On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) is proud to recognise RMIT University for its leadership in advancing gender equity, inclusion and safety, through the achievement of two Cygnet Awards.

Together, these awards acknowledge RMIT’s progress in two critical and interconnected areas: enabling accessibility and building respectful cultures and behaviours.

This international day shines a spotlight on the persistent structural and cultural barriers that limit the full participation of women and girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

RMIT’s Cygnet Awards demonstrate how institutions can address those barriers through sustained, evidence-informed action that strengthens cultures, systems and everyday experiences.

“While these awards recognise distinct areas of action, together they tell a powerful story about how accessibility, safety and respect are deeply connected,” said SAGE CEO, Dr Janin Bredehoeft.

“RMIT’s achievements demonstrate what is possible when institutions take a whole-of-system approach to equity that is grounded in data, shaped by lived experience, and sustained through leadership commitment.”

Enabling accessibility through systems, culture and belonging

RMIT’s fourth Cygnet Award recognises sustained and meaningful action to improve the experiences of staff and students with disability and neurodivergence.

On a day that highlights the participation of women and girls in science, this award underscores the role of accessibility as foundational to equity, retention and progression.

This work has been driven through a systemic approach—strengthening policies, redesigning systems and processes, and addressing cultural barriers that influence whether people can fully participate and thrive.

Qualitative feedback indicates growing capability and confidence among leaders and professional staff, with respondents describing personalised supports in practice. These include availability of accessibility technologies such as voice-to-text software, flexible working arrangements, and the provision of sensory-friendly spaces across campus.

Improved data collection and intersectional analysis have further strengthened RMIT’s ability to understand how disability intersects with gender and other identities in shaping workplace experiences, enabling more targeted and informed action.

Supporting staff to thrive at work

Since 2019, perceptions of workload reasonableness have improved for staff both with and without disability. In 2024, 52% of staff with disability and 65% of staff without disability agreed that their workload was reasonable, compared to 46% and 62% respectively in 2019.

This progress is particularly significant for women and gender-diverse people in science, who are more likely to experience compounding barriers related to disability, caring responsibilities and insecure employment.

RMIT has also supported staff-led initiatives, including the RMIT Disability and Neurodiversity Staff Network. Established in 2022, the network provides peer support, builds awareness and champions disability inclusion across the University.

As one staff member reflected, “The Network has done outstanding and invaluable work in creating and building an incredible peer support and advocacy community. My experience joining RMIT would have been completely different without it.”

Members of the Staff Network were invited to share their experiences anonymously to identify challenges and successes. While progress to date has been mixed, this feedback is actively shaping RMIT’s future priorities, including improvements to built environments, access to assistive technologies and inclusive communication practices.

Building respectful cultures and behaviours

RMIT’s fifth Cygnet Award recognises outcomes from its work to build respectful cultures and behaviours, with a strong focus on preventing and responding to sexual harassment, bullying and gender-based harm.

For women and gender-diverse people in science, who are disproportionately affected by sexual harassment and gender-based harm, these changes are critical.

Since 2021, RMIT has promoted a culture of respect and safety through campus-wide awareness campaigns, embedding values and behavioural expectations into staff and student training, incorporating the student voice and intersectional perspectives in prevention efforts, and strengthening policies and processes to align with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence.

Key initiatives underpinning this work include the establishment of the Safer Community team, the introduction of trauma-informed policies and processes, mandatory training modules, and innovative prevention initiatives such as the Working Together With Men pilot.

Driving cultural change through sustained education and accountability

RMIT recorded an increase in formal reports of sexual harassment and other harmful behaviours, including 24 reports in 2023 and a further 22 reports in the first half of 2024.

Rather than indicating increased incidence, this rise was identified as reflecting greater visibility of reporting options and growing confidence in institutional responses.

Qualitative feedback reinforced this shift, with staff and students reporting improved clarity about how to raise concerns and increased confidence that disclosures would be taken seriously and managed appropriately. Leaders and professional staff also reported stronger capability and confidence in responding to disclosures post-training.

RMIT’s further actions in this area include reinforcing messages in a range of professional and learning settings, sustaining and monitoring long-term cultural change and student behaviour and attitudes.

The bigger picture

While awarded in distinct focus areas, RMIT’s two Cygnet Awards tell a shared story of systemic, interconnected change.

In their work to embed respect, safety and accessibility into institutional systems and everyday practice, RMIT has addressed some of the most persistent structural barriers to equity in science and research careers.

Professor Kay Latham, Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Gender Equity, said that these awards exemplify RMIT’s deep passion for advancing gender equity, inclusion and safety.

“Being awarded the final two Cygnets not only recognises the dedication and hard work of our team, staff and students, but also demonstrates the power of sustained, university-wide commitment to equity and inclusion.

“These awards reflect our determination to remove barriers and create an environment where everyone feels valued and can succeed, and they bring us one step closer to achieving the Athena Swan Silver accreditation,” said Professor Latham.

About the SAGE Cygnet Award

SAGE Cygnet Awards celebrate organisations that have demonstrated progress in making their workplaces more equitable by removing or reducing a barrier to inclusion. They must be able to show that these changes have had a real impact on staff and/or students.

This builds on RMIT University’s past Cygnet Awards on attracting women and gender diverse people in STEM, career fulfilment for parents and carers, and LGBTQIA+ inclusion.

You can read all about RMIT’s actions, outcomes, and impact in their full Cygnet Award Application, or read an overview version in this Progress and Impact Summary.

About SAGE

Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) is Australasia’s leading advocate and accrediting body for equity, diversity, and inclusion in the education and research sector. It is the guide our region’s brightest minds turn to when they want a vibrant workplace where everyone can thrive.

Using an evidence-based and impact-focused framework, SAGE helps institutions build systemic, structural, and cultural change. Their world-respected Athena Swan accreditation program drives and measures institutions’ progress against international benchmarks.