Yarning up: Stories of challenges and success

Abstract

This paper explores the lives of three New South Wales Aboriginal women, mothers, artists and academics. It will identify the women’s success in academia as demonstrated by their pathways to education, employment, job satisfaction, commitment and leadership experiences. In addition, the challenges they have faced, together with balancing family and community commitments and the importance and influence of mentors who assisted them on their pathway to success will be discussed. They employ Aboriginal methodologies that privilege Aboriginal ways of being, knowing and doing utilising a yarning methodology which is a culturally appropriate conversational process of sharing stories to develop knowledge and educate younger generations. In this way, they generate new knowledge on what works and why for Aboriginal women in academia, identifying historical pathways and platforms to success, revealing common significant influences in order to uncover key drivers of success and aspects of cultural and social life, which have enabled them as Aboriginal women to succeed.