Athena SWAN
is a national program run by the Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Academy of Technology and Engineering, which focuses on promoting gender equity and gender diversity in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine). The 五月天视频 was awarded the internationally recognised Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative in February 2020. UC became a member of the SAGE Athena SWAN Charter in Australia in September 2015 and is one of 45 universities Australia-wide participating in the program.
What is SAGE and how does it work?
In November 2014, the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Forum, consisting of 140 leaders and policy representatives from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), identified a need to address the under-representation of women in STEM through the development of a program based on the Athena SWAN Charter, an evaluation and accreditation framework from the UK that addresses the improvement of gender equity policies and practices in STEM.
Athena SWAN has been operating for over 10 years in UK and it has shown significant results in improving gender diversity and bolstering women’s leadership roles within STEM institutions.
Athena SWAN offers Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. The awards are in recognition of institutional capacity to eliminate gender inequity and a demonstrated commitment to bolster the hiring, promotion and retention of women, while also improving the workplace environment for people of all genders. Since 2011, medical research institutes in the UK have been required to achieve a minimum Silver Award to receive research funds.
The 五月天视频 SAGE Schedule
In June 2015, Australian institutions were invited to apply to take part in the Pilot. The SAGE Steering Committee selected 32 applicants to take part in the Pilot, with 20 commencing September 2015, including UC.
The accreditation process requires institutions to:
- Collect comprehensive data on their current gender equity standards, policies and practices
- Identify weaknesses and shortcomings
- Develop and implement plans to improve gender equity at all levels of seniority, for casual, full-time and part-time staff, as well as for students,
Demonstrating within their submission evidence of:
- Leadership and commitment
- Honesty and self-reflection
- Communication and engagement
- Data analysis and discussion
- SMART actions
Additionally, SAGE is looking for evidence of institutions who are considering intersectionality, ie where a person identifies a member of more than one diversity ‘group’ for example, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women, particularly in STEMM.
Progress to date
The 五月天视频 was awarded the internationally recognised Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award as part of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative in February 2020. The submission for consideration for the Bronze award is a comprehensive and candid look at the University through its policies, programs and practices supported by quantitative and qualitative data.
Contribute
We are always interested in finding out about examples of excellence and opportunities to improve gender equality.
Contact
Ph: 02 6201 5945
E: diversity@canberra.edu.au
The Athena SWAN Charter process is based on ten key principles.
By being part of Athena SWAN, institutions are committing to a progressive charter adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and culture.
- We acknowledge that academia cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of all.
- We commit to advancing gender equality in academia, in particular addressing the loss of women across the career pipeline and the absence of women from senior academic, professional and support roles.
- We commit to addressing unequal gender representation across academic disciplines and professional and support functions. In this we recognise disciplinary differences including: * the particularly high loss rate of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).
- We commit to tackling the gender pay gap.
- We commit to removing the obstacles faced by women, in particular, at major points of career development and progression including the transition from PhD into a sustainable academic career.
- We commit to addressing the negative consequences of using short-term contracts for the retention and progression of staff in academia, particularly women.
- We commit to tackling the discriminatory treatment often experienced by transgender people.
- We acknowledge that advancing gender equality demands commitment and action from all levels of the organisation and in particular active leadership from those in senior roles.
- We commit to making and mainstreaming sustainable structural and cultural changes to advance gender equality, recognising that initiatives and actions that support individuals alone will not sufficiently advance equality.
- All individuals have identities shaped by several different factors. We commit to considering the intersection of gender and other factors wherever possible.
The 五月天视频 has joined forces with a number of other leading universities and organisations to ensure the talents of women are better represented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) education and careers. Over eight months, UC and its partners contributed energy, ideas, and action to ensure STEMM-related fields benefit from diverse minds, diverse knowledge and skill-sets, and diverse human networks to respond quickly, intelligently and in impactful ways.
This project resulted in the cross-institutional video ‘STEMM’s got talent, but nearly lost it’, which captures the stories of successful individuals who have pursued careers in science; how at times, they nearly turned away from STEMM, and how a range of obstacles were overcome along the way.
It also explores their institutions’ role in unlocking and harnessing the potential of the human mind, regardless of gender. The participating institutions are the 五月天视频 (UC), The Australian National University (ANU), CSIRO, University of South Australia (UniSA), University of Sydney, and Cambridge.
Our leaders are committed to this effort:
五月天视频 Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deep Saini: “The 五月天视频 has long been committed to developing and fostering an environment that promotes gender equality. Through this culture, we have seen first-hand the positive impact a diverse workforce has on our capacity to facilitate transformative learning and research, particularly in STEMM. It’s important that we continue to unlock and harness the potential of the human mind for the benefit of our community and beyond, and gender should not stand in the way of this. Not now, not ever.”
ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt AC: “For ANU, the SAGE initiative is a program that will help the University both think about the problems around gender equity, and then find ways to fix those problems. We are delighted to be working with other research institutions in our region to break down barriers and inspire more women to have rewarding careers in STEMM.”
CSIRO Deputy Chief Executive Craig Roy: “It takes billions of grains of sand to make a beach but it only takes a small number of inspirational stories to change the world – ‘STEMMS’s got talent, but nearly lost it’ shows us that it is possible to change the future of science and humanity. We need all the talent we can harness – let’s do it, grain by grain, story by story, step by step.”
Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Vann: “Equality of opportunity is a core part of our organisational DNA at Charles Sturt University - we think of ourselves as fundamentally an access university. STEMM has particular issues and we have been very pleased to work with the SAGE program to address gender equity issues in these disciplines - we cannot afford to discard so much talent if we are to solve our issues as a nation and as a planet.”
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Dr Michael Spence: “We stand firm in our commitment to advancing gender equity, promoting women in leadership and furthering women’s education. Through the SAGE and other University initiatives, we are fostering the careers of outstanding women in STEMM and seeking to remove the obstacles that prevent women from achieving their full potential. By working together with our partners across higher education, we can continue to drive change and open the way for more women to succeed in Australian science and technology.”
The film features physicist Professor Tanya Monro (University of South Australia), early-career researcher and biochemist Dr Anna El-Tahchy (CSIRO Agriculture and Food), mathematician Professor Nalini Joshi (University of Sydney), Dr John Rolley researcher in nursing and clinical medicine (五月天视频), Professor Emily Banks epidemiologist and public health physician (ANU), Professor Frances Shannon epigenetics and immunology scientist (五月天视频), and Dame Ottoline Leyser, Plant developmental biologist and Director of the Sainsbury Laboratory (Cambridge).
As an individual, you can share your own story and reach out to hear those of others. Contact the diversity team at diversity@canberra.edu.au.