Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very happy to rise in support of this motion brought to the House by my colleague the member for Hotham in support of STEM, and particularly women in STEM, in Australia. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, are key to our nation's prosperity. International research suggests that 75 per cent of the fastest-growing occupations now require STEM skills, and employment in STEM occupations is projected to grow at at least twice the pace of other occupations.

While STEM occupations are growing at a staggering pace, women remain largely underrepresented in STEM disciplines in Australia's schools and universities and in the workforce. Women comprise more than half of science PhD graduates and early career researchers but just 17 per cent of senior academics in Australian universities and research institutes. According to Professionals Australia's 2014 position paper, Women in STEM in Australia, only 28 per cent of the employed STEM-qualified Australian workforce aged 15 and years and over in 2011were female, compared to 55 per cent of all other fields in the tertiary-qualified population. They also identified that in Australia women hold a relatively low share of STEM undergraduate degrees, with just 33 per cent of tertiary qualifications awarded to women in STEM fields, and that the pay gap in the professional, scientific and technical services industry was a staggering 30.1 per cent in 2013.

Effective, coordinated policy solutions are required to address the multiple, interrelated issues that lead to women's underrepresentation in STEM fields. Occupational segregation—defined as the overrepresentation of women in low-paying occupations—has been identified as an issue that must be overcome. Implementing improved education programs to encourage the participation of women in occupations that are often traditionally though of as male roles is one possible solution. Breaking down cultural stereotypes about what a science career entails has also been identified as a way to increase the number of women in STEM occupations. Research shows that in Australia 18.6 per cent of boys undertake STEM subjects in their final year of school, compared with 13.8 per cent of girls. A reason for the difference was found to be a lack of understanding and encouragement from teachers and parents for girls to participate in STEM subjects.

When it comes to women's participation in STEM occupations and the gender pay gap, Professionals Australia have flagged the following issues as significant obstacles for women There are the financial penalties when returning to work after women take career breaks to start a family. There are issues around women leaving a profession because of difficulties balancing family and career responsibilities due to the lack of workplace flexibility. There is a lack of women in leadership roles in STEM fields, and there are discriminatory practices within the workplace, from hiring practices which disadvantage women to the underrating of female employees' contributions in assessments for promotion. There is no doubt in my mind, and indeed in the minds of my colleagues, that much more needs to be done to tackle this inequity and, thankfully, a number of important initiatives are under way.

It was a great pleasure to be in parliament last month at the launch of one such initiative—the Science in Australia Gender Equity, or SAGE, pilot program, as part of the Athena SWAN Charter. This is an initiative aimed at reaching gender parity in science leadership and it bases its work around the Athena SWAN Charter, which was developed in the UK in 2005. I am super excited that my University of Newcastle is one of the 32 Australian universities that has signed up to be part of that SAGE pilot program and, indeed, the University of Newcastle was already cited as an employer of choice for gender equity in 2014.

In closing, it is clear that STEM is a central part of our future and policy that enables women and girls to fully realise their potential in STEM at school, university and the workforce is vital. I am proud of the directions that the Labor Party is taking in this area and I thank the member for Hotham for bringing this to the House's attention. I look forward to a time when books like 12 Awesome Women of Science: You've Never Heard Of become a historical relic as women who have truly rocked science in this nation become part of our everyday appreciation of scientists in Australia.

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