A locally-produced podcast series launching next month aims to provide an insight into what the working lives of Australian women are really like.
Women Talk Work podcast founder Clare Conroy has always had a fascination with what goes on behind the scenes of other people’s jobs.
“When I travel, I’m much more curious to find out what it’s like to work at the hotel where I’m staying rather than experiencing it as a tourist,” she says.
A natural curiosity and a desire to showcase the diversity of work that women do motivated her to start the Women Talk Work podcast, which will feature interviews with women in a range of jobs and at a range of levels.
“In working [as a producer] on TEDxCanberra and She Leads events I’ve come across so many women in a range of different jobs and I really want to highlight this and challenge some of the misconceptions about ‘women’s work,’” she says.
The interviews will explore what an average day involves, career highlights, frustrations and future aspirations, what success in this particular job looks like and what makes work interesting and enjoyable – or not.
“Our understanding of what work is about is informed by movies, TV shoes and career education in Year 10, but none of these give you a sense of what a particular job is like or the challenges and opportunities that go along with it,” Clare says.
And while school leavers, university students and those looking for a career change will find the series particularly relevant, Clare hopes the series will have broader appeal too.
“The research now shows that women entering the workforce are more likely to have different jobs in different industries over their lifetime. The idea of picking one job in high school and sticking with it is not real anymore.
“Even if you’re not looking for a career change, the interviews will have entertainment value and perhaps also give insight into what certain jobs are like.”
The project is also the recipient of a 2015 YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas grant, which not only provides the funding to purchase equipment and hosting, but also allows Clare to take advantage of YWCA Canberra’s networks.
“Most importantly, the funding allows me to leverage the great brand and network of YWCA Canberra, and hopefully I can use that platform to promote and share my work,” she says.
Clare will start recording interviews next month and aims to release her first series of ten episodes in mid-July. And while her interviewees are women from all over Australia, she says that Canberra women will feature prominently in the series.
Find out more about the Women Talk Work podcast on Facebook.
YWCA Canberra’s Great Ydeas Small Grants Program provides funds to local women and girls to pursue a professional development opportunity, pilot a project, business idea, or address a need in the community.
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