QUT has today released its five-year Gender Equity and Diversity in STEMM plan, committing to lead by example in increasing gender equity and diversity.
QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil said QUT was building on a strong track record of supporting gender equity by providing opportunities for all staff and students to reach their full potential.
“QUT has a long-term commitment to equal opportunity for women, with formal policies, programs and targets in place for more than 30 years,” she said.
Professor Sheil said the plan built on earlier work undertaken as part of the Science and Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative, and outlined what QUT would do to support both gender equity and diversity when recruiting, retaining and progressing the careers of staff in STEMM Faculties and Research Centres.
“As a scientist myself, I have seen first-hand the historical and structural inequities that can lead to discrimination against women, trans and gender-diverse people in STEMM. Institutions and the industry itself must look carefully at the structures, practices and beliefs that have led to discrimination and work to address them,” Professor Sheil said.
Professor Sheil said other QUT initiatives such as the Women in Research Sub-Committee, Women in Research Showcase, women’s editing and research grants, and writing retreats had supported women academics to progress their careers, and the university continued to identify opportunities to create equity.
“With this plan we recognise that gender is only one factor of people’s identities and intersects with other factors, such as sexuality, race, disability, age, and religion.
“As the university for the real world, we value that our staff bring their backgrounds and life experiences to their roles, and want to support a diversity that mirrors our community, and ensures that employees’ career outcomes are fair and equitable,” she said.
Image: QUT’s Dr Tatheer Zahra, Lecturer in Structural Engineering. By: Anthony Weate
