The University of Queensland has earned its first SAGE Cygnet Award, recognising their effort to improve gender equity in academia—particularly through reforms to reshape how academic performance and promotions are managed.

The Award, conferred by Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), is part of the industry-benchmarked Athena Swan accreditation framework, which celebrates institutions that make tangible progress towards gender equity, diversity, and inclusion.

The award specifically acknowledges UQ’s progress to increase women’s representation in senior academic roles and supporting professional development opportunities.

SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated the team that led this work. “The University of Queensland’s first Cygnet Award is a testament to the power of sustained, evidence-based action to dismantle systemic barriers. I look forward to seeing their continued progress toward Silver accreditation.”

Clear, structured criteria—backed by supports

The University introduced a suite of reforms aimed at building transparency and equity into both performance development and promotions. At the heart of the initiative was the overhaul of the Annual Performance Development (APD) process.

The process includes clear, structured criteria aligned with promotion expectations and a dedicated section for explaining performance relative to opportunity—backed by tailored templates, guidance materials, and training sessions.

More women discussing and applying for promotion

Promotions committees are gender-balanced, and supervisors have received training in equitable assessment practices.

By 2024, discussions about promotion during performance reviews had risen to 62% for women (up from 20% in 2018), and women’s applications for promotion increased across all levels.

Perceptions of fairness

There has also been a shift in perception, with more than double the number of women reporting the process as fair in 2024 compared to 2018. A growing number also felt adequately supported and believed gender was no longer a barrier to advancement.

Find out more

This Award recognises UQ’s long-term commitment to fostering a fairer, more supportive academic environment, and builds on the university’s Athena Swan Bronze accreditation. Their commitment is further outlined in the University’s Gender Equality Action Plan 2023–2025.

You can read all about UQ’s actions, outcomes and impacts in their full Cygnet Award application, or read an overview version in this progress and impact summary.