Happy International Women’s Day! We hope you have had a chance to interact with one of the many fabulous events at the University or in your local community, to celebrate the achievements of those identifying as women, or reflect with colleagues on your own personal journeys. While we celebrate how far we have come in gender equality, there is still a ways to go – the Flinders University 2022-2023 Gender Pay Gap Report revealed that the gender pay gap has decreased 2% in the last year but still shows an 11% difference in mean remuneration between men and women.
This International Women’s Day, the CMPH Gender Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity committee reflects on what we can all do to educate ourselves and support equity for women in the workplace. In place of our usual morning tea, this year we are planning to bring academic & professional staff and leadership together in a new way to discuss issues including gender equity and beyond… watch this space! But today, the working groups of GIDE share below what motivates them to drive equity across different areas impacting women – including data visibility, racial equity, disability & neurodiversity, and career progression.
Metrics for women in CMPH
Globally, most tertiary education students are women, yet women are under-represented in senior positions at universities. The same applies to our College. Over 70% of our junior academics (Levels A and B) are women but only 40% of our Professors (Level E) are. Important questions are behind these numbers at Flinders. Where are the differences in progression through academic levels? Are there differences in research funding and publications? The GIDE Metrics and Evaluation Working Group is investigating these questions in partnership with People & Culture and Data & Analytical Services, aiming to identify strategies to support the contributions, recognition and career progression of women in CMPH. Our recommendation this IWD – if you haven’t yet watched it, Picture A Scientist is an excellent mind-provoking exploration of the challenges faced by women in academia.
Racial Equity
On International Women’s Day, it bears reminding that securing gender equity in higher education requires achieving equity for all groups—not just white women. Campaigns to level our lumpy, tilted playing field too often leave out Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, women of colour, and women living on low incomes. Our recommended reading for today: The Problem with White Women, by Kayla Schuller, and Talkin’ Up to the White Woman: Indigenous Women and Feminism by Aileen Moreton-Robinson.
Neurodivergent Women in Academia
Neurodiversity refers to all of the natural variations and diversities in how people think, communicate and process experiences and information. It is estimated that about 15–20% of people are neurodivergent; with Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and Tourettes some of the differences recognised. Sex and gender are important contributors to the biological and behavioural variability in neurodivergent presentations. This International Women’s Day, we can all increase our knowledge and understanding of diversity and divergence to build a more inclusive, equitable and affirming environment for people to thrive. The GIDE Disability and Neurodiversity Working Group recommends this informative blog that highlights a range of experiences shared by those in academia who are neurodivergent: Being Neurodivergent in Academia: Why Sparks of Change is publishing stories from neurodivergent researchers
Career progression
The Leadership and Career Development Working Group works towards achieving gender parity and a diversity of representation in academic and professional career progression and leadership, ensuring that women and individuals from diverse backgrounds receive equal opportunities for advancement based on relative opportunities, merit and accomplishments. Addressing systemic biases through our mentoring program for promotions will foster an inclusive environment and lead to a more diverse and innovative work environment.
We are always looking for passionate individuals – academic and professional staff, and across all walks of life – to join us in driving and sustaining improvements to gender inclusion, diversity and equity across CMPH. If you are interested in getting involved or hearing more about what we do, please get in touch with GIDE Chairs, Anna Ziersch anna.ziersch@flinders.edu.au or Kim Hemsley kim.hemsley@flinders.edu.au.