BPW Australia

The Australian Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW) was inaugurated in 1947 with six member Clubs which had been created from 1925 onwards. Since those early years, the thousands of women who have been members of the organisation have played a significant role in the improvement of the status of women in Australia.

We have influenced public and Government opinion on many issues affecting women, including fighting for equal pay and representing the female workforce at Basic Wage Case reviews; the removal of compulsory retirement for married women in the Public Service; the facilitation of girls to take up apprenticeships; lobbying the government for universal paid maternity leave, plus so many more.

We are still fighting for some of these same issues - like pay equity and universal paid maternity leave! We are still encouraging women and girls to choose a career and to maintain and improve their skills and qualifications. We are still providing a strong local, national and international network for women in the workforce.

The Aims of BPW Australia are still as relevant today as they were back in the 1940s when they were first declared. They provide us with guidance in the work we are doing, and give a foundation upon which to build our projects.

Today, we have members working on projects in their communities, or at the State or National level with locally raised funds or with the assistance of Government Grants. We have a number of members involved in the management of the organisation at an International level, and many members assisting women overseas.

So many women try to keep their heads down and avoid taking challenges. In reality, success depends on our ability to take significant challenges that go beyond our comfort zone. BPW members are proud to take challenges.

Above all, we are women helping women. I am proud to be among them, and challenge you to join the group.

Marilyn Forsythe

December 2008

Read Marilyn's log of her activities as President at www.bpwapresident.blogspot.com . Follow her trip to New York, USA for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW54).


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