Australian Women's Register

An initiative of The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) in conjunction with The University of Melbourne

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    Mary Owen, 13 March 2001, courtesy of AWAP Collection.
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Owen, Mary (1921 - )

Born
1921
Balwyn, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Women's Liberationist and Trade unionist

Summary

Mary Owen was founding Coordinator of The Working Women’s Centre Melbourne, 1975-1986, when it was absorbed into the Australian Council of Trade Unions. She was a staff member of AAESDA (Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors & Draughtsmen of Australia), 1965 -1975; a member of WEL from 1972; and a member of La Trobe University Council 1983-1990. She was appointed Deputy Chancellor 1989.

Details

Awarded Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal 1977; Awarded Order of Australia Medal 1984. Mary Owen is known for founding the Working Women's Centre, Melbourne and for her work in the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) Victoria. In 1986 the first Mary Owen Dinner was organised in Melbourne to celebrate Mary's retirement. Now held annually the dinner has a female speaker and is attended by 600 women wearing the feminist colours of purple, green and white.

Published Sources

Edited Books
  • Mary Owen & Sylvie Shaw. (ed.) 1979, Working Women: Discussion papers from the Working Women's Centre Melbourne, Melbourne Sisters, Melbourne
Contributions to Published Books
  • "The Political Participation of Women" in Gareth Evans & John Reeves (ed.), Labor Essays, 1980 Drummond. Melbourne
  • "Stress in the Workplace" in Marilyn Hatton (ed.), Work & Health: Issues in Occupational Health. Conference proceedings, 1982. Centre for Continuing Education. ANU. Canberra. Occupational Health in Women in Technological Change Conference. 1982. National Status of Women Committee UNAA. Melbourne
  • "Women's Rights in the Workplace: What's being done to improve them?" in Sue Dyson & Tricia Szirom (ed.), Leaving School: It's harder for girls, 1983. Melbourne
  • "The Women in my Life" in Jocelynne Scutt (ed.), Living Generously, 1996. Artemis. Melbourne
Contributions to Journals
  • Edna Minna Ryan - Obituary in Australian Rationalist, No 43. Autumn-Winter 1997.
  • "Why have a Working Women's Centre?" in Blueprint, Journal of the Association of Architects, Engineers, Surveyors & Draughtsmen of Australia, August 1979

  • "I confess I'd rather work for a few reforms" in Vashti, Journal of Women's Liberation Movement, April, 1977

  • "Discrimination - what does it mean?" in Journal of the Australasian Meat Industry Employees' Union, October, 1978
  • "What Choice Women?" in Social Alternatives, Vol. 1, No. 4. 1979
  • "What came out of Copenhagen? The definition and relevance of education for women in developing countries" in The Secretary, journal of the Institute of Secretaries. 1980
  • "The Working Women's Centre" in Radical Education Dossier, Autumn. 1981
  • "Making Affirmative Action Work" in IPMA Bulletin, Journal of the Institute of Personnel Management Australian Inc. Victoria Division, July 1984
  • "Women: a wastefully exploited resource" (adapted from paper of the same name delivered to ANZAAS Conference 1983 in Search, Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, Oct/Nov.1984
  • Sundry other contributions to various journals, conferences etc.

Related entries

Archival resources

National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection

  • Papers of Edna Ryan, 1948 - 1993, MS 9140; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details

National Library of Australia Newspaper Microcopy Reading Room

  • [Biographical cuttings on Mary Owen, co-ordinator of the Working Women's Centre, Melbourne, 1981]; National Library of Australia Newspaper Microcopy Reading Room. Details

State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection

  • Papers of Mary Owen, 1951 - 1997, MS 13367; Owen, Mary (1921 - ); State Library of Victoria, Australian Manuscripts Collection. Details

The University of Melbourne Archives

  • Mary Owen Papers; The University of Melbourne Archives. Details
  • Working Women's Centre Papers, 1907 - 1985; The University of Melbourne Archives. Details

Published resources

Books

  • [Waterfield, Dorothy edited by ], A decade of Mary Owen dinners, Mary Owen Dinner Committee, Sandingham, Vic., 1995, 178 pp. Details

Edited Books

  • Harper, Jan and Lee, Jenny (eds), Women We Know, 1988. Details

Online Resources

See also

  • Lake, Marilyn, Getting Equal: The History of Australian Feminism, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, New South Wales, 1999, 316 pp. Details

Digital resources

Title
Mary Owen
Type
Image
Date
13 March 2001
Source
AWAP Collection

Details

Patricia ni Ivor

Created: 4 May 2000, Last modified: 12 June 2009

Site-wide information and acknowledgements

National Foundation for Australian Women The University of Melbourne, eScholarship Research Centre

http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0011b.htm