Madge Dawson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alice Madge Burton (1908-03-05)5 March 1908 Echunga, South Australia |
| Died | 15 June 2003(2003-06-15) (aged 95) |
| Education | Honorary Masters |
| Employer | University of Sydney |
| Known for | Women Activism, Social Justice, Education |
| Spouse | David Dawson |
| Children | Sean Dawson,Paddy Dawson |
Alice Madge Dawson (5 March 1908 – 15 June 2003) was an Australian educator, social worker, researcher and pioneering feminist. She created the Women's Studies course in the Department of Adult Education at the University of Sydney.[1]
Dawson was born as Alice Madge Burton, inEchunga inSouth Australia in 1908. Although she won a scholarship to study medicine at theUniversity of Adelaide the family could not afford to pay for the costs of living there and instead Dawson became a teacher, partly funded by the availability of the South Australian Education Department allowance. In this department of study teachers in the area experienced discrimination to many women around the world, the men earned a higher salary and married women were not allowed to work. When Dawson went toSydney University similar discriminations were still in place, women were not offered the home loan scheme for married staff. Dawson took on this latter position and won the case, getting the loan.[2][3][4]
In 1937 Dawson traveled with her husband David Dawson. They visited“Japan, Germany and the USSR as well as China and the UK."[2] Dawson felt deeply unsettled as they observed events unfolding in Nazi Germany from the ground, including a speech by JosephGoebbels, a Nazi politician.[5] Dawson desired to learn from their travels by witnessing and experiencing prejudice firsthand, specifically "racism, sexism, class division, colonialism, imperialism, communism, Nazism and war."[6]
Stirred by her travels, she opposed Nazi organizations alongside "the Spanish people and theInternational Brigade."[2] Dawson was involved in other political movements, including an organization for Aboriginal rights, theAustralian Labor Party, (ALP). She also spoke against the Vietnam War and use of nuclear weapons.
ThroughoutWorld War II she worked in an aircraft factory. For several years after the war Dawson gained a number of new qualifications in social work before they returned to Australia in 1954.[2] In 1956 she began working as a lecturer in Sydney University where she initiated the work that would becomeWomen's studies.[7][4] Initially her course talked about the socio-economic and political status of women in Europe. Many of her students became leading academics in the new feminist movements and the course led to the publication of her bookGraduate and Married (University of Sydney, 1965). However, as of late, the demands of the economy as well as recognition of the crucial role women already play have prompted some reevaluation of their potential.[8] She continued to research the topics and produced two further books with academics from three Sydney universities, retiring in 1973 but continuing to lecture part time.[4][9][10] Dawson was awarded an honorary master's from Sydney University as well as an honorary doctorate fromMacquarie University in 1989.[11]
Dawson married David Dawson in 1934. After the war they settled in London and had two sons Sean (adopted) and Paddy Dawson.[2]