The Australian Academy of Science in partnership with the Academy of Technological Science and Engineering will today launch a new gender equity program to address the chronic underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Currently, just 17 per cent of senior science academics in Australian universities and research institutes are women. The Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) pilot will be the first Australian trial of the successful UK Athena SWAN gender equity accreditation program. Thirty-two organisations will participate in the pilot, including key medical research institutes, CSIRO, and more than half of Australian universities.
The program rates the gender equity policies and practices of participating organisations with a gold, silver or bronze award and helps them to promote and retain women and gender minorities in their organisations.
The launch will be held at Parliament House in Canberra and hosted by the Parliamentary Friends of Science and the Parliamentary Friends of Women in Science, Maths and Engineering.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
