Two universities — Edith Cowan University and the University of Newcastle — have become the first in Australia to earn the prestigious Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) Athena Swan Silver Award.
The SAGE Athena Swan Silver Award is world-respected accreditation recognising an institution’s progress towards greater equity, diversity and inclusion.
The SAGE Athena Swan Silver Award represents a significant milestone in development and progress through the SAGE accreditation pathway. Institutions begin with a Bronze Award and must demonstrate their movement through cycles of self-evaluation, action planning, implementation and measurement before they can achieve the Silver Award.
Both universities joined SAGE in 2015, when the Athena Swan pathway was first introduced to Australia, and both achieved the first step in accreditation, the SAGE Athena Swan Bronze Award, in 2018. There are currently 42 institutions participating across the country, including universities, medical research institutes and publicly funded research organisations.
A milestone achievement
SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft congratulated both universities on this significant achievement.
“The Silver Award does not represent a destination, but rather honours an organisation’s ongoing effort and deep engagement with the process of honest reflection and incremental change. The Silver Award represents the distance an institution has travelled while engaging in the SAGE framework.”
“Milestones of this magnitude are never reached alone: the SAGE Athena Swan Silver Award is the achievement of many. Congratulations to everyone at both institutions who continue to drive their equity, diversity and inclusion work forward.”
The University of Newcastle
Dr Bredehoeft highlighted the achievements of both universities.
“The University of Newcastle has shown what a huge difference it makes to have equity, diversity and inclusion embedded at the leadership level. They have created dedicated senior positions and ensured that transformative change is well resourced, with specific funding for research programs and quantitative data analysis.
“This has secured their foundations, allowed them to make significant improvements in specific areas and will support their future progression as they tackle widespread transformative change.”
The University of Newcastle’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic Excellence) and Athena Swan Lead, Professor Jennifer Milam said that in the context of broader national and international conversations about gender equality in society, the University is proud to partner with SAGE in advocating for everyone to make gender equity a priority.
“We know we’re a stronger and more successful University if we have a diverse and inclusive workforce. We have genuinely put action ahead of talk to remove barriers and ensure future generations of women and people from underrepresented groups can thrive in higher education,” Professor Milam said.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alex Zelinsky, said universities should be leaders in creating a more equitable society where everyone can thrive regardless of their gender or their background.
“We know there is still much to be done however, we are proud to be implementing changes that are creating an inclusive culture where equity is embedded across the university,” Professor Zelinsky said.
Edith Cowan University
SAGE CEO Dr Bredehoeft congratulated Edith Cowan University.
“ECU has truly embedded gender equity, diversity and inclusion into strategic and operational functions, right across their institution. This is no mean feat – it has taken almost a decade of committed, iterative work.
“By constantly improving codesign processes, ECU has built diverse staff engagement into all aspects of decision-making. A new promotion framework is another highlight of their work, which avoids supporting individual careers and instead breaks down the cultural, structural and procedural barriers that make progression inequitable. “
ECU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Regional Futures) and Athena Swan Lead Professor Cobie Rudd said the Award illustrates the University’s outstanding commitment to gender equality right across the board.
“Being awarded an Athena Swan Silver Award is an enormous achievement for ECU as it recognises the passion and perseverance of our staff in their commitment to gender equality and inclusivity,” Professor Rudd said.
“We aim to lead by example as a higher learning institution, that is breaking cultural and structural barriers.”
“ECU has been steadfast in encapsulating leadership and accountability, honesty and self-reflection, communication and engagement in our Athena Swan work, which is now core business.”
Professor Rudd added, “We can demonstrate sustained and consistent communication and engagement with staff since 2015, characterised by the wealth of both quantitative and qualitative data; our staff have always given us the road map to fix obstacles and barriers.
ECU remains fully committed to AS, and since 2015, we have seen the benefits this process can bring to the culture of our institution and particularly to the opportunities for those experiencing disparities. To that end, ECU will continue to reveal our weaknesses, reflect, and act where needed. We will also continue to be transparent in sharing our position with our staff, students and the sector as our AS journey carries on.
Dr Masoumeh Zargar is an Athena Swan Champion, saying from the moment she commenced at ECU, Athena Swan has been a beacon for change.
ECU’s School for Engineering has been focussed on gender equality and supporting women in STEM.
“Since joining ECU, I’ve been strongly supported with establishment grants from the School of Engineering, as well as additional research supports from the University itself,” Dr Zargar said.
UoN researcher: “Now we’re getting equal opportunities”
University of Newcastle researcher Dr Ayanka Wijayawardena investigates the effects of PFAS on groundwater organisms and has benefitted from the university’s efforts to increase the participation of women in STEMM.
She believes the University’s Gender Equity Plan, which was developed as part of the actions towards SAGE accreditation, has fundamentally changed the workplace.
The Plan has supported women to take leadership roles in their disciplines and research centres, as well as childcare centres located on campus.
“Environmental research is in traditionally a male-dominated field and we’re now getting equal opportunities. We have women who are chairing discussions at international conferences such as Cleanup2024, taking leading roles to organise as well as to present at conferences and we’re in managerial positions,” Dr Wijayawardena said.
“I’m a mum and my youngest child goes to the childcare centre on campus, which was really good for me. Having my child so close means that if an experiment takes a little longer I can stay until it’s finished and still have time to pick him up afterwards, without having to rush. I value things like that because they give me more flexibility to juggle work and my family.
“Looking to the future I can see that more women will be contributing to Science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM) fields. The university will benefit from empowering women and so will the students, staff and the next generation.”
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Access both universities’ applications for the SAGE Athena Swan Silver Award
Edith Cowan University’s full application
University of Newcastle’s full application
About SAGE
SAGE is Australasia’s leading advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the education and research sector. They provide a pathway to creating vibrant workplaces where everyone can thrive.
SAGE’s world-respected Athena Swan accreditation program drives participants’ EDI evolution. Through an evidence-based and impact-focussed framework, each institution develops a uniquely customised approach to achieve systemic, structural and cultural change, measured against international benchmarks. Throughout that journey, they’re supported by advice, tools and dynamic communities of practice that provide assistance when they need it.
As a valued adviser to government and other key decision-makers, SAGE also gives its participants a seat at the table to influence external policies that impact their EDI goals.
Available for Interview: SAGE CEO Dr Janin Bredehoeft (Sydney); SAGE Chair Libby Lyons (Perth)
Contact: Heather Champion, SAGE Communications Manager | sage@sciencegenderequity.org.au
