IWD reflections from a woman embarking on a career in law
On 12 March 2026, I attended Transport NSW's International Women’s Day event, where Prabha Nandagopal, Elevate Consulting Partners’ Founder, gave the keynote speech. For years, I had not paid much attention to IWD as it always felt like a corporate tokenistic event, held to show companies' goodness. But this year was different. For the first time, a friend wished me a ‘happy IWD’, and I was able to attend a quality, in-person event, rather than a background webinar.
The theme of IWD this year was Balancing the Scales. As echoed in Prabha’s speech, this is not about “fixing women”; it is about dismantling the system that was built in the likeness of men. It is a call to erect a workplace where all workers genuinely feel safe and supported, not jeopardised by normative pressures or their biological function.
Prabha’s crash test dummy example drove the point home. Cars have been designed around male-sized dummies. As such, female drivers are 17% more likely to die in a car crash, and 73% have greater odds of being seriously injured in a frontal collision than their male counterparts. Only in 2022 did Swedish researchers create a dummy representing the average female.
Despite this unequivocal discrimination, I doubt car companies are acting with malicious intent. They, like many other employers, believe they are neutral. But neutrality built around one profile produces unequal friction for others.
Transport NSW is actively addressing these structural biases, beginning with a roughly gender-balanced executive team. Advocating for women’s rights can feel one-sided, but seeing male leaders Josh Murray and Matt Longland share the stage with Trudi Mares and Camilla Drover was reassuring. Visibly modelling inclusive behaviour sets the tone across the organisation.
As a final year law student, it is comforting to see employers beginning to recognise the benefits of a truly inclusive workplace. A successful and “fulfilling” career in law is often pictured as working day and night, as that is the only way to prove your commitment, hoping that after years of hard work, you will earn that coveted, high-level promotion. Like many women, I hope to marry and have children one day, and I know this will inevitably impact my work capabilities for a period of time. But I cannot help but think it will result in professional suicide. It feels like a quid pro quo – either have a successful, blossoming, high-paying career, or a stagnant career with a family-filled life.
In my culture, especially, women who prioritise their career over marriage and family are judged harshly, but also pitied. For men, the expectation is flipped – they are encouraged to focus on work as a way of “setting themselves up for the future”. These societal pressures push many women toward the second path: a family with a stagnant career. Imagining myself in that position, I do not think I would be satisfied. It is hard not to wonder - why can a man have both a prosperous career and a family, but I cannot?
After attending this event and witnessing Transport NSW's commitment to a safe and equal workplace, I realised this trade-off does not need to be accepted. Women can pursue fulfilling careers while managing caregiving responsibilities, and men can take on family roles without sacrificing their professional growth. It is a reminder that the workplace we enter tomorrow can and should look very different from the one we inherit today.
But change is not only top-down; each of us can advance equity by:
Shutting down sexist comments - this could be as simple as an eye roll.
Redistribute airtime - invite quieter voices to the discussion.
Checking out biases – would I say this about someone of a different gender?
Use influence – sponsor, not just mentor.
As Prabha concluded, we do not need a leadership title to effect change; we just need to pay attention and be willing to intervene. Change starts within – what standard do you hold yourself to? Calling out poor behaviour, setting boundaries, and treating everyone with respect will positively impact our circle of influence, and this is the most genuine and meaningful change we, as humans, can make.
