International Women's Day: The women in your wallet who thrived in male-dominated fields

Anyone who has spent time on TikTok or Instagram since 2024 has likely come across the viral joke about women “thriving in male-dominated fields”.

The trend pokes fun at everyday habits, from watching sport to assembling flat-pack furniture, sarcastically framed as if they were groundbreaking career achievements.

The joke played on old stereotypes about what men and women are expected to do, while also highlighting how many industries have historically been dominated by men.

But long before it became a viral internet trend, some Australian women were already doing exactly that, and their faces are printed on the nation’s money.

Every time Australians hand over a $10, $20, $50 or $100 note, they’re passing along the legacy of women who broke barriers in fields traditionally dominated by men.

Australia’s banknotes are quietly among the most gender-equal in the world as they feature a woman on one side of every note currently in circulation.

From politics and business to literature and opera, the women featured on Australia’s banknotes help shape the nation in ways many Australians may not realise.

Ahead of International Women’s Day 2026, Ancestry, the global leader in family history, is encouraging Australians to take a closer look at the women whose faces appear in wallets and cash registers across the country, and the remarkable stories behind them.

Because while we might see them almost every day, their achievements often go unnoticed.

The convict who became a business mogul

Take Mary Reibey, the woman featured on Australia’s $20 notes.

At just 13 years old, Reiby was transported to Australia after disguising herself as a boy and stealing a horse.

Arriving in the colony as a convict might have defined the rest of her life, but instead it marked the beginning of one of colonial Australia’s most extraordinary success stories.

Widowed in her early thirties, Reibey assumed responsibility for raising seven children while also managing the family’s trading business.

Over time, she expanded those ventures into shipping, property and commerce, becoming one of early Sydney’s most successful entrepreneurs.

More than two centuries later, her portrait on the $20 note stands as a reminder — particularly this International Women’s Day — of the role women played in building Australia’s economic foundations.

The woman who changed Australian politics

The woman featured on the $50 note, Edith Cowan, made history in 1921 when she became the first woman elected to an Australian parliament.

At a time when women were still fighting for equal rights, Cowan used her position in Western Australia’s Legislative Assembly to advocate for education reform, improved child welfare protections and greater rights for women.

Her election was more than symbolic as it marked a turning point in Australian politics and opened the door for generations of women to follow.

More than a century later, Cowan’s image on the $50 note serves as a powerful reminder of how far women have come in public life — and the barriers that still remain.

The journalist who fought for the underdog

Dame Mary Gilmore, whose portrait appears on the $10 note, spent much of her life speaking up for people who didn’t have a voice.

Born Mary Jean Cameron in rural New South Wales, Gilmore became a poet, journalist and fierce advocate for working Australians.

Her experiences witnessing poverty in Sydney helped shape her commitment to social reform, and her writing often championed workers’ rights and equality.

At one point, she even travelled to Paraguay to help establish a socialist commune before returning to Australia to continue her literary and political work.

In 1937, she was appointed a Dame, cementing her reputation as both a cultural figure and a passionate advocate for a fairer society — ideals that continue to resonate as the country reflects on the contributions of women this International Women’s Day.

The Aussie who conquered the world stage

And on the $100 note is Dame Nellie Melba, one of the most celebrated opera singers of her time.

Born Helen Porter Mitchell in Melbourne, she adopted the stage name Melba in honour of her hometown before going on to perform in Europe’s most prestigious opera houses.

Her voice carried her from Australian concert halls to the grand stages of Paris, London and Milan, where she became renowned for roles such as Gilda, Violetta and Lucia.

Melba’s international success helped place Australian artistry firmly on the world stage, proof that Australian women were making waves globally long before conversations about gender equality dominated the cultural landscape.

The history hiding in your wallet

Together, these women tell a story about Australia — one of resilience, creativity and determination.

Yet as the country steadily moves toward a cashless future, fewer Australians are handling physical banknotes at all.

Which means the faces printed on them — and the stories behind them — risk quietly fading into the background.

That’s why Ancestry is encouraging Australians to explore the histories behind the women honoured on the nation’s currency this International Women’s Day 2026, and perhaps even uncover the remarkable women within their own family trees.

Because while social media once joked about women “thriving in male-dominated fields”, the women on Australia’s banknotes were doing exactly that long before the trend existed.

And every time we pass along a banknote, we’re passing along a piece of that history too.