Gender equity at UTS

While we recognise that there is still a long way to go, we are strongly committed to making gender equity a reality. In his 2025 International Women’s Day message, the Vice Chancellor outlined the key actions we have taken in the last year to achieve gender equity and close the gender pay gap.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and all of the work we do at UTS to address inequality, I am pleased to provide an update on our gender pay gap and reaffirm our university-wide commitment to gender equity.  

At a time when equity, diversity and inclusion are the subject of increasing debate around the world, I am determined that they will remain strategic priorities for our university.  

As you know, in 2024, UTS welcomed the introduction of transparent reporting on gender pay equity by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).  

We have used this data to sharpen our focus on reducing our gender pay gap, and I am pleased to report that UTS’s has decreased from 11.4 per cent in the 2022-23 reporting period to 8.8 per cent in 2023-24. While there is clearly much more work to do, I am confident we are heading in the right direction.  

Gender equality and the gender pay gap are closely linked. We are tackling gender inequality through a suite of programs and initiatives that enhance career opportunities and wellbeing for women—critical steps to closing the gender pay gap.

Key actions we have taken in the last year include:

• Conducting a comprehensive pay equity audit, briefing all faculty and division leaders on their results, and consulting on strategies to address local gender pay gaps 
• Creating dynamic dashboards to provide faculty and division leaders with valuable gender equity insights, supporting informed workforce decisions and better tracking of progress in reducing gender pay gaps    
• Participating in the Athena Swan Science in Australia Gender Equity program, earning two Cygnet Awards in 2024 following our Bronze Award accreditation in 2018. As a public university of technology, addressing inequities in STEMM is critical to achieving gender equity, and we are now working towards a Silver Award focused on recruitment, retention and promotion of academic women in STEMM disciplines 
• Exceeding our target for 2023 of 40 per cent senior academic women (Level D, E or SSG), which now stands at 41.6 per cent
• Ensuring equitable access to workplace flexibility by increasing information, support and promotion of the benefits of flexible working    
• Providing financial support for researchers whose careers have been impacted by life circumstances such as caring responsibilities, illness or disability. The UTS Research Equity and Access Career Help (REACH) Grants Scheme supports professional development activities, conference travel and research project-based activities.

Our approach continues to evolve, and as an institution that is committed to equity and social justice, we recognise that closing the gender pay gap not only improves the health, economic security, safety and wellbeing of women and our general community, but also strengthens our ability to attract and retain talented staff.  

I don’t shy away from the fact there is more to do. My aspiration is for a UTS gender pay gap that is less than the WGEA target of 5 per cent.  

I look forward to continuing this important work this year and into the future.      
 

In Australia and internationally, women are under-represented in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) – both in industry and academia. Research shows that this is particularly pronounced at senior leadership levels.

The Athena Swan Charter was established to address this issue. Athena Swan is a gender equity program recognising and celebrating good practice to boost gender equity in STEMM areas. Originating in the UK in 2005, it has been adopted in Australia and is overseen by Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE).

UTS signed up for the SAGE Athena Swan pilot in 2015. In 2018, UTS was among the first institutions to be awarded Bronze accreditation.

UTS is currently working on the next phase of the program, known as the Cygnet Awards, which require institutions to identify five key barriers to gender equity in STEMM and to begin to address those barriers. These will form the crux of UTS’s new plan to address gender equity in STEMM.

The priority areas are:

1. Building the pipeline through outreach to attract women to Engineering and IT in early education. Currently, low numbers of women are drawn to Engineering and IT disciplines. This begins in early primary and continues through secondary and undergraduate education.
2. Supporting career progression for Higher Degree Research (HDR) students in the Faculty of Engineering and IT. UTS is losing talent due to lack of career progression pathways that work for women, especially for HDR and Early Career Research women.
3. Targeting recruitment to combat the gender imbalance in applications for STEMM positions. This will address the unequal numbers of women and men that are applying for positions in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and IT.
4. Making flexible work the norm across STEMM work areas. Flexible work arrangements available at UTS are not well known or taken up in STEMM work areas. Flexible work provisions need to be applied equally across the university.
5. Promotion pathways to increase numbers of women ascending to senior positions in STEMM. This will address the unequal numbers of women applying for promotion in Science and FEIT, resulting in a gender imbalance that increases at every level of seniority.

If you have any questions regarding the program, contact Dr Kumi de Silva, Gender Equity Programs Manager, Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion, or Peta Wyeth, the Athena Swan Academic Lead at UTS.

The REACH Grants were developed to support researchers whose careers have been affected by diverse life experiences. The scheme is broken down into two categories:

Professional Development Equity and Access Funding

Provides financial support of up to $2,500 to help early to mid-careers researchers. It can help with relevant professional development, participating in mentoring with a senior academic or industry mentor, or travel for conference presentations and symposia. Applications are currently closed. Check back in early 2023 for the next round.

Impact Development Project Funding

Provides financial support of up to $10,000 for project-based research activities designed to enhance a researcher’s career and impact. Applications are ongoing throughout the year. However, should you be successful, the funding must be sent in the same calendar year.

Find out more about REACH Grants – including eligibility criteria – on Staff Connect (opens to UTS staff intranet).

If you have any questions regarding the initiative, contact the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion – equity@uts.edu.au.

Provides financial support of up to $50,000 to help mid-career academics whose careers have been significantly interrupted or delayed by periods of sustained caring responsibilities. It can help with teaching relief, research support and more. Applications are ongoing throughout the year. However, should you be successful, the funding must be sent in the same calendar year.

Find out more about the Jenny Edwards Research Fellowship – including eligibility criteria – on Staff Connect (opens to UTS staff intranet).

The Multicultural Women's Network (MWN) aims to build a strong community of multicultural women who are empowered and liberated to become their best personal and professional selves, and who are included as valuable contributing members of the UTS community.

The network welcomes UTS staff members who identify as a woman and have been minoritised based on their cultural, ethnic or linguistic background. We also welcome allies who do not identify as a multicultural woman but are keen to support the network's goals, are willing to listen and learn, and are open to challenging their own biases. LEARN MORE about the MWN network