Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd is Director of the Centre for Research for Women, a joint research initiative of the four public universities in Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and The University of Western Australia.  She has submitted a Ph.D. at Murdoch University on mothers staying at home and the child care debate.  Her research interests include Women and Unpaid Work, Mothering, Family and Culture, Flexible Working Practices and Gender in Popular Culture. She teaches at Edith Cowan University in the School of International, Cultural and Community Studies.  Elizabeth has also written for a variety of newspapers and magazines in Australia and the UK and is an occasional media commentator. 

Elizabeth has been a presenter on the women's issues radio programme Burning  Down the House. She is a member of the International Alliance of Women, the Association for Research on Mothering and the Fellowship of Australian Writers.  She is also active in the Community Refugee Settlement Scheme.

Elizabeth is married to James Boyd and they have one twelve-year-old daughter, Jessica.  They have lived in the UK in London and Devon and are currently settled in Perth, Western Australia.

Interview with Dr Elizabeth Reid Boyd

How do you define leadership? Do you see yourself as a leader? 

Leadership is difficult to define as a concept.  I find it useful to think of it in practice.  At the Centre for Research for Women, I have been extremely privileged to work with our Board of Management, which is made up of a group of extraordinary women, who are all leaders in their fields, in academia, in government and in the community.  For example, one of our Board members is Dr Patricia Giles, who was a Federal Senator for over ten years, and another is Associate Professor Bev Thiele, of Murdoch University, who is an internationally respected scholar and the Australian editor of Women’s Studies International Forum.

I have noticed two qualities in these women that I would describe as leadership qualities. The first is an unfailing courtesy and respect towards, and interest in, others.   They really listen.    The second is their sheer hard work.  They are the sort of people who are often described as having tireless energy, but the reality is they do get tired.  They get tired and frustrated just like every one else.  The difference is, they keep going. I think that this comes from being principle driven, especially regarding social justice. I would not describe myself as a leader, but I certainly try to emulate these qualities. 

In your article, "Who are you (not) calling a Feminist?" you say that individuals negotiate with feminism to create a personal understanding of what feminism is.

a) Why do you think that women choose to align themselves to certain aspects of feminism as opposed to identifying with the term in all its implications?

 I find it very interesting that feminist has become such a pejorative term.   I think this stops women identifying with it totally.  We have DIY feminists and “I’m not a feminist, but…” and “I am a feminist, but…”. - it is always qualified.  I have had women say to me that they are feminists “but not with a capital F”.  A women’s studies lecturer told me recently that a student had said she was a feminist but not a ‘card carrying feminist’.  The lecturer’s response was: Who is handing out the cards?

I think that one of the gifts of post modernism is that we are more able to understand and appreciate diversity.  A Western Australian feminist writer, Lekkie Hopkins, puts it beautifully: Every woman is at the centre of her own story.  Ideas about being a woman are diverse – so of course, ideas about feminism are diverse too.  We do or do not align ourselves with the aspects of feminism that resonate with our lives and thus, to recycle the old slogan, the personal is a key to the political.

But feminism being political is paramount.  The problem is that feminism is often perceived, in the media for example, as representing some sort of club rather than a fluid and dynamic social and political movement.   I would emphasise the word movement.  Feminism changes over time.  But maintaining gender equity as a political issue is important regardless of whether or not it is popular in a particular period.

b) Do you believe that there is a widespread understanding among women of what being a feminist means and what it encompasses? 

In 1913, Rebecca West said, "I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat..."

I don't know if there is widespread understanding of feminism among women, but I am certain that many women have experienced similar responses when they cease to behave like doormats. 

c) How do you define Feminism? Do you see yourself as a Feminist? 

For me, feminism is simply a human rights issue.  All around the world, there are injustices and crimes committed against individuals on the grounds of gender, as well as race and creed.  How can I not be a feminist? 

What initially motivated you to research and base your thesis on mothers staying at home to care for their children?

When I began my research, my initial interest in staying at home was partly due to my own experience as a mother.  I have shared child care with my partner and I have also spent time at home by myself with my daughter. In 1994, I wrote an article for The West Australian newspaper entitled “Home Alone?  Mothers at Home with Their Children” which was published as “The Tender Trap”.  It highlighted some of the issues raised by being at home with children, including the isolation felt by some mothers at home, particularly in the suburbs.  The response I received to that article indicated to me that being at home with children warranted further investigation. 

With respect to your research on family and culture, what are the issues that you find significant and needing addressing?

 I am one of the lecturers in a unit called Family and Culture at Edith Cowan University.  It is a fascinating unit, for me, anyway!  I have been teaching it for about five years now.  The students give seminars about different cultural groups in Australia and provide insights into aspects of their family life.  Inevitably, in a class of say, fifty, we discover there are riches of cultural practices and experiences.  People have such diverse backgrounds but in spite of multiculturalism, we don’t really celebrate it enough.  The seminars can be quite moving.  I remember one young student who spoke about her Polish background and said that it was the first time she had ever told anyone she spoke Polish at home.  Another student, who knew his family migrated from Macedonia, decided to explore that group.  He opened a textbook and found a photograph of his grandparents – they had been the first Macedonian migrants to Western Australia and he had never known.

Another research area that I am exploring is the intersection between culture and poststructuralism.  One project I am currently working on is to do with children and religion.  I am very interested in the non-structured way children currently encounter religious and cultural beliefs.  For example, children encounter religious symbols in their everyday life, but they may be unaware of their religious meaning.  They are exposed to a plethora of beliefs, festivals and practices in our cultural and linguistic diversity, but they may have questions about how, or if, these beliefs can fit together. In order to achieve harmony, tolerance and understanding in Australia, it is essential to provide educational materials that begin to answer these questions and promote these ideals.   This is also important in a global context, since many wars worldwide have an inter-ethnic or religious component. 

What attracted you to becoming an academic after being a Journalist? What impact has your journalistic training and interests had on your academic pursuits?

As I have described above, the journalistic writing I have done has been linked to my academic interests.  I do not think I chose to become an academic at a specific point – I enjoy research and I enjoy teaching.  I also particularly enjoy working at the Centre for Research for Women because the Centre forms a bridge between academia and the community and with industry.  Research today is increasingly rests upon partnerships and the Centre has always had a focus upon collaboration across disciplines, universities and more broadly.  It is challenging, exciting and rewarding. 

With regard to my own research interests, there is certainly a recursive relation between the popular and the academic.  I try to ensure that my work is accessible in a variety of mediums.  For example 'Girlfriend' magazine (a teen magazine) is using some of my work.  I wrote a piece about ways girls can 'make a difference' in social, women's and environmental issues.  It was written in a lighthearted way, but I do believe that it is vital to reach young women in the forums of their choice, in ways that are appropriate to them. 

What recommendations would you make to improve higher education for undergraduates and postgraduates and, in particular, for women?

The cost of higher education is becoming increasingly prohibitive.  I think this affects all students and I also know that it adversely affects women who may be studying or retraining due to interrupted work patterns. This means that often women’s skills and abilities are not being used to their fullest potential. 

If a woman has been at home, perhaps caring for children, and her choices are further education at great financial cost or work which provides some immediate income, I think that many women are choosing the latter.  Or they try to do both, and struggle to manage work, family and study. 

How would you describe the challenges of your present role as Director of the Centre for Research for Women?

One of they key aims of the Centre is to support postgraduates. There is less security in academia now, and many postgraduates and emerging scholars are on short-term research constricts or doing sessional teaching.  The Centre is committed to providing a base for academics to carry out a range of projects.

 One of the most rewarding aspects of my role at the Centre for Research for Women is the interaction between different groups and interests.   As I have already mentioned, the Centre encourages collaboration across universities, disciplines and the pubic, community and private sectors.  This is effective and valuable and has resulted in some very innovative research. 

As a Writer, which areas do you see yourself focussing on in the next couple of years? What advice would you offer to women who are finding it difficult getting their work published?

 There are a couple of areas in which I am very interested, drawing upon feminist theory and also psychology, which is another part of my background.  I am certainly keen to continue my research and writing on mothering, and looking at the emotional dimension of child care, across home and work.

 I am also extremely interested in adolescence (perhaps because my daughter is almost thirteen!).  Next year, the Centre is planning to run ‘Body Talk’ workshops for girls.  We will be exploring the process of becoming a ‘social body’ ie. the process of social and attitudinal change, which is connected to physical changes during adolescence.  They can be just as difficult to mediate and cope with as physical changes.  The other researcher and I hope to do some writing about this project.  

 My writing advice would be based upon the adage: The art of writing is the art of applying the seat of one’s pants to the seat of one’s chair.

Also, to keep trying.  Wasn’t it James Joyce who papered his bathroom walls with rejection letters?