Gender equity & inclusion

ANU is committed to equity and diversity, and is actively building a more inclusive culture where all staff are supported to reach their full potential in their academic or professional careers.

Over recent years the University has made some progress on gender equity, however we recognise that there is more to be done.

There is still a high gender imbalance amongst academic staff, with around twice as many men as women. About half of the University's PhD graduates are women, but just one quarter of senior academics at ANU are women.

The loss of so many women from the career pipeline is a waste of talent, and negatively impacts our capacity for world-class research and innovation.

In 2016, ANU became an inaugural member of the SAGE Pilot of Athena SWAN in Australia. Athena SWAN is a UK-based evaluation and accreditation program that recognises excellence in employment practices that promote gender equity and inclusion. Since its establishment in the UK in 2005, Athena SWAN has proven to be a powerful framework that has helped to improve gender diversity and strengthen women's leadership roles within participating institutions in the UK.

While the focus of SAGE is on the STEMM disciplines, ANU has chosen to examine gender equity and diversity issues in the context of the entire University, including the Humanities and Social Science disciplines and Professional staff.

As a member of SAGE, ANU is currently working towards Bronze institutional accreditation. The project is currently in a data collection and analysis phase, with a four year action plan to be developed later in 2018. The University's application for a Bronze Athena SWAN institutional award is due 31 March 2019.

As part of our commitment to equity and diversity, ANU is determined to create better outcomes for women through the improvement of hiring, promotion and retention of women, while creating a more inclusive work environment for everyone.

For more details about our work towards achieving a Bronze Athena SWAN Award, please see www.services.anu.edu.au/sage