Breaking the Glass Ceiling With Wax

            Last Saturday, I was walking around Paddington Market, enjoying the vibrant life of the market and exploring many interesting shops. I was looking for a good souvenir to give my mom, who had just returned from her own trip to Australia in November. I didn’t want to get something too touristy for this reason, and in my search, I was drawn to a small tent in the corner of the marketplace. As I approached, sweet aromas filled the air, and I realized I had stumbled upon a stand selling candles. A woman of small stature stood behind the table, and smiled as I advanced.

            As I began to ask her questions about the different types of candles, she excitedly started opening different jars inviting me to smell the contents. In the process of sniffing almost ten flavors, I could sense the passion she felt towards this craft, and the way her eyes lit up for every piece of information I inquired about. I figured someone so excited about her life’s work might give me better insight of what life is like for Australians.

            Her name was Ju, and she lived in Sydney very close to where Paddington Market was set up. She made all of her candles herself in her home studio, and spent her time traveling around town and other parts of New South Wales selling her work. She must have been in her late 40s or early 50s, but her energy and passion made her seem younger. I asked her how long she had been living in Australia, and she expressed that she had moved here eighteen years ago from South Korea, where she was born and raised. Before, she had been a businesswoman, who had worked her way up to having employees underneath her in the company structure. One day she found out that one of her employees was making more money than her. The reason for this? He was a man.

            After finding this out, Ju was insulted and hurt. She quit her job, and vowed to move to a place where she could be respected for the work she did, not for her gender. Always passionate about candle making, and soured from the experiences of corporate life, she decided to completely switch careers, and became a candle-maker as her full-time job. When I asked her why she decided Australia, she told me that she was considering both the United States and United Kingdom, but she picked Australia because it seemed less flashy and wasn’t located on the other side of the world.

            According to studies, the income gap between men and women in South Korea is, on average, 39 percent. This is the largest gap in gender wage difference in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, who averages a 15 percent difference. For reference, the second highest country was Japan, at 29 percent. Clearly, South Korea was way behind. Australia’s gap fluctuates between 15 and 18 percent.

            I asked Ju if she had ever felt like she was at a disadvantage by being a woman in Australia. She told me that upon her initial arrival, for the first couple years, it was difficult to adjust to such a different lifestyle. Because of this, she felt like she had a disadvantage in general, and being a woman who looked foreign didn’t make it any easier for her. She said that as she got more used to the western lifestyle, she saw the disadvantages dwindle as the years passed by. She admitted that being in a profession dominated by females certainly made any sexism less apparent. After writing my last blog post on gender, I was curious if Ju had heard of “The Drover’s Wife” or Norman Lindsay. She hadn’t, or couldn’t recall, but after explaining it to her, she commented that she believed Australian women were just as strong as the ones portrayed in stories and paintings.

            It really was fascinating to hear the perspective of a woman who was born in a place where gender inequality runs rampant, and because of this, traveled to a place where it’s more infrequent. However, Australia still has some steps to take. In my opinion, obviously, the gender pay gap is still too high. I asked Ju if she thought Australia still had room to grow in the area of gender equality, and she said that, without a doubt, it did. She noted that in the corporate world, there will still bouts of sexism and poor treatment of women, although infrequent. But, she said, that’s not just Australia, it’s in most countries, and Australia is one of the places making the most strides forward. And I have to agree with her; I’ve noticed that in general women seem to be treated more as equals here in Australia that most places, even, in some instances, than the United States.

            I thanked her for her time, and she handed me the neat, packaged candle, and flashed that same smile she had when I first approached. Now, whenever I smell that candle, burning the scent of coconut and lime, I can think back to the time I learned Ju’s story; one of heartbreak, change, and redemption.