Ryan, Edna Minna (1904 - 1997)

Edna Ryan was a leading figure in three eras of feminism in the 20th century. As a feminist and labour activist she is credited with achieving equal pay for women, maternity leave and work based child care. Ryan wrote numerous articles, conference papers, submissions to government and two books, Gentle invaders (1975) and Two thirds of a man (1984).

• Nelson (maiden name)

Parliamentary and Local Government Career

Local

• Alderman, Fairfield Municipal Council, 1956-65
• Deputy Mayor 1958
• Member, Prospect County Council retired 1972

State

• Candidate, Mosman, 1953

Other Highlights
• Participated in the first International Women's Day 1928;
• Organised the wives of the timber workers strike 1929;
• Member of Communist Party and International Workers of the World 1920-35c;
• Joined Australian Labor Party 1935;
• Organised first residential Summer School for women for the Workers Educational Association;
• First female Deputy Mayor in NSW 1958;
• Alderman Fairfield Council 1959-65;
• First woman president of the largest branch of the Municipal Employees' Union 1960s;
• Campaign manager for future Prime Minister Gough Whitlam;


• Founding member of Women's Electoral Lobby 1972;
• Presented breakthrough submission to the Arbitration Commission to award low paid women workers the same minimum wage as men 1974;
• Published Gentle Invaders, Australian Women and the Workforce 1788-1974 with Anne Conlon 1975.

Ryan campaigned for maternity leave and work-based child care for women workers, was an advocate of women's reproductive rights, and campaigned on the negative impacts of enterprise bargaining and compulsory superannuation on low paid women workers. In 1984 she published Two-thirds of a Man: Women and Arbitration in New South Wales 1902-08. The following year she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters by the University of Sydney, and in 1995 was again awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters, this time by Macquarie University.

Edna Ryan had three children - Julia, Lyndall and Patrick - whom she raised alone after the early death of her husband, Jack Ryan.

Children

• Ryan, Julia (1937 - )
• Ryan, Lyndall (1943 - )

Sponsored

• National Foundation for Australian Women (1989 - )

Related Corporate Bodies

• Women's Electoral Lobby (1972 - )

Articles

• Webb, Rosemary, Commemorating Our Dear Departed Equal Pay Activists, Workers Online Official Organ of LaborNet, Labor Council of NSW, 05 March 1999, 1 pp. (Also available at http://workers.labor.net.au/3/c_historicalfeature_edna.html) [ Details... ]

Books

• Ryan, Edna, Two-thirds of a Man. Women and Arbitration in New South Wales 1902-08, Hale & Iremonger, Sydney, Australia, 1984. [ Details... ]
• Ryan, Edna and Conlon, Anne, Gentle Invaders. Australian Women and the Workforce 1788-1974, Second edn, Penguin Books, Melbourne, Australia, 1988. [ Details... ]

Edited Books

• Hutton, Marg (ed.), Edna Ryan Remembered. Tributes from the Australian Feminist Policy Network and Union Women, First edn, New Internatational Bookshop Co-operative, Melbourne, Australia, 1997. [ Details... ]

Journal Articles

• Ryan, Edna, 'Proving a Dispute: Laundry Workers in Sydney in 1906', Labour History, no. 40, 1981, pp. 98-106. [ Details... ]

Videos

• Stephen, Shona and Paul, Cheryl, Edna Ryan: a political life, Australian Film Commission Women's Program: Australian Women's Archival Series, Oliver, Margot, Australian Film Institute, Australia, 1992. (Also available at http://www.cinemedia.net/AFI/film_vid/catalog/politics/auspol.htm#7) [ Details... ]

Online Resources

• 'Edna Ryan 1904 - 1997', in Tributes to Edna Ryan posted on ausnet, 1997, http://list.waikato.ac.nz/archives/prir-l/1997/02/msg00020.html. [ Details... ]
• National Library of Australia, 'Papers of Edna Ryan (1904 - 1997)', in Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts, 1999, http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/9140.html. [ Details... ]
• Ryan, Susan, 'Comments for Edna Ryan's Funeral', Vale Edna Ryan 15/12/1904 - 10/2/1997, WEL Australia, 01-03-1997, p. 1, http://www.wel.org.au/announce/edna/ednasury.htm. [ Details... ]
• Whitecross, Carnell, Tucker, Reilly, 'Death of Ms Edna Ryan', in 1997 Week 1 Hansard (19 February), 19 February 1997, http://hansard.www.act.gov.au/1997/week01/79.htm. [ Details... ]

See also

• [Waterfield, Dorothy edited by ], A decade of Mary Owen dinners, Mary Owen Dinner Committee, Sandingham, Vic., 1995, 178 pp. [ Details... ]
• Bielski, Joan, 'WEL NSW 1972-1997.', WEL NSW Celebrates 25 Years, Women's Electoral Lobby, September 1997, http://www.comcen.com.au/~welnsw/welhistory.htm. [ Details... ]
• Lake, Marilyn, Getting Equal: The History of Australian Feminism, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, New South Wales, 1999, 316 pp. [ Details... ]
• Mitchell, Susan, The matriarchs: twelve Australian women talk about their lives to Susan Mitchell., Penguin Books, Ringwood, Vic., 1987. [ Details... ]
• National Library of Australia, 'Papers of Beryl Henderson (1897-1990)', in Register of Australian Archives and Manuscripts, 2000, http://www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/9360.html. [ Details... ]
• Ryan, Edna, 'Women and Production in Australia', in Burns, Ailsa and Grieve, Norma (eds), Australian Women New Feminist Perspectives, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, Australia, 1986. [ Details... ]
• Ryan, Edna, 'Talking Back', in Stevens, Joyce (ed.), Taking the Revolution Home. Work Among Women in the Communist Party of Australia: 1920-1945, Syballa Cooperative Press and Publications, Melbourne, Australia, 1987. [ Details... ]
• Ryan, Edna, 'Equal Pay, Comparable Worth and the Central Wage Fixing System', Australian Feminist Studies, no. 6, 1988, pp. 7-16. [ Details... ]
• Summers, Anne, 'Back to the Future: Urgent Issues for Men and Women of Australia. 1997 ACTU Whitlam Lecture Series Wednesday 25 June 1997', lun@techs, lun@techs, 1998, p. 1, http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dukest/annesumm.htm. [ Details... ]