A group of South Coast women smashed stereotypes (and a world record) out of the park when they jumped on their motorbikes and rode to Dubbo.
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It isn’t often you see a group of women riding motorcycles together, let alone hear about a thousand of them congregating in the one place at the same time.
In the rarity of such an event lies the point.
In the words of the South Coast Women On Wheels group convener Niki Hutteman - “this just shows women can achieve anything if they work together”.
The South Coast group, which included women from as far north as Ulladulla and as far south as Tathra, flew their colours - blue, green and yellow - proudly at the ride.
We are living in a revolutionary time for human rights and social equity. Momentum for fairness is growing, with more and more groups lobbying for increased awareness of disparities. People are speaking up, and walking the talk.
While the two genders are far more balanced in terms of employment and equal opportunity than 30 years ago, there is still a way to go. Statistics show us this.
A report released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency last month revealed, on average, where the full-time average weekly earnings of men sits at $1,602.80, women earn $1,325.10.
The national gender pay gap is 17.3 per cent and has hovered between 15pc and 19pc for the past two decades.
National data released in August 2015 showed only 17 per cent of Australian chief executives are female.
Stepping away from figures for a moment, further evidence lies in behavioural standards. Too often women are told they can’t do something, just because of their gender.
Contact sport is largely out of the question once young women hit adolescence and it’s seen as strange for a woman to take up a trade because it’s a typically male-led profession.
Ever heard someone say “that’s not ladylike?” - I’m sure you have.
To bring it back into context, you might ask then what impact a grassroots group like Women on Wheels has against all this.
That’s easy. It’s all in the behaviour and influence.
All it takes is for one young girl to see those women astride their bikes to think “hey, that’s different, maybe I can do that”.
- Emily Barton
