The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Balance for Better’. Did you know, research shows workplaces with greater gender diversity have increased productivity and employee satisfaction, and better decision-making.

Magistrate Beattie has been on the bench for 13 years, in what is not only considered a traditionally male-dominated profession, but also one of the most challenging.

Magistrates don’t typically speak to the media, so I was honoured to hear Magistrate Beattie speak of her journey through law on a day that we push for progress.

She started her career as a school teacher and had no experience of law until she started her degree. "Apart from about two years in private practice after I was admitted as a solicitor, I worked for government organisations prior to coming on the bench," she said. "Looking back, I don’t feel I have faced gender-related barriers in getting to where I am now."

Magistrate Beattie says she actively promotes diversity and women to join the system through her involvement with several student programs.

“I love ... taking time to talk with students about my work and encouraging them to realise that people like me do this job. It’s important to plant the seed that they can do this, too, regardless of their backgrounds," she said.

As a mother and wife, "I’ve been fortunate to have a very supportive husband who has been the primary caregiver in our family for the past 18 years. This has enabled me to be more flexible in taking on roles, in moving to the country 12 years ago and in working irregular hours.

"We’ve raised our children to accept as a given that your gender doesn’t dictate what you do, and that is just how to approach life.”

Magistrate Beattie said the number of female magistrates in NSW had increased from 32 per cent to 46 per cent in the time she’d been on the bench.c“There are certainly many more female magistrates working in the southern region than there were when I first arrived," she said.

“We are all treated the same (including in relation to pay and entitlements). It can be a challenging job, but I’ve received plenty of support from my colleagues, male and female."

International Women’s Day for Magistrate Beattie “recognises the strength and achievements of all women, not just those with power or high profiles, and not just those from our own social spheres".

"It is a time to reflect on the path that has led us to where we are today and to think about how we are part of that path going into the future and how we can shape it to be more inclusive," she said.

"My mum wasn’t a lawyer, but she has been my greatest female role model and inspiration. She’s always urged me to just do my best and be proud of what I do, to set my own goals, and to follow through with decisions (even when it meant changing professions).​"