International Women’s Day – #Balanceforbetter in English

We celebrated International Women’s Day on Friday 8 March with a number of student led initiatives. The theme this year was a balanced world is a better world captured by the hashtag #Balanceforbetter and the many images from around the world projecting the particular pose as captured by my Year 11 Literature class below. When I looked at these images, it reminded me of Madonna’s iconic song ‘Vogue’ where she challenges all women to ‘Strike a Pose’. The pose for International Women’s Day is one advocating the need for raising awareness against bias, taking action for equality and forging a more gender-balanced world. These are all part of the intrinsic values of education in a girls’ school where our focus is firmly on celebrating young women’s achievements.

The Year 11 St Catherine’s Literature class strike the #Balanceforbetter pose for International Women’s Day 2019.

I read with interest the latest bulletin from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) where the lead article focused on ‘Achieving gender balance of text authors’. The article highlights that for the first time the number of texts written by women on the VCE English, Literature and EAL text lists exceeds the number of works written by men. These texts must be approved by VCAA as “an excellent example of form and genre, sustain intensive study by raising interesting issues and providing challenging ideas, and reflect current community standards and expectations in the context of senior secondary study.” (VCAA Bulletin) This shift is a wonderful example of gender parity and a clear sign that our priorities have changed. Perusing the text lists one clearly sees that female writers are prominent and marginalised women are being given a voice.

At St Catherine’s, the English Faculty spend many hours discussing text selection for every year level. Our goal is to provide the girls with texts that examine women and offer female characters that are empowering, provocative and complex. Who does not want to debate a feminist reading of Lady Macbeth, examine the motivation of Abigail Williams in The Crucible, and challenge their thinking around prejudice and gender in films like The Help and Bend it Like Beckham? There is nothing more satisfying in an English classroom than examining a patriarchal society, discussing gender roles and studying female characters that overcome adversity and defy the odds.

The iconic song I am Woman written in 1972 epitomises the journey of every girl at St Catherine’s and illustrates my central aim in educating your daughters. The song expresses a strong passion for female empowerment and the notion that women can do anything.

“You can bend but never break me
‘Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
‘Cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul

I can do anything 
I am strong
I am invincible
I am woman.”

Happy International Women’s Day! I am woman. Hear me roar!