Gender equity at UTS

“Gender equality is a shared responsibility across the UTS community. As a university grounded in social justice, inclusion and fairness, we know our success depends on the wellbeing and contribution of our people. Achieving gender equality is not only the right thing to do—it’s fundamental to the workplace we are committed to building. 

I am proud of the progress we have made together, but there is more to do. I am personally committed to strengthening gender equality in everything we do by holding ourselves to high standards, removing barriers wherever they exist, and fostering an environment where everyone is supported to grow, contribute and succeed. Thank you for the role you play in making UTS a place where everyone can thrive.” 

Prof. Andrew Parfitt, Vice Chancellor 

Our commitment to gender equality

At UTS, gender equality is part of who we are. It reflects our values, our culture and the kind of community we aim to build. The Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) 2025–2030 outlines how we will continue strengthening our practices and culture over the next five years, building on the foundation of the SAGE Athena Swan Bronze Action Plan (2018–2022).

The GEAP focuses on five key areas:

• Safety and respect
• Addressing intersectional gender inequality
• Supporting disciplines and occupations where women are underrepresented
• Gender pay equity
• Support for parents and carers
• These priorities guide our work to ensure staff of all genders feel valued, supported and able to succeed.

Understanding our gender pay gap

The gender pay gap is one important indicator of gender equality at UTS. In 2024, we committed to reducing our gender pay gap to +/- 5% by 2030, with steady improvement each year from 2025 onwards.

Our efforts are making a difference. In the 2024–2025 WGEA reporting period, the average total remuneration gender pay gap at UTS is 7.0%. This continues a positive trend over recent years and reflects the impact of work across the university.

WGEA analysis also shows that our gap is below the midpoint of comparable organisations (8.6%), demonstrating strong progress while reinforcing the importance of maintaining our focus.

Progress so far

Over the past year, we have achieved key milestones in the SAGE Athena Swan accreditation process, including two additional Cygnet Awards. These recognise the positive changes we have made to recruitment and promotion practices and our broader commitment to building an inclusive academic environment.

There is still more to do. Women and other underrepresented groups continue to face barriers, and addressing them remains a core priority for UTS.

Our next steps

As we prepare our Athena Swan Silver Award application in 2026, we are shifting to an explicitly intersectional approach, recognising that gender inequality is experienced differently depending on each person’s identity, background and lived experience.

• This work connects closely with several university-wide initiatives already underway, including:
• Indigenous Education and Research Strategy 2025–2030
• Cultural Diversity and AntiRacism (CDAR) Action Plan 2025–2030
• Access and Inclusion Plan 2025–2029
• AntiDeadnaming and AntiMisgendering (ADAM) Project

Together, these strategies support our commitment to creating a culture where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to contribute fully. 

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.

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 UTS Research Office – research.grants@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).

If you have any questions regarding the initiative, contact the UTS Research Office – research.grants@uts.edu.au.

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. 

Find out more about the MWN