{"id":18543,"date":"2022-09-21T14:58:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-21T06:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/?p=18543"},"modified":"2025-07-24T10:42:44","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T02:42:44","slug":"education-key-to-breaking-barriers-and-empowerment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/friends\/education-key-to-breaking-barriers-and-empowerment\/","title":{"rendered":"Education key to breaking barriers and empowerment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Professor Jaya Dantas<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Raquel de Brito<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As India\u2019s extreme gender disparities prevailed around her, a young Jaya Dantas<\/a> buried herself in her studies and broke through what seemed like impossible barriers the only way she knew how, with education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, she continues to use her education as a beacon of hope for others downtrodden by inequality in her role as Dean, International at Â鶹ֱ²¥ and more recently as Dean of Gender Equality, Inclusion and Diversity: Faculty of Health Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She knows better than anyone the limitations inequality can place on various social groups to succeed, having lived in a country of severe disparities between the rich and poor, men and women, and various tribal groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as someone who escaped such limitations, she can attest that education is the most powerful weapon against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I finished my master’s education my first substantive job was in a woman’s university,\u201d Jaya said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, if women are educated, empowered and have a job, it gives them that ability to progress,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey often say when you educate a woman, you educate a nation. And if you educate a community this makes a huge difference to people and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Professor of International Health Jaya also holds a teaching position in Curtin\u2019s School of Population Health and has spent 20 years researching refugee and migrant populations and works relentlessly to bridge the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobally what we’ve seen is the diversity and inclusion agenda is gaining more prominence and especially in terms of gender equality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the university level, Jaya wants to see more women of colour, women of diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal women and women with disabilities have senior roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She currently supports Curtin\u2019s Humanitarian Scholarship<\/a> for international students and the university\u2019s Moorditj Yorga Scholarship<\/a>, for mature-aged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe often find that there will be many women of colour and of different diverse backgrounds at the lower levels and the mid-levels. But when it comes to the higher levels, it, it is more of a challenge to achieve that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaya\u2019s humanitarian endeavours extend beyond a professional capacity, having transformed the lives of several children through her involvement in foster care over the past 17 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI was doing research with refugee youth when I met the cultural diversity officer from the Department of Child Protection. She said they were really looking for foster carers of other backgrounds,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jaya, with her mother, children and foster daughter.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without hesitation, and while completing her PhD and parenting two children of her own, she put her hand up, and fostered her first child \u2013 a 10-year-old boy who lived with her until he reached 18 and whom she continues to maintain a bond with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dealing with significant trauma of their own, that would have otherwise stunted their development, it was thanks to Jaya\u2019s guidance and encouragement to pursue an education, they thrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of her foster children became a nurse, one is studying to become a naturopath, and another is completing a double degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Education is the key to breaking barriers for anyone \u2013 men and women. The more educated you are, the more empowered you are,\u201d she said.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her tireless efforts to empower the disadvantaged also saw Jaya launch the EMPOWER project<\/a>, where she assisted refugee and migrant women in navigating their way through job hunting in WA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jaya\u2019s EMPOWER project gives hope to refugee women looking for employment in WA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe had classes like preparing for an interview, writing a CV and answering a cover letter,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Jaya headed another project for migrant women called SAMBA (South Asian and Middle Eastern Women Being Active)<\/a>, which looks at physical activity programs and how these can help women to feel part of the community and create a positive impact on physical and mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SAMBA encourages women to get active and boost their mental and physical health.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat we wanted to look at is when migrant women come to Australia, they look after their families, their husbands, their children, and they try and get a job if they can, but they often neglect their health and wellbeing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis physical activity program gives them an avenue to attend physical activity with other migrant women who are passionate about physical activity, dance and exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 10 weeks, they can attend a free class and see if it makes a difference in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It might seem like relentless work to some, but Jaya is fueled by an innate understanding that an empowered woman can achieve anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes I feel they just need someone to talk to. Not only about the good things, but about the challenges,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis not only gives me a great deal of satisfaction, it also gives the women an avenue to unpack or talk through these issues on a one-on-one basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWomen are very resilient and if they have this sense of direction, they can succeed,\u2019\u2019 she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Author | Raquel de Brito<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

___<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n\n

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