For everyone Shaking it up
It’s summer, and you’ve returned to work after a well-earned break. You’ve either been to the Taylor Swift concert or your students have. The sun is out, but already you’re telling yourself: “You need to calm down” way too often. When do you lose that relaxed feeling? After week one? Day one?
You might already be fearing that this year is set to be just as stressful as the last one. How long until your work/life/activism collide? How long until you’re back in the same old patterns that leave you feeling stressed, anxious, and just ‘not enough’? Trying to be everything to all people, but always the one who misses out? Exhaustion and fatigue – you can’t just ‘shake it off’.
Well, determined AEU women have started 2024 already fighting for workplace conditions that could improve your health and wellbeing. Standing up for access to existing entitlements such as flexible work. Planning for additional entitlements such as reproductive leave and shared and equal paid parental leave. Entitlements that would help you claw back some time for rest and relaxation.
This year, AEU women will be building on the work of the women who’ve come before us, advancing our claims to win better working lives for all, and to ensure the girls you teach don’t face the same barriers. We’re building the AEU sisterhood – one that the patriarchy can never dismantle.
We’re uniting women across the state, and you can be part of this movement by attending the next AEU women’s meeting online at 4pm on Thursday 15 February. We’ll discuss the latest news in the progress towards gender equality for the education workforce, share ideas, and increase your knowledge of entitlements. This network meets each term and all women from all AEU sectors are welcome.
Our next major event will be the annual International Working Women’s Day dinner, held on Tuesday 5 March at our Abbotsford office and streamed live into satellite events around the state. This year’s keynote speaker is author, journalist, and activist Bri Lee, known for her 2018 memoir Eggshell Skull, and her scathing takedown of the inequality in our education system in Who Gets to Be Smart (see our interview with Bri on the AEU News website). The last day for IWWD bookings is 27 February.
When all determined women in the workplace unite, we win better working lives. Ask a woman at your workplace to join the union today.