Companies and Veuve Clicquot,
gave us the chance to hand out
coveted trophies in eight
categories. Our hope is that by
celebrating the companies and
women fighting for equality, and
publicising their initiatives,
others might be inspired to do
the same. And then, eventually,
after we smash the glass ceiling
for good, real change will occur.
- Nicky Briger, editor
WINNER: Julia Gillard AC,
Former prime minister and
chairwoman of Beyond Blue