Women in marine science in Australia

Abstract

Two broad initiatives provide a backdrop to this special issue of Marine and Freshwater Research, which highlights women in marine science in Australia. The first is that Australia is currently piloting the Athena Swan accreditation framework from the United Kingdom, which is raising awareness of gender equity and diversity issues. The current focus of the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) initiative is on the Bronze Institutional award for higher education and research institutions.
This initiative stemmed from recognition of the need for a more coordinated national approach to improving gender equity in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine) disciplines. Launched in 2015, to date there has been one round of awards to cohort 1 members, with a further two cohorts underway. Further, Australia has just released the Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) decadal plan (Australian Academy of Science 2019). Both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering authored this decadal plan, which was overseen by an expert working group. The plan recognises the strong demand for STEM skills and the need to maximise the attraction, participation and retention of both women and men in the workforce (Australian Academy of Science 2019).