Burton, Clare (1942 - 1998)

Dr Clare Burton was a strong advocate and activist for social change, particularly in the area of equal pay for women. Her academic research fed into policy and practical change in the workplace.

Clare Burton was raised in Canberra, where her Methodist upbringing may have instilled in her the tireless work ethic she displayed in her efforts to bring about social change, promoting greater equity and justice for all.

Burton graduated from the University of Sydney with a university medal and first class honours in anthropology in 1963. She married Peter Krinks and the pair had three children: Rachel, Stephen and Kate. She completed her PhD at Macquarie University in 1979, exploring theoretical explanations for women's subordination, and began her academic career at Kuring-gai College of Advanced Education (later University of Technology, Sydney), where she became an Associate Professor.

Burton was awarded the Australasian Political Studies Association Women and Politics Prize in 1984 for her essay 'Public and Private Concerns in Academic Institutions'. Her monograph Redefining Merit became an essential companion text for practitioners of employment equity. Major publications include The Promise and the Price: the struggle for equal opportunity in women's employment (1991), Subordination, Feminism and Social Theory (1985) and Women's Worth : pay equity and job evaluation in Australia (1987).

In 1989 Burton became the New South Wales government's Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment, and in 1992 served as the Commissioner for Public Sector Equity in the Queensland Goss government. In 1993, she chose to work independently as a researcher and consultant in employment equity, being much in demand as a consultant, adviser, and speaker. In the 1990s Burton conducted about a dozen university equity reviews as well as reviewing both the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces. She was a dedicated member of the Women's Electoral Lobby (WEL) and worked on WEL submissions on the 1997 Federal Public Service Bill and the 1998 review of the Affirmative Action Agency. She also convened WEL policy groups.

Burton was a member of the Network of Women in Further Education, the Black Women's Action in Education Foundation, the National Foundation for Australian Women, the Australian Political Science Association, the Australian Sociological Association and the Institute of Public Administration Australia, and was a founding member of the National Pay Equity Coalition.

The Australian Technology Network, with Clare's friends, colleagues and family have established the Clare Burton Memorial Fund to commemorate her life and continue her work by providing a scholarship in Dr Burton's specialist field.

Membership

• National Foundation for Australian Women (1989 - )
• Women's Electoral Lobby (1972 - )

Sibling

• Edwards, Meredith Ann (1941 - )

Related Events

• Clare Burton Award, Australian National University
• The Clare Burton Lecture

Books

• Clare Burton, Subordination, feminism and social theory, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, 1985, 168 pp. [ Details... ]
• Clare Burton, The Promise and the Price: The Struggle for Equal Opportunity in Women's Employment, Allen & Unwin, North Sydney, 1991, 184 pp. [ Details... ]
• Clare Burton and Carolyn Ryall, Enterprising nation : renewing Australia's managers to meet the challenges of the Asia-Pacific century : managing for diversity, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995. [ Details... ]
• Clare Burton, Raven Hag, Gay Thompson., Women's worth : pay equity and job evaluation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1987, 155 pp. [ Details... ]

Book Sections

• Clare Burton, 'Merit, gender and corporate governance', in Linda Hancock (ed.), Women, public policy and the state, Macmillan, South Yarra, 1999. [ Details... ]

Issues papers

• Clare Burton, Equity principles in competency standards : development and implementation, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Perth, 1994, 37 pp. [ Details... ]

Monographs

• Clare Burton, Gender bias in job evaluation, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988, 21 pp. [ Details... ]
• Clare Burton, Redefining merit, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988, 14 pp. [ Details... ]

Newspaper Articles

• 'Feminist put equality on agenda', Australian, 2 September 1998, p. 17. [ Details... ]

Reports

• Clare Burton, Redesigning women's work : a case study in the community sector, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995, 56 pp. [ Details... ]
• Clare Burton, Gender equity in Australian university staffing, with the editorial Linda Cook and Susan Wilson, Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Canberra, 1997, 222 pp. [ Details... ]
• Rosemary Hunter, The beauty therapist, the mechanic, the geoscientist and the librarian : addressing undervaluation of women's work, Clare Burton, ATN WEXDEV, 2000, 67 pp. [ Details... ]

See also

• CAPOW, 'Australian Women's Honour Roll B', http://www.capow.org.au/Honourroll/honourroll-b.htm. [ Details... ]
• Tributes to Clare Burton, 1999, http://www.users.bigpond.com/rj_gj/clare/tributes.htm. [ Details... ]
• Jane Cadzow, 'Face to face: the power of sisterhood', Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Magazine, 21 January, p. 6. [ Details... ]
• Marion Frith, 'The Burton girls', Canberra Times, 8 October. [ Details... ]