Last November, the Just Gold Team attended Newkind conference, A conference designed to inspire and empower participants to build a better world. We had a chance to speak with some participants and presenters on the Invisible Woman Syndrome, including Nova Peris OAM, who attended New Kind as a guest speaker. Nova Peris was Australia's first aboriginal woman elected to federal parliament as a senator for the Northern Territory. She was also the first aboriginal Australian and Northern Territorian to win an Olympic gold medal. We talked to Nova about her hopes and fears for women over 50 and more specifically her biggest fears for Indigenous women over 50 as they grow older. The Just Gold team will be attending Newkind Conference again in November, 2022. We hope to see you there. If you have your own story to share for the Invisible Woman Podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Get in contact at justgoldwomen.net.
[00:00:00] Carley Bishop: This is a just gold podcast.
[00:00:03]
[00:00:03] Carley Bishop: Captured on the lands of the peoples of the east Eastern Kulin nation, we pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
[00:00:25] Last November, the Just Gold Team attended new kind conference, A conference designed to inspire and empower participants to build a better world. We had a chance to speak with some participants and presenters on the Invisible Woman Syndrome, including Nova Peris OAM, who attended New Kind as a guest speaker.
[00:00:46] Nova Peris was Australia's first aboriginal woman elected to federal parliament as a senator for the Northern Territory. She was also the first aboriginal Australian and Northern Territorian to win an Olympic gold medal. We asked Nova what her hopes and fears are for women over 50 and more specifically her biggest fears for indigenous women over 50 as they grow older.
[00:01:06] Nova Peris: I guess if you're talking about women in the age group of 50 women who are menopause, if I could talk about menopause, it's not a sexy thing to be able to talk about. So I feel that, if there things that women need to become better at is talking about the inevitable and being able to live a better quality life.
[00:01:29] So if you talk about the invisible woman, this is something not spoken enough about. I'm sure that you'd, get enough, things In terms of other women hitting the ripe all age of 50, but that's something that I'd put on the table that's not spoken enough about. And that's menopause cuz it's almost like a taboo subject, but it's an inevitable thing that women have to deal with.
[00:01:52] Yeah it's, people have their preferences or do they want to handle this in a natural way? From my lived experience, A very difficult thing when it's all to do with your hormones and the imbalances of hormones, hormones that you don't produce anymore cuz of the age.
[00:02:08] So, If you are saying an indigenous woman at the rip age of 50, what Aboriginal women go through when their fifties is where probably non-indigenous women are in their sixties.
[00:02:17] I was a grandmother at 38. Normally non-indigenous women are having their first child at that age. Second child. I was her grandmother at. it's hard if you dunno the whole context of Aboriginal women, my mom was a stolen generation, my grandparents as well.
[00:02:34] You can only control the controllers, you know, I guess if there's the message now is, I talk about it all the time. Kids having access to education. Going to university. And if you are that kid, and if you have a parent who's in their 50 is to look back at the opportunities that you have now that have been afforded to you and that your parents didn't have.
[00:02:53] it's no good worrying about the things you can't control, but what you can control is, the movements of your children and your grandchildren and encourage them cuz it's hard, you can't accumulate wealth really when you're at that rip whole age. I guess it's the things that you can control with your kids.
[00:03:08]
[00:03:10] Carley Bishop: We ask Nova if she thinks our politicians are listening more now to women or has it gotten worse.
[00:03:15] Nova Peris: I, I think things are getting better. You have to be optimistic and certainly, there are a lot more women now in, in federal parliament, state parliament. Women who were ministers. And you've got more people who do have a voice as opposed to those who didn't even five to 10 years ago.
[00:03:33] And, you can have a voice, but you gotta ask the question. Are you being valued and respected? And what do you do with that leadership and that position?
[00:03:40]
[00:03:42] Carley Bishop: We ask Nova what advice she'd give her younger self.
[00:03:45] Nova Peris: Stop wasting your time on things you can't control, I suppose, yeah, that, it's hard because all my flaws and all my faults and mishaps have shaped me into the person I am today. So it's hard to go back in who would wanna live a perfect life.
[00:04:00]
[00:04:02] Carley Bishop: The Just Gold team will be attending Newkind conference again in November, 2022. We hope to see you there. If you have your own story to share for the Invisible Woman Podcast, we'd love to hear from you. Get in contact at justgoldwomen.net.
[00:04:15] The invisible woman project funded by our social enterprises impact program promotes awareness and actions for women and gender diverse people. To age with dignity, security, and safety. Find out more on justgoldwomen.net or on our socials justgoldwomen
[00:04:47] Kyriakos Gold: This was a just gold podcast. Find out more about our social enterprise at justgold.net