Pilot program to stem the loss of women in science

The Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) pilot, launched today by the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE), aims to improve the promotion and retention of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM).

As noted by Professor Andrew Holmes, president of the Australian Academy of Science, “Most science disciplines are dominated by men in senior positions, despite the fact that roughly equal numbers of men and women study science and start science careers.” Currently, just 17% of senior science academics in Australian universities and research institutes are women.

“Not only is this inherently inequitable and unfair, the loss of women from science also represents a very substantial cost to Australia in training, talent and opportunities for scientific innovation,” Professor Holmes added.

The SAGE pilot will set out to address this long-standing problem by rating the gender equity policies and practices of participating organisations with a gold, silver or bronze award. Thirty-two organisations will participate in the pilot, including universities, medical research institutes and the CSIRO.

The pilot will be the first Australian trial of the UK Athena SWAN gender equity accreditation program, which began a decade ago with just 10 universities. Today, its membership has grown to include nearly every STEMM education and research institution in the UK.