International Women’s Day let’s celebrate women in our industry
Today, we celebrate International Women’s Day and I am excited to focus attention on some incredible women in our industry.
Earlier in the month, I was stumped by an off-hand question from a neighbour: “Why is there a day to celebrate women? Has feminism has gone too far?”
My usual response may have gone something like: “Well, the day is a wonderful opportunity to spread awareness about women’s rights and gender equality. We should relish any chance we get to celebrate all the women who paved the way for us.”
Instead, I said:
Why the bloody hell not? All of us women deserve at least one day of celebration and gratitude!
Let us celebrate women. Let us sing their praises and acknowledge their accomplishments. International Women’s Day serves as a reminder about just how far women have come and I find that most people agree!
Today is a chance to share just a few diverse women’s experiences from across the industry, these women have inspired me this week…
Starting with the resilient Gold Coast-based Marisa Millane, she is the business development manager at Freedom Internet and also the backbone of the Women in Management group that supports women throughout the management rights industry in Queensland. Marisa manages to balance an arduous work ethic with a full-time job as a single mum, and on top of everything else Marisa dedicates her working life to empowering other women.
This week I also met the very smart Zoe Huang, who alongside her husband and with two toddlers, helps run their large permanent management rights business in Brisbane. However, Zoe is also a high-flying Actuary specialist and works full time for an investment consultancy. It was partly because of Zoe’s love of her career that she and her husband Dong became interested in onsite management (and they love it) because it allows him to be flexible enough to take over childcare duties while Zoe works… Go, Zoe!
I also want to mention Julie Jones, whose Have Wheelchair Will Travel blog has won many fans around the world since she began writing about holidaying alongside son Braeden, who lives with cerebral palsy. Julie always provides great commentary and advice to Accom News readers on how to provide the best possible experiences for travellers with disabilities.
Finally, a shout out to the inspiring Kelley Rigby who is not only a new mum to baby, Ryder also the director of a new business that’s taking the management rights industry by storm, Letts Rebuild. Kelley’s commitment is to assist resident managers with their unit sales and rentals journey, and she is also the newest monthly columnist for our Resort News publication to boot!
As for me, this month I struggled a lot… to meet my editorial deadlines, to run a business, to parent our four adult children, to manage a very naughty beagle, and to stop drinking my (extra-large) 6pm G&T. However, in true form, I did manage to miss a much-needed hair appointment, my eyebrows continue to need a wax, and I forgot to exercise… again!
Writing resident manager profiles for our Resort News subscription-only magazine always manages to cheer me up! And this month I bring to you, two absolute crackers, with tons more essential and expert content for anyone who is anyway interested in the management rights industry, so don’t mess around, subscribe to Resort News here:
I would love to hear your stories, please get in touch!
Mandy has over 17 years of accommodation and tourism industry writing experience and is Editor of AccomNews & Resort News, Publisher of SchoolNews & Director of Multimedia Pty Ltd. She is a retired registered nurse with a 25-year NHS career that followed a few unforgettable years in hotel housekeeping.
Mandy, you are a great achiever, and supporter of the tourism industry. Fortunately you do that 365 days a year, but on this day, I reckon you deserve two extra large G&Ts to celebrate.
Thank you Peter! You are a wise man and my double G&T order is in…
So much has been achieved in recent decades, but the momentum is definitely still required before women can feel they are being given the same opportunities, pay and respect that men receive. Try to watch interactions between men and then between women for a start and you will notice the differences start building up. They may seem like simple gestures or comments, but if I were a woman receiving these multiple times a day it would not come across as simply being complimentary. Ask a group of women what they need to think about to stay safe when heading out, then ask a group of men what he has to think about before going out. The scale of difference will astound you. Then we could talk about the gender pay gap, the gender imbalance in corporation boards, the fact that parliament which in a democracy represents the whole population is dominated by males (mostly Anglo-Saxon, but that is another topic).
To summarise, there is a lot to celebrate, and many success stories to share, but there is still a long way to go.