Clare Burton Scholarship Awarded 2004
The recipient of the 2004 Clare Burton Scholarship, the second to be offered, is Robyn North, who is undertaking a PhD at the University of South Australia. Her research aims to examine in what ways social policy can influence gender equality in heterosexual relationships and/or further support existing gender inequalities in heterosexual relationships.
Robyn is a Bachelor of Social Work, with 1st Class Honours from the University of South Australia. She has been employed as a Research Assistant at the University of South Australia (Research and Education Unit on Gendered Violence) and has also worked part time at the Department of Human Services. She has been involved as a researcher in nationally funded research projects relating to domestic violence, including an analysis of programs for men who use violence, requiring an analysis of gender inequality particularly as it relates to masculinity.
The Clare Burton scholarship is awarded annually and can be taken up at any of the five universities of the Australian Technology Network (Curtin, QUT, RMIT University, UniSA or UTS). It was established by the ATN Universities and Dr Clare Burton's family to honour and continue the work of Dr Burton, a pioneering Australian researcher, activist and practitioner in the field of gender equity. The scholarship is for $10,000 and is available to either a commencing or continuing student enrolled in post graduate course work or in a research degree where the major piece of work is focused on gender equity.
Chair of the Scholarship Committee, Professor Eleanor Ramsay, said "The selection panel was impressed by both the quality and spread of the highly competitive field attracted by this important award. There was a strong field of twenty applications spread across all five states, including both PhD and Masters students from a range of disciplines. The range of their research topics was very wide and included technology, media, maths, pre-natal health, motherhood, domestic violence, trafficking in women and work/life balance."
Professor Meredith Edwards from the University of Canberra, sister of Dr Clare Burton, said "Our family are delighted to be involved in this scholarship which commemorates Clare's work in such a tangible way."
Scholarship winner, Robyn North, said "I am proud to have gained this scholarship and to be in some way associated with such a highly respected researcher as Dr Clare Burton. Recent work on gender inequality has taken minimal account of the expressive or emotional dimensions of close personal relationships and many studies remain overly concerned with the instrumental aspects of relationships (such as the domestic division of labour, informal care and financial allocation), rather than focusing on relationship quality. I am sure Clare Burton, with her strong commitment to investigating culture would be sympathetic to my focus. I would like to thank the ATN Universities, the Burton family and all those friends and supporters of Clare's who contributed to the scholarship fund."
Applications for the 2005 scholarship will be called for later in 2004, following the Clare Burton Memorial Lectures taking place in all capital cities in September. The speaker is Professor Larissa Behrendt, who is speaking about the impact of images of Aboriginal women on law reform and legal policies.