Every March we celebrate Women's History Month which is a time to recognise the pioneering women who have shaped our societies.
Across Australia we see many well-deserved tributes to women who have blazed trails, who have pushed for change and broken barriers in politics, business, academia and sport. But if Women's History Month is truly about recognising the women who have shaped this country, then Australia's First Nations women must be at the centre of that conversation.
For generations, First Nations women have carried families and communities through some of the most difficult chapters of Australia's history. They have been knowledge holders, carers, leaders and advocates. Many were exploited and pushed into physically demanding labour, working in roles traditionally reserved for men and demonstrating the strength, capability and endurance they held.
At the same time, they were navigating policies that fractured families and disrupted cultural connections. They experienced — and continue to experience — racism, discrimination and systems that were never designed for them. Despite this, many First Nations women continued the work of holding communities together and passing on knowledge wherever and however they could. Yet their contributions remain largely absent from the mainstream story of women's leadership in Australia. And still, they led.
That resilience did not come easily. It was shaped through survival.
They raised children and grandchildren while re learning or holding onto culture and identity. They passed down language, knowledge and values where they could. They advocated for their communities long before governments or institutions were ready to listen. Much of this leadership never appeared in newspapers or history books. It happened in everyday spaces like around kitchen tables over cups of tea, on verandas, on riverbanks and around campfires. It happened through the powerful work of caring for family, supporting community, and holding onto culture and identity despite generations of policies designed to break those connections.
Across Australia, First Nations women have also played critical roles in major social and political movements. Many of the advances we see today in areas such as land rights, community-controlled health services and education have been shaped by the advocacy and leadership of First Nations women.
At the same time, we should be careful not to romanticise this resilience. Too often First Nations women are praised for being 'strong' without acknowledging why that strength was required in the first place. Strength has often been a response to systems that made survival harder than it should ever have been.
Women's History Month should be an opportunity to broaden the stories we tell about women's leadership in this country. Because First Nations women have always been leaders, whether or not institutions chose to recognise it. Their leadership exists in the protection of culture, the raising of generations, the defence of community and the ongoing fight for justice.
If we are serious about recognising the women who have shaped this country, then the strength and leadership of Australia's First Nations women must sit at the centre of that story. This piece is for the many strong First Nations women whose strength and resilience live on through generations.
Sheyenne Von Senden is a First Nations social worker and lecturer in the Northern Territory whose work focuses on colonisation, decolonisation and culturally responsive social work practice.
