Gender Equality Action Plan progress report
High level overview of the progress made toward ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app's gender equality indicators.
Our commitment to gender equity is inclusive of all genders. Our Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) contains enterprise-wide strategies that will progress gender equity for all genders across our workforce.
The submission of a GEAP progress report to the Commission for Gender Equality Public Service (CGEPS) is a requirement of the Gender Equality Act 2020 (Vic). ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s GEAP Progress report was submitted to CGEPS on 20 February 2024 for the reporting period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023 and has been assessed as compliant in October 2024.
Key components of the GEAP progress report
Gender impact assessments
Gender impact assessments were successfully completed for these initiatives:
- design of the Latelab
- Student Admissions and Enrolment Policy
- Student Experience Framework.
Implementation of strategies and measures
There are 35 action items stated in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s GEAP (2022 – 2025). The status of implementation at the time of reporting was:
- 8% complete
- 22% in progress
- 50% ongoing
- 17% not started
- 3% void (this strategy has been refocused to take a more intersectional approach).
Resourcing the GEAP
Implementation of the GEAP is sponsored by ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s Executive Champion for Gender Equality, Professor Karen Hapgood, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research. The Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leads the implementation of the GEAP and required reporting. HR analytic support and expertise has increased from 2021 to 2023. The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team is also working to increase project management capability to support the ongoing implementation of the GEAP.
Assessment of progress against the seven workplace gender audit indicators
The assessment of progress was completed by comparing the results of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s 2021 and 2023 audit data and gender equality surveys with consideration of the implementation of the strategies and measures stated in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s GEAP.
At a glance
Women in the workplace
53%
Women in all levels
+2%*
57%
Women in executive leadership
no change*
45%
Women in academic roles
+2%*
45%
Women in governing bodies
+5%*
Sexual harassment in the workplace
88% of 2023 survey respondents
agree that gender-based harassment & sexual harassment are not tolerated at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app
8% of 2023 survey respondents
who identified as women experienced sexual harassment
-3%*
7% of 2023 survey respondents
who identified as men experienced sexual harassment
+1%*
Recruitment, promotions and leave
65%
New recruits were women
+10%*
56%
Women exiting ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app
+2%*
62%
Staff promoted were women
+2%*
37%
Men taking carers leave
+3%*
18%
Men taking parental leave
-4%*
* 2023 data compared to 2021 data
Summary of progress against the 7 workplace gender equality indicators
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
- 57% of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s executive leadership are women, including the Vice Chancellor and three of six members of the executive leadership team.
- Workforce composition:
- 53% women (+2%)
- 45% women in academic roles (+2%)
- >5 staff who identify as gender diverse in 2021 to 11 staff in 2023.
- Gender composition across the top, middle and entry-level roles has remained constant (as defined by level from the CEO). ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app has a target of 45% women in senior leadership roles included in management KPIs which was at 40.8% at time of reporting.
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
- An increase of 5% of women on ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s governing body in 2023 representing 45% of Council members.
Equal remuneration for work of equal or comparable value across all levels of the workforce, irrespective of gender
Qualitative evidence of progress not demonstrated at this time:
- There is a strong commitment to <1% pay equity gap targets for like for like roles. The pay equity gap reduced from 1.5% in June 2022 to <1% in March 2023.
- Changes in the gender pay gap between 2021 and 2023 have been impacted by inconsistencies in how casual salaries have been annualised which has now been resolved.
- In 2023 our average total remuneration pay gap was 8.4% (+1.2%) and our median total remuneration pay gap was 6.8% (-0.3%).
- In full time ongoing positions (56% staff) there is a gender pay gap of 18% (this was 17.3% in 2021). Men are disproportionally represented in the upper pay quartile (40% men, 19% women) and underrepresented in the lowest pay quartile (17% men, 37% women) which is most prevalent in professional staff roles.
More time is required to see the impact of the implementation of the initiatives designed to decrease the gender pay gap and greater consistency in the audit data reporting from 2023 to 2025.
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
In the 2023 Gender Equality Survey:
- 8% women (-3%) and 7% men (+1%) respondents experienced sexual harassment with 1 formal complaint made compared to 3 formal complaints in 2021.
In the 2023 ‘Becoming One ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’ survey:
- 88% of respondents (91% women, 89% men and 74% gender diverse) agree that gender-based harassment and sexual harassment is not tolerated at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app.
In the 2023 Gender Equality Survey:
- 63% of respondents feel safe to challenge inappropriate behaviour at work (+1%). The gap between men and women’s experience. reduced from 14% in 2021 (74% men and 60% women) to 7% (-7%) in 2023 (69% men and 65% women).
- 66% of respondents (69% men and 65% women) agree that ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app takes steps to eliminate bullying, harassment and discrimination (no change). However, there has been a 5% reduction in the gap between men and women’s experience.
Analysis of the data indicates slight progress. The team was tentative in making this assessment, noting that building trust and confidence in the reporting process may increase the number of formal complaints in the future which can also be an indicator of progress.
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
Recruitment:
- 65% of new recruits were women (+10%).
Retention:
- 56% staff exiting ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app are women (+ 2%).
Promotions:
- 62% of all staff who were promoted were women (+ 21%).
- There has also been an increase in trust and transparency of the promotions process: 55% women (+10%) and 62% men (+7%) agreed that they had an equal chance of promotion.
- The ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app Women's Academic Network (SWAN) continues to have a positive impact in supporting the career development of women at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app. This has been formally and externally recognised through the award of a SAGE Athena Swan Cygnet in 2024 for Academic Promotions.
Learning and development:
- Staff satisfaction has increased by 14% with 51% women (+11%) and 58% men (+6%) responding favourably.
Availability and utilisation of terms, conditions and practices relating to: family violence leave; flexible working arrangements; and working arrangements supporting employees with family or caring responsibilities
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
Flexible working arrangements:
- 88% of respondents answered favourably to the question ‘My manager/supervisor supports working flexibly’ (88% women, 90% men and 82% who preferred not to say).
- 79% (+3%) of respondents answered favourably to the question I am confident that if I requested a flexible work arrangement, it would be given due consideration (82% women, 75% men, and 68% who preferred not to say).
Family violence leave:
- 89% of respondents answered favourably to the question ‘My organisation would support me if I needed to take family violence leave’ (90% women, 92% men, 92% gay or lesbian 78% bisexual, 83% with disability). This has remained consistent with our 2021 GE staff survey.
Carers leave:
- 37% of men taking carers leave (+3%).
Parental leave:
- 18% of men taking parental leave (-4%).
- Average of 21 weeks for men on parental leave (+6.2 weeks).
Qualitative evidence of progress demonstrated by:
- 7% more academic women in STEMM on continuing and fixed-term positions from 30% in 2018 to 37% in 2023
- a strong commitment to continuing to grow our women in STEM through our SAGE Action Plan
- men continue to hold most ICT Manager roles with 25% women in 2021 down to 22% in 2023. Our GEAP strategy 7.1.2. scheduled for 2025 is designed to address this.
Workplace culture:
- 77% of respondents had not experienced bullying at work in the past 12 months (+5%)
- 10% of respondents advised that they had experienced bullying, but they are not currently experiencing this (no change),
- 7% of respondents advised that they are currently experiencing bullying (+2%)
- 6% of respondents were not sure (-2%).
Next areas of focus
Feedback received during the preparation of the GEAP progress reporting was that both leaders and employees find the level of complexity in ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app’s diversity, equity and inclusion action plans (including the GEAP) to be overwhelming. In response to this and with the goal of simplifying and improving focus, eight individual diversity, equity and inclusion projects have been identified.
These projects align with the 35 measures detailed in the GEAP, integrate the SAGE action plan priorities and enable an intersectional approach. An intersectional approach means gender equity is considered in parallel to enhancing outcomes for women, gender diverse, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, people living with disability, LGBTQIA+, and culturally and linguistically diverse.
The eight key projects are: 
- improving recruitment and onboarding processes 
- improving academic promotion process  
- improving reporting and reducing the gender pay gap 
- prevention plan for sexual harm 
- building manager capability for inclusive leadership
- monitoring workload and improving understanding of flexible working practices, including workplace adjustments and cultural (colonial) load
- improving processes, tools, resources and capability to undertake Gender (Equity) Impact Assessments   
- improving data collection and reporting capability for all DEI priority areas. 
Download detailed progress report
Gender Equality Action Plan (GEAP) progress report
Are you a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½app staff member and want to get involved?
You can find more information for staff on the Gender Equality Action Plan wiki.
Contact us
If you have any feedback or questions about our gender equity and diversity approach, please email us at inclusion@swinburne.edu.au.