Our changing rooms change lives

Many women looking for work face bias.They create opportunities where they can. But discrimination, stereotyping, and exclusion can leave them feeling discouraged and without confidence. Gender equality is an urgent issue, and your support for disadvantaged women is something we are grateful for every single day.

At Dress for Success Sydney, we believe that a woman’s disadvantage should not mean her unemployment. When we talk about disadvantaged women, we think of women like Marina, who decided in her 50s to follow her children from Mexico to Australia and start a new life. She had been a Kindergarten teacher for many years, shaping the minds of young children.

Marina’s job became unsustainable and she was made redundant, which meant her housing situation collapsed and she faced homelessness. Away from the family and community she knew, Marina felt alone in Australia.

Once a poised professional, the blow to her self-esteem and confidence following redundancy was making the job hunt a challenge and distressing.

“I didn’t feel employable or capable. I had lost my confidence, and my experiences at work with previous managers wasn’t helping me at all.”

Many women looking for work feel unemployable. Your support for our work changes these women's lives for the better.

This all changed when Marina discovered Dress for Success Sydney’s workshops which allowed Marina to connect with women from all walks of life, to reassure her she wasn’t alone. “It showed me other women who were struggling, who had also been employed with good jobs in their home countries.”

Through the sessions, Marina built up her confidence through building community. The process reaffirmed Marina’s self-worth and changed her approach towards her career and life. This support also led to multiple interviews, one of which soon became her permanent full-time role.

Many women like Marina have been put in a precarious financial situation due to factors beyond their control. We continue to provide practical support for women seeking employment to overcome any barriers faced when rebuilding their careers.

When women work, families thrive and our whole community prospers.

Marina is now thriving in her new job, which she plans to keep until retirement. “Thanks to Dress for Success I was able to be confident and have the clarity of what path to take. People in Dress for Success believed in me when I was not believing in me; their support was paramount for my career change and to achieve and land the role I have now... I am very fortunate and very thankful.”

You can hear Marina talk about how support like yours changed her life on our YouTube page.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us, to change the lives of even more women like Marina. We couldn't do it without you.

Links:

• Marina: Dress for Success Client Advocate
• https://www.dfss.org.au/about
• What's On at Dress for Success Sydney

We have now surfaced after our biggest National Empower Hour campaign to date. With your support, and the support of Dress For Success supporters in each of the states our 2023 Empower Hour campaign was a wonderful success, helping more than 750 women into work by raising over $270,000 nationally and further building awareness of our services. It's amazing to see the impact we can make when we all come together for a great cause. I’d especially like to thank every single person who donated, shared our stories, bought an item from our retail partners, or organised an IWD event for your generosity assisting women across Australia to face their challenges and achieve their goals.

A special thanks also must go out to our supportive Match Partners: Hydro Tasmania; OBrien Real Estate.; Pilbara Minerals Limited; University of Tasmania; and Wood; our fabulous Retail Partners: Cue Clothing Co.; Forever New Clothing; Life Botanics; and Michael Hill; and our amazing Client Advocates: Alex, Annabelle, Barbara, Lara, Lulu and Naima for bravely sharing your stories.

Links:

• Thank you!
• We smashed our goal!
• Upcoming events