“Feedback has taught us that gender equity is still perceived by some as a woman’s issue. This is not how I see diversity and inclusion at Macquarie.”

– Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton, in his Gender Equity Week invitation to staff.

There’s no doubt that our Workplace Gender Equity Strategy is driving significant positive change at Macquarie. The efforts of staff across our University – all genders, academic and professional, across our diverse range of cultures and beliefs – have this month seen us recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency – an effort we can all be proud of.

Though there is much progress to celebrate, there is still much work to be done. Research shows that diverse and inclusive teams are more innovative, and that equitable and inclusive workplaces benefit everyone. However, this cannot be achieved without everyone’s input and a commitment to drive change along the way.

“Since men still occupy the overwhelming majority of senior academic roles, it’s essential for them to engage in changing the system and to provide a safe space for pointing out inequities or discrimination.”
– Professor Mike Steel, Head, Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Ahead of Gender Equity Week (7-12 March) we spoke to three male academics about how they have been active advocates for gender equity, and why everyone at Macquarie should consider themselves part of the solution. 

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As Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Professor Mike Steel is not only driven by a strong personal commitment to gender equity – it’s something that he knows is very much part of his role.

“The University has set a clear agenda and goals for gender equity, and it’s an obvious responsibility of any leader at Macquarie to reduce the barriers to equal representation and success within their team,” he says. “But if you’re a straight, white, able-bodied male – as many leaders are – there can be impediments to inclusivity that you don’t even see unless you make the effort to look.”

With Physics and Astronomy among the most gender imbalanced fields in STEM, Professor Steel says it has taken a concerted whole-of-department effort to create meaningful change.

“The overall gender balance in physical sciences really hasn’t moved that much – Australia’s first female professor of physics was only appointed in 2000,” notes Professor Steel. “But the number of women at level D and E is much higher than it was when I was a student 25 years ago and there is much more acceptance of the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI), and more willingness to change.”

But with gender disparity in STEM still ‘as stark as ever’, Professor Steel says it’s critical that men – particularly male leaders – get involved.

“Women have carried the bulk of the work in making change happen for too long. In our Department, women like Professors Judith Dawes, Deb Kane, Orsola De Marco, Helen Pask, and Dr Jo Dawson, for example, have been instrumental in advocating for women and other under-represented groups in this field, for many years. I’m proud that we’ve built on their example, and subsequently that of our astronomy team, to build an active department EDI committee that is diverse in gender and on many other axes.

“Since men still occupy the overwhelming majority of senior academic roles, it’s essential for them to engage in changing the system and to provide a safe space for their teams to speak up about problems. When leaders don’t create an environment that encourages that conversation, it can be difficult –­ and sometimes even career-endangering – for junior staff to raise concerns.”

He says the University’s ‘fixing the system’ approach has been a big step forward in encouraging more staff to engage with the issue of gender equity.

“I find it resonates very strongly with staff of all genders,” he says. “I think prior to this, there were men who wanted to get involved but weren’t sure how to get started. Now we’re seeing more and more men talk about EDI.”

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As chair of the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee, Interim Executive Dean Bernard Mans is a strong advocate for gender equity and believes that without it, we are all disadvantaged.

“Without gender balance, we are working at half (or capped) capacity. This is particularly visible in STEM. For more talent, you need more people – limiting the cohort of staff limits our success,” he says.

“Everyone needs to be part of fixing the system. Relying only on women to help fix it is also a double-penalty for women – suffering from the system and having to dedicate more time to fix it.”

While Professor Mans says Macquarie has made good progress in gender equity, there is still much work to be done.

“It is an ongoing and an every day battle. Continuously raising awareness is important and that needs to come from everyone, me included.

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Having been at Macquarie for a whopping 45+ years, Professor John Croucher from the Macquarie Business School has witnessed first-hand many of the University’s significant leaps towards gender equity, including the appointment of Australia’s first and longest-serving female Vice-Chancellor Professor Di Yerbury in 1987.

Not surprisingly for a statistics expert, Professor Croucher is acutely aware of the considerable under-representation of women in senior academic positions. In fact, it was the stark imbalance he encountered as a young PhD student in the United States that made him determined to become an advocate for change.

“The chemistry department at this particular university had not employed a female professor – at any level – for thirty years,” he recalls.  “Internal memos eventually revealed shocking prejudice – many of the male professors believed women were simply incapable of fulfilling the role. I found this, of course, completely unacceptable, and it’s very important to me that we don’t ever have this ‘old guard of males’ mentality at Macquarie.”

The significant contributions by women to science is something Professor Croucher details in his book Women in Science: 100 Inspirational Lives, which he will discuss on Wednesday 11 March as part of Gender Equity Week. Register for this event on the Gender Equity Week website.