University honoured as leader in gender equality
UOW and UOWGE receive prestigious Employer of Choice citation
The University of Wollongong (UOW) has been recognised by the Federal Government as one of the best workplaces in Australia for gender equality.
UOW has again received the Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), announced today (Monday 25 February). The WGEA is an initiative of the Federal Government.
UOW Global Enterprises (UOWGE), a subsidiary of the University with overseas campuses in Dubai and Hong Kong as well as UOW College Australia, was also again honoured with a citation.
The WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation is designed to promote and improve gender equality and acknowledge the systemic barriers that women have traditionally faced in Australian workplaces.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings CBE said the University was committed to gender equality for both academic and professional staff, and was delighted to, once again, be acknowledged as one of the top workplaces in the country.
“We are thrilled to be recognised as a leader in gender equality, with UOW continually demonstrating the dedication and commitment of our staff on such an important social issue,” Professor Wellings said.
“While achieving this employer of choice citation is a great acknowledgement of the progress being made, we still need to ensure we remain focused and continue to build on our values of a gender diverse workforce.
“Gender equality is critical to an organisation’s success and crucial for society as a whole.”
Marisa Mastroianni, Group CEO of UOWGE, said gender equality was at the heart of the company’s ethos.
“Organisations thrive when both genders are given equal opportunity to achieve their goals and contribute to the workplace. It improves productivity, economic output, and means we are able to attract and retain the most talented team,” Ms Mastroianni said.
“We are proud of the work UOWGE has been undertaking in this area, and will continue to focus on creating a workplace that is inclusive, supportive, and focused on achieving the best for all our employees.”
As a large organisation with more than 2300 staff, UOW understands the value of celebrating diversity and integrating inclusive practices into all areas of employee engagement, including recruitment, learning and development, and leadership.
In December 2018, UOW was also awarded the prestigious Athena SWAN Bronze Award from Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE), in recognition of its commitment to gender equality in the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM).
“SAGE is providing a focus for our institution and for the Australian higher education sector on the participation of female academics in the STEMM disciplines. The implementation of UOW’s four-year Action Plan is where the real work begins and progress can be achieved,” Professor Wellings said.
UOW has implemented and actively promotes a number of policies, strategies, and initiatives to enhance gender equality, including flexible work arrangements, generous paid parental leave, on campus childcare facilities, mentoring workshops, and targeted development programs.