The Australian Women's Register

With a background as a factory worker, Jean Stevenson was trained by the Young Women’s Christian Association in Adelaide and by the same organisation’s American Training School in New York. A vociferous advocate for women’s rights in the workplace, Stevenson is understood as instrumental in pushing active support for the 1920 Champery (Switzerland) Young Women’s Christian Association Conference, which had recommended campaigning for: eight hour days for women; public employment bureaus for women; and maternity benefits for married women. In support of this ‘Women in Industry’ campaign, Stevenson requested all Australian Associations to submit studies on the impact of industry on workers. None did.

Stevenson is noted as expressing disdain for this lack of action and the 1922 Young Women’s Christian Association Australasian Convention resolution, despite advocating the Swiss Conference’s resolutions, resulted in what seems to have been interpreted by Stevenson and others as a vote of no confidence for the Industrial Secretary: the motion was moved to leave the Department Secretary position vacant for a period and to reduce National administration to a minimum. In particular, delegates seem to have been uncomfortable with the National staff’s push for Industrial and ‘girls work’- a response Warne sees as indicative of a nation – wide internal fear of the ‘politicisation’ of the Young Women’s Christian Organisation.

Stevenson resigned in protest after the 1922 conference and became local General Secretary of the Auckland Young Women’s Christian Association.