Name: Kate Kiely
Community, State: Tom Price, WA
School: Tom Price Senior High School
Age: Grade 12, 17 years old
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From primary school to Prime Minister, how can we create strong pathways to power for women?
Hello, my name is Kate Kiely and I’m here to tell you how we can create strong pathways to power for women in 5 easy steps. We aren’t living in the middle ages anymore, so it’s time we fix the huge gender imbalance in Australia’s positions of power, and this is how we can do it.
First are schools. More opportunities for positions of leadership should be created for girls, such as student councillors, sport captains and even club leaders. This will allow girls to learn to be leaders and feel confident in leadership roles. School is where the foundation for strong women is built, so if we can create strong women then they will have the skills to secure their own future pathways.
Second is the community. It should encourage girls and women to get involved in events, sport, competitions, volunteering and various groups within the community.
Third, teachers. Teachers should educate girls and women on all their opportunities such as TAFE, University and even competitions such as this one.
Fourth, the government. The government should invest more money into programs that encourage young women to take leadership roles and aspire to be in positions of power. This will enable young women around Australia, no matter what financial background they come from, to have access to more opportunities that could inspire their future careers.
Fifth, and most importantly, we can create strong pathways to power for women through support. The school, the community, family, friends and teachers can all support young girls and women and encourage them to reach their full potential, whether this is through giving them constructive feedback on work, helping them to get a job, intervening in bullying or just congratulating them on an achievement.
We need to help each other up instead of pushing each other down. Powerful women aren’t born, they’re made. And I believe that it is every Australians duty to help make our women powerful and successful in their own lives, whether that be following their dreams or becoming Prime Minster. These are the five steps to creating strong pathways for women.