Fact sheet 237 – International Women's Year, 1975

Government support for women’s issues

Following a decade in which the women’s movement had succeeded in making ‘women’s liberation’ a household term, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 1975 International Women’s Year (IWY).On International Women’s Day (8 March) 1974, the Australian Government announced its own program to mark IWY.

The Whitlam Labor government, which had demonstrated its commitment to women with the appointment of Elizabeth Reid as the special adviser to the Prime Minister on women’s issues, allocated $2 million for 1974–75 and a further $1.3 million in the 1975–76 budget for International Women’s Year activities. A National Advisory Committee was established in September 1974 with Reid as convener. Its role was to publicise and coordinate the government’s IWY program, and to allocate funding to individuals and groups for projects that supported the three objectives: to change attitudes, reduce discrimination and encourage women’s creativity. The National Advisory Committee was supported by the IWY secretariat which was located within the Department of the Special Minister of State.

IWY projects and activities in Australia

Funded projects included Joan Long’s feature film, Caddie, a study of the working conditions of migrant women in Victoria, and the establishment of various women’s centres and refuges across the country.
An international conference was held in Mexico in June 1975. Elizabeth Reid led the Australian delegation, which also included Margaret Whitlam (the wife of the Prime Minister) and Susan Ryan (a member of the IWY secretariat and later a senator and federal minister).

One of the major IWY projects was a conference on ‘Women and Politics’ that took place in Canberra in September 1975. In the wake of critical media coverage of the Canberra conference and the government’s financial woes, a United Nations Interregional Seminar on ‘Women, the Media and the Arts’ planned for late November was cancelled.

In October 1975 Elizabeth Reid resigned from her position as special adviser to the Prime MInister, following the decision to transfer it from the Prime Minister’s office to the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Records about International Women’s Year

The National Archives holds a range of records of the National Advisory Committee and the IWY Secretariat, including submissions for grants to fund projects, and records of committee meetings. Records of other Australian Government agencies with an involvement in IWY activities are also held. A selection of these records is listed below.
Records of IWY Secretariat – held in Canberra
SeriesNon-Government Organisation files (submission files)1974–76A4218 
SeriesCorrespondence files, single number with ‘TF’ (Task Force) prefix1974–76A4221 
SeriesSecretariat files1974–75A4222 
SeriesNational Advisory Committee files1974–76A4223 
SeriesFiles of correspondence with governments1974–76A4224 
SeriesGeneral correspondence files1974–76A4225 
ItemAustralian Government departments and agencies – Department of Aboriginal Affairs1974–76A4226, W/AGD 1 
Cabinet Office
ItemInternational Women’s Year 1975 – Decision 25811974A5915, 1238 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – Decision 37961975A5915, 1818 
ItemInternational Women’s Year 19751975A5931, CL1171 
Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
ItemInternational Women’s Year1974–75A1209, 1974/6755 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – United Nations Conference –Mexico City1974–75A1209, 1975/577 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – United Nations Conference – Mexico City1975A1209, 1975/1226 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – 19751975A1209, 1976/109, part 1 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – 19751975A1209, 1976/109, part 2 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – 19751975A1209, 1976/109, part 3 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – 19751975A1209, 1976/109, part 4 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – 19751975A1209, 1976/109, part 5 
Department of Labor and Immigration
ItemInternational Women’s Year – proposed seminar1974A446, 1974/76322 
ItemInternational Women’s Year1974–75A446, 1974/78181 
Department of Foreign Affairs
ItemStatus of women – United Nations Association of Australia national committee and advisory committee for International Women’s Year1973–74A1838, 931/8/2 part 1 
ItemStatus of women – United Nations Association of Australia national committee and advisory committee for International Women’s Year1973–74A1838, 931/8/2 part 2 
ItemStatus of women – United Nations Association of Australia national committee and advisory committee for International Women’s Year1973–74A1838, 931/8/2 part 3 
ItemStatus of women – United Nations Association of Australia national committee and advisory committee for International Women’s Year1973–74A1838, 931/8/2 part 4 
ItemStatus of women – International Women’s Year seminar conference in Australia1974–75A1838, 931/8/1 part 1 
ItemStatus of women – International Women’s Year seminar conference in Australia1974–75A1838, 931/8/1 part 2 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – international conference, Mexico1974–75A1838, 931/8/4, part 1 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – conference briefing1975A1838, 931/8/7 part 6 
ItemInternational Women’s Year – conference briefing1975A1838, 931/8/7 part 7 
Records held in Sydney
ItemStamp Issue – International Women’s Year 1975 [box 548]1975C3739, 281/13/30 
ItemInternational Women’s Year (United Nations)1975SP1687/1, R27/10/9 
Records held in Melbourne
SeriesPersonal records of Patrick Galvin – Folders of papers relating to International Women’s Year1948–76M1580 

Photographs

You can use our PhotoSearch database, available in all reading rooms and on our website, to locate photographs of International Women’s Year events. Use the search term ‘international women’s year’ to identify images of interest.

For more information

You can obtain more information about the record series listed above (and the items within the series) from RecordSearch, the Archives database. Follow the links in the series lists to go directly to information on that series. You can also use RecordSearch to find out about the agencies that created the records and to locate more records on your subject.

RecordSearch and PhotoSearch are available online or in all Archives reading rooms. Reference staff are available in the reading rooms to help you, or email ref@naa.gov.au.