The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER) has launched an action plan to encourage gender equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and careers.
In a statement, the Department said the plan outlined what it was doing to ensure evidence was at the heart of its approach to STEM gender equity.
“We need to know what initiatives in the STEM sector are impactful and where we are seeing changes in participation,” DISER said.
The Department said it had focused on three areas: Accelerating change through Government practices; leading a data-driven approach; and embedding a culture of evaluation.
“As the first action, the STEM Equity Monitor brings together data from across Government in an interactive digital report to show the current state of STEM gender equity in Australia,” DISER said.
“The monitor includes data from primary school right through to the workforce,” it said.
“Importantly, it provides a baseline to measure and track the impacts of our collective efforts over time.”
DISER said the action plan and STEM Equity Monitor were not static.
“We’ll update data in the monitor each year to reflect changes in the STEM landscape,” it said.
“Future action plans may also evolve to help drive action across Government, industry and the community.”
The Department’s two-page Action Plan can be accessed at this PS News link and its 16-page STEM Equity Monitor at this link.
