Decadal Plan Champion
Australian Academy of Science Women in STEM Decadal Plan.
In recognition of UNSW’s commitment to supporting women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), the Australian Academy of Science has named UNSW as one of its Decadal Plan Champions.
The Australian Academy of Science’s Women in STEM Decadal Plan provides a vision for Australia’s STEM workforce for 2030 and a framework for organisations across multiple sectors to move towards these goals.
'A workforce delivering science, technology and innovation and the national advances they bring must make use of all available talent. Yet women and girls face a myriad of systemic barriers and cultures which result in ther under-representation across the breadth and depth of STEM disciplines and careers. Under-representation and underutilisation of the workforce are threats to Australia’s prosperity'.
– Decadal Plan Page 10
As a Decadal Plan Champion, UNSW has agreed to publicly align our gender equity journey with the decadal plan. The champions process builds on the efforts already underway across many organisations including UNSW, providing a platform to share knowledge, act, evaluate and create accountability.
The six opportunities
The Decadal Plan Framework outlines six opportunities to progress gender equity in STEM disciplines in participating organisations. Here, UNSW showcases several current initiatives driven by our Athena SWAN Bronze Award Action Plan. For a full list, please refer to our Women in STEM Decadal Plan Champion application.
1 Leadership and cohesion
Stronger cohesion and leadership across the Australian STEM ecosystem will amplify and strengthen diversity outcomes.
Strategy 2025 gender equity targets
The UNSW 2025 Strategy has set a goal for 40% female representation at senior academic levels D and E and 50% at senior professional level 10+ with a range of flow-on effects including regular progress reporting and KPIs for Deans and Division Leaders. Progress is supported by a range of policy and procedure changes and education programs including Inclusive Leadership and Unconscious Bias training.
Signatory to COVID-impacts Joint Sector Position Statement on Gender Equity
In 2020 UNSW signed a Joint Higher Education Position Statement on Preserving Gender Equity as a Higher Education Priority during and after COVID-19. The statement acknowledges the gendered effects of COVID-19 and commits to a set of key actions around mitigating these effects on female staff and students.
2 Evaluation
Establishing a national evaluation framework will guide decision making and drive investment and effort into measures that work.
Gender reporting requirements
As part of implementation of the Athena SWAN 2018 Bronze Award Action Plan (Action 2.13) UNSW has implemented new gender reporting requirements to enable detailed gender analysis across the recruitment lifecycle. This will be used to monitor our progress towards overall targets and the effects of COVID-19 on gender equity at UNSW.
Gender pay equity analysis
UNSW has prioritised gender pay equity analysis and our remuneration policy commits UNSW to several key gender equity pay objectives including for the proportion of all monies paid to females to equal the proportion of all positions filled by females, by 2025. UNSW’s gender pay equity strategy has been recognised by the NHMRC as a ‘Better Practise Example’ in its 2018-2019 Gender Equality Policy report.
3 Workplace culture
A significant cultural shift in workplaces is necessary to create gender equity for women in STEM. A culture that is inclusive and respectful, challenges traditional stereotypes, is free of discrimination and bias, enables flexibility and accommodates career interruptions and changes will maximise women’s participation in the workforce.
Athena SWAN workplace culture key action area
Workplace culture is a key action area in UNSW’s Athena SWAN 2018 Bronze Action plan resulting in a wide range of workplace culture and inclusion initiatives completed or underway including:
- Implementation of Flexible work guidelines
- Generous maternity leave, adoption leave, primary carer leave and partner leave entitlements
- Regular Team Meeting Hours Policy
- Diversity Champions program
- Increased participation in initiatives that mark significant days for LGBTIQ+ communities
- Participating in the Australian Workplace equality Index Employee survey on LGBTIQ+ inclusion
- Parenting booklet and parental leave education program to be extended in 2021 with new Parents & Families champions and enhanced support for parents at UNSW Sydney
4 Visibility
Seeing women in diverse STEM careers, and equally represented in the media, in public events, and in other forums like boardrooms and classrooms will provide role models for girls and women and inspire a nation.
Panel pledge
UNSW Sydney websites and collateral use diverse images to ensure visible gender balance. We are working to improve the visibility of our talented female staff.
The UNSW Sydney Management Board has committed to the Male Champions of Change ‘Panel Pledge’ to ensure consideration is given in the planning stage to representation of women at conferences, events and lectures with the aim of gender parity. EDI has taken the panel pledge as have the faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Medicine and the Built Environment.
5 Education
Strengthening the education system to support teaching and learning on a national scale will enable and encourage all girls and women at all levels to study STEM courses and equip them with the skills and knowledge to participate in diverse STEM careers.
As an higher education institution, education is at the heart of what we do, and educating women and girls in STEMM is a core part of UNSW Sydney’s mission. We have many faculty-led initiatives to encourage more girls and women to study STEMM. Here are just some of the examples.
Mathematical sciences
- Girls do the Maths
- Women in Maths and Stats Scholarship program
- Paradice Honours Scholarships to encourage female students to undertake an Honours program in the School of Mathematics and Statistics
6 Industry action
Establishing a national framework that guides and provides tools to address gender equity amongst SMEs will impact the vast majority of businesses not reached by existing programs.
UNSW Sydney is committed to thought leadership in the wider community and provides a number of programs to develop future entrepreneurs and to support equity, diversity and inclusion in other organisations.
