With a focus on intersectionality, she highlights the need to address systemic barriers and promote inclusion at all educational levels. Dr. Thomas emphasizes the importance of universal learning design and policies that support vulnerable groups, including those from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds and remote areas.
Dr. Cate Thomas, associate professor in Social Work and Human Services at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, ACT, Australia, sheds light on the ongoing quest for gender equity in Australia’s education system.
With her extensive experience in social justice and human rights, Dr. Thomas offers a deep dive into the complexities of intersectionality within educational and organizational frameworks. Her focus on inclusivity and belonging within these structures highlights the nuanced challenges and innovative strategies needed to foster a more equitable educational landscape.
As Australia continues to grapple with disparities in education, Dr. Thomas’ perspectives provide valuable insights into both the hurdles and the potential pathways forward in achieving true gender equity for students across the nation.
How do current educational policies in Australia specifically address gender equity among students? What measures are being taken to ensure effective implementation of these policies at different educational levels for students? Gender equity educational policies in Australia promote the equity and the redressing of marginalization of vulnerable groups or people with vulnerable characteristics. Gender is just one of those vulnerable characteristics, particularly, when we see a low proportion of women in STEM-related research fields and more aligned to more junior levels of academia.
We also want to expand this view of inequity further by looking at the compounding intersectional aspects of individuals in order to ensure that education is accessible and inclusive of them. For example, students who are perhaps first in their family to attend a university, or a person with diverse ability (disability) being afforded the opportunities to gain an education.
What are the most significant challenges or barriers to achieving gender equity in education for students in Australia? How do these challenges vary across different regions or communities? The most significant change to achieving gender equity education in Australia is based on locality and financial situation. While states and territories provide a secondary education system to all children, there is a significant barrier for more vulnerable sections of the community to go on and achieve a higher education such as our First Nations, people from lower socio-economic areas, people with diverse ability, and people from rural and remote areas who may not have either the infrastructure or resources to move away from home to attend a higher education. What this indicates is the need for universities to become more inclusive and accessible across the board to ensure a higher education is attainable which, in turn, redresses intergenerational disadvantage and challenges the status quo of higher education only being available for the privileged.
In Australia, there is a strong educational system. This is not the same for all countries and nations who may not have similar systems. However, there is still a disparity about who does and does not have an opportunity to gain a tertiary education not only in Australia but also globally. This is what needs to be examined and rectified.
With initiatives such as the Australian Academy of Science Women in STEM Decadal plan, which actively is moving research and educational institutions to building accessible and sustainability pipelines of talent for girls and women to enter male dominated science fields, it also leads us to addressing how we view career trajectories, and designate and award grants in a more gender equitable way. Ultimately, education is the core of everything we do. Recognizing the talent and capability of all genders is also necessary.
Looking forward, what strategies or initiatives do you believe are critical for advancing gender equity in education for students in Australia? What role can educators, policymakers, and communities play in these efforts? One of the key strategies is to remove the structural and systemic barriers for all people and view education as a universal right for all, no matter of background, culture, ability, geography (rurality) etc. Even though this is a widely held view, there are still financial and other barriers that impact the attainment of an education.
It is also important to change the way we design and teach education. We need to have a more universal design of curriculum that enables students to see themselves in the curriculum which promotes a sense of confidence and belonging. A great example here is rather than writing curriculum that talks about men and women (which excludes people who identify differently), we write curricula that talks about “participants” or “individuals” we address the social policy arms that makes education financially accessible, and on a legislative level, a right for all to have as a minimum a quality secondary education.
How are the unique needs and challenges of students being addressed in Australia’s gender equity policies in education? What additional support systems or programs are in place or needed to support gender equity in the education sector? There is a move towards universal learning design as outlined above. There is still a clear challenge for gender equity in the higher education and research institutes. However, with gender equity certification systems such as Athena Swan and Science in Australia Gender Equity, and proactive reporting through the Workplace Gender Equality Agency on workforce participation and pay gaps, among others, the higher education system is taking note, making progress and is committed to change.
The 20th International Gender and Education Association (UK) Conference to be held in Port Macquarie, Australia on June 17-20, 2024 will bring educationalists, practitioners, academics, scholars and researchers from around the globe to specifically discuss and challenge the issues that remain. The theme “Be the Change” through the power of education and knowledge is a call to action to deliver and influence change to redress gender inequity and also other inequities that impact vulnerable populations in accessing and gaining quality education and outcomes.
