International Women’s Day is a global day for celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality and shines a spotlight on uplifting and inspiring women to pursue goals without bias or barrier.
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is ‘Accelerate Action’. This means emphasising the importance of taking actionable steps to achieve gender equality. We can all call out stereotypes, challenge discrimination, question bias and celebrate women's success.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service in Western Australia invites you to get to know some of the amazing women making a difference every day.
Meet Bec
Bec works in the Regional Operations Centre as the Operations Team Leader. Bec is passionate about planning and coordinating, and loves the challenges that come with running the logistics behind the RFDS WA’s operations. Bec comes from an emergency service background, so her experience allows her to make decisions in a fast-paced environment, and solve problems as they arise.
“Seeing the good we do every day at the RFDS is very rewarding.”
Having come from the male-dominated fire service, Bec felt the pressure to perform and went above and beyond to prove she could do the job as well as her male counterparts. Luckily, Bec had some incredible women in her life that served as role models.
“My mum has been a strong, independent figure in my life, and I have always looked up to her.”
Bec has also been inspired by the women she has worked with in her career and has seen them take on leadership roles, which played a part in reassuring Bec that she was on the right path to achieve success.
Bec has faced challenges as a woman as she has progressed in her career, overcoming stereotypes and experiencing discrimination in the workplace. She has remained resolute and believes that the more we see women in leadership roles and educate people on gender diversity, the closer we will come to gender equality.
The advice I would give my younger self is to believe in yourself, you are capable of more than you give yourself credit for.
Bec
Meet Jane
Jane works in the data team as a Data Entry Officer. It is her role to update aeromedical patient records and primary health care data in the RFDS WA’s large databases.
Jane wanted to work for an organisation that helped people and had values that aligned with hers. When the job came up at the RFDS WA, Jane knew it was a place where she could make a real difference.
Jane was navigating the challenges of becoming a mum and how her life shifted, leading to career disruptions and reduced hours.
"As a mum my options were extremely limited to what roles I could apply for, luckily enough my managers took me on and have given me a significant amount of flexibility in my role which supports my busy life as a parent, whilst also creating new opportunities for me within my role."
Jane is inspired by the women around her who are also busy working mothers. Jane thinks of her friend Becky, who is a mum of three and juggles studying online and working part time. She is inspired by how she maintains all her responsibilities while staying positive.
When asked what Jane would say to her younger self she said, “don’t be afraid to ask questions and step outside your comfort zone. There is no limit to what we, as women, can achieve.”
Meet Angela
Angela has been working at the RFDS WA for over 25 years. Now the Head of Medical, Angela has seen how the industry has changed, and how it has improved in terms of providing opportunities for female doctors.
Angela had always planned on being a doctor and had women around her who encouraged her along the way. She is inspired by her mother, a single mum and veterinarian surgeon, who at the time of her training was one of two women in the entire university, and experienced overt discrimination throughout her career. Despite the challenges her mother faced, she kept a roof over her three children’s heads, and kept them all fed, clothed and educated.
“I’ve probably been quite lucky in my life because it never occurred to me that I couldn’t do something because I was female, but I know not everyone has grown up with those same opportunities and examples to look to,” said Angela.
I don’t know if I would have listened if I had given it, but I probably would advise myself to worry less about what other people think and trust your instinct.
Dr Angela
