Elizabeth Broderick facts for kids
Elizabeth Broderick is an Australian lawyer. She worked as the Sex Discrimination Commissioner for Australia for over eight years, from 2007 to 2015. Since 2017, she has been a special expert for the United Nations, working to stop unfair treatment against women and girls. Before this, she was a partner at a big law firm called Ashurst Australia.
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Early Life and School
Elizabeth Broderick grew up in Caringbah, New South Wales. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a physiotherapist. She has two sisters, including her identical twin sister, Jane Latimer, who is also a professor.
In 1978, Elizabeth was the head girl at Meriden School in Strathfield. Her twin sister, Jane, was also a head girl at MLC School in nearby Burwood in the same year.
Elizabeth's Career in Law
Elizabeth Broderick trained to be a lawyer. She worked at a law firm called Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst). She was the first partner at the firm to work part-time, which she did for twelve years. She also helped create a system to give people legal advice at a low cost. In 2000–2001, she was named "Telstra NSW Business Woman of the Year."
Working for Fair Treatment
In 2007, Prime Minister John Howard chose Elizabeth Broderick to be the Sex Discrimination Commissioner. This job meant she helped make sure everyone was treated fairly, no matter their gender. The government extended her time in this role twice.
Elizabeth convinced some of the most powerful men in Australia to join a group called Male Champions of Change (MCC). This group works to make things fairer for everyone. The group is still active today and has inspired many other MCC groups in different areas, like sports and architecture. Some members of the first MCC group include Alan Joyce and Lieutenant General David Morrison.
The Male Champions of Change group has shared reports on their progress in 2011, 2013, and 2014. They also worked with a group of women leaders called Chief Executive Women to help leaders understand how their actions affect others.
In 2014, Elizabeth Broderick wrote a final report about unfair practices in the Australian Defence Force. She finished her role as Sex Discrimination Commissioner in 2015.
Helping Women Globally at the UN
After leaving her role as Commissioner, Elizabeth Broderick started her own company focused on making things fair for all genders. In 2017, the United Nations appointed her as a Special Rapporteur for the Discrimination against Women and Girls.
In this role, she worked with four other women experts. They reported to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, about unfair treatment of women around the world. She served in this role until 2023.
In 2018, Elizabeth Broderick launched the Male Champions of Change idea around the world.
Awards and Recognition
Elizabeth Broderick has received many awards for her important work:
- 2014: She won the Diversity category and was the overall winner of the Women of Influence Award.
- 2015: She won the Impact 25 award.
- 2015: The University of New South Wales in Sydney gave her an honorary doctorate degree. This was for her great service to Australia and the world.
- 2016: She was named New South Wales Australian of the Year. This was for being a strong voice for gender equality and for getting both women and men to help make changes.
- 2016: She received the Australian Award for Excellence in Women's Leadership.
- 2016: She was added to the Hall of Fame in the Women's Agenda Leadership Awards.
- 2017: She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia, which is a very high honor in Australia.
