“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”

― Elizabeth Edwards

Resilience. A strength that has never been so apparent in communities in rural areas, in Australia and across the globe today. Women especially have been seen demonstrating this back when we had fought for the right to be able to vote, throughout the world’s wars and during the global COVID-19 pandemic. What has not been recognised is the issues of gender that still correlate within the community. To be able to tackle these issues is to look up at the past young resilient women and how they have changed the lives of those in their communities.

What is resilience? Resilience is the ability to adapt to changes in life, to be able to overcome obstacles and learn from them. The concept can be compared to an elastic rubber hand, no matter how much you twist it, pull or bend it, it will always spring back into its original shape. Grace Munro, the founder of the Country Women’s Association, without resilience, would not have been able to shape the hundreds of lives she has changed throughout her work. Born in Walarida, country New South Wales, she had four children, the youngest passing away in 1911 while she was away with her child in Sydney who was having an emergency appendectomy. This experience motivated her to ensure that the welfare of women and children living in the country were improved. She held classes in rural areas teaching first aid to communities that otherwise would have never been enriched by the educational opportunities she offered them. She, using her powers in leadership, set up an organisation that still to this day aims to improve conditions for country women, supported by so many people. Grace managed to influence the lives of so many people in communities across Australia.

Annie Lowe is another example of a woman who has driven change in her community. She was one of the first members of the Victorian Women’s Suffrage Society, founded in 1884. Initially from outback Australia, she moved to Melbourne and influenced the community in advocating the right for women to vote. It is evident in the newspapers of the time the impact on the community that she had. Women in India have also used their leadership and resilience qualities since the recent outbreak of COVID-19. Self-help groups were established to help produce face masks, run community kitchens, deliver essential food supplies, and combat misinformation. These groups have been busy in 90% of India’s districts that exist away from cities. One of their main goals is to reduce poverty by getting more poverty-affected rural women into self-help groups.

It may appear that now living in modern times that these issues surrounding gender equality are no longer relevant. If anything, it is quite the opposite. The pandemic has thrown onto the stage issues that have been brushed under the carpet for so long. Australia’s unemployment rate peaked at 7.5 per cent in July during the pandemic last year. This statistic reflects the challenges that we still have as a society yet to face. In 2021, the gender pay gap is still a current issue. It sits currently at 13.4%, men’s average weekly earnings are $1, 804.20, while women’s average weekly earnings sit at just $1,562.0. If we can learn from rural women the importance of resilience and leadership and educating this to future generations, it will be the only way to tackle the threatening obstacles of gender pay gap and gender discrimination.