Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Our vision

To positively impact women’s [1] wellbeing, nationally and globally, through multidisciplinary collaborative research, practice, teaching and programs that advance gender equity and equality.

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About us

UNSW is a world-leading university with the research know-how to effectively identify and address barriers to women’s wellbeing. The Women’s Wellbeing Academy (WWBA) works across a broad spectrum of issues ranging from gendered violence and the persistent wage gap to gender health inequities and intersecting forms of discrimination that are specific to women.

The WWBA facilitates partnerships between colleagues and collaborators across the UNSW community to enhance and promote our diverse multidisciplinary work in women’s wellbeing. The WWBA is galvanised by a genuine commitment across UNSW to advance gender equity and equality. Its aims are also guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals, understanding that wellbeing must extend to all women, and address universal factors including economic, social, and environmental disparity.

The WWBA takes a collaborative approach, working alongside the wider community and strengthening external engagement with groups dedicated to issues affecting women

Towards our vision

Over the next 5 years the WWBA will be working towards initiating a small number of unique projects funded by philanthropy and seed-funding and will support, promote, and amplify the work of its members in three areas of focus:

  1. Medicine and health: provide a platform, opportunities and networks for staff and students to promote and develop further their work in women’s health, leveraging interdisciplinary expertise to address systemic issues in healthcare that affect women. Initiate projects such as contributing to the development of women’s health in the life course in the Health Translation hub, First2000 Days and projects launched through the WWBA small grants program.
  2. Arts and social sciences: leveraging UNSW’s expertise in the arts, social sciences and human rights by providing a platform and networks for staff and students to amplify work on cultural diversity, language, legal systems, human rights, diversity and inclusion. Unique WWBA initiatives focus on intersectional approaches such as Career Coaching for Carers and the ongoing partnership with SilkRoads@UNSW.
  3. Partnerships and alliances: providing a platform to promote and amplify UNSW’s alliances in gender equity, work with collaborators and donors on programs that focus on national and global impact and develop innovative partnerships that prioritise intersectional approaches and self-determination for women. These Alliances include the NUW Alliance2, the academic health science partnership Maridulu Budyari Gumal (SPHERE), the PLuS Alliance3.

Become a member

We have various types of membership to allow for UNSW staff and students as well as collaborators to join the WWBA.

1 ’Woman’ is defined as anyone who identifies as a woman, including cisgender (gender identity corresponds with sex assigned at birth) and transgender (gender identity does not correspond with sex assigned at birth) women. This definition is taken from the Franklin Women definition. The WWBA welcomes and accepts people of any gender to join as members.

2 The NUW Alliance comprises four leading Australian research-intensive universities – the University of Newcastle, UNSW, the University of Wollongong and Western Sydney University.

3 The PLuS Alliance combines the strengths of three leading research universities on three continents – Arizona State University, King’s College London and UNSW Sydney – to solve global challenges and increase access to world-class higher education in high-need areas.