Athena SWAN Institution Application Bronze Award Name of institution Western Sydney University Date of application 28/03/2019 Award Level Bronze Date joined Athena SWAN September 2015 Application Prepared By Dr Kieryn McKay (SAGE Project Officer) Contact for application Professor Janice Aldrich-Wright (Academic Lead) Email [email protected] Telephone 02 4620 3218 i CONTENTS 1. VC’s LETTER OF ENDORSEMENT ................................................................................................ 1 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE INSTITUTION .......................................................................................... 3 (i) Information on where the institution is in the Athena SWAN Process ..................................................... 5 (ii) Information on its teaching and research focus .............................................................................................. 6 (iii) The number of staff ................................................................................................................................................. 8 (iv) The total number of departments and total number of students .............................................................. 8 (v) List and sizes of STEMM departments ............................................................................................................... 9 3. THE SELF-ASSESSMENT PROCESS ........................................................................................... 12 (i) Description of the Self-Assessment Team ....................................................................................................... 12 (ii) An account of the self-assessment process .................................................................................................... 18 (iii) Plans for the future of the self-assessment team ......................................................................................... 25 4. A PICTURE OF THE INSTITUTION ............................................................................................. 26 (i) Academic and research staff by grade and gender ..................................................................................... 26 (ii) Academic and research staff on fixed-term, open-ended/permanent and casual contracts by gender ................................................................................................................................................................................. 37 (iii) Academic staff by contract function and gender .........................................................................................40 (iv) Academic leavers by grade and gender .......................................................................................................... 45 (v) Equal Pay .................................................................................................................................................................. 48 5. SUPPORTING AND ADVANCING WOMEN’S CAREERS ........................................................ 50 5.1. Key Career Transition Points: Academic Staff .............................................................................. 50 (i) Recruitment ............................................................................................................................................................. 50 (ii) Induction ................................................................................................................................................................... 55 (iii) Promotion ................................................................................................................................................................. 57 (iv) Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC) ................................................................................ 65 5.2. Career Development: Academic Staff ............................................................................................. 72 (i) Training ..................................................................................................................................................................... 72 (ii) Work Planning and Career Development (Appraisal/Development) Review ..................................... 75 (iii) Support for Career Development ...................................................................................................................... 77 5.3. Flexible Work and Managing Career Breaks ................................................................................. 84 (i) Cover and Support for Maternity and Adoption Leave: Before Leave ................................................... 84 (ii) Cover and Support for Maternity and Adoption Leave: During Leave ................................................... 87 (iii) Cover and Support for Maternity and Adoption Leave: Return to Work .............................................. 87 (iv) Maternity/Adoption Return Rate ...................................................................................................................... 89 (v) Parental Leave Uptake .......................................................................................................................................... 90 (vi) Flexible Work .......................................................................................................................................................... 93 (vii) Transition from part-time back to full-time work ......................................................................................... 99 (viii) Childcare Facilities ................................................................................................................................................. 99 (ix) Caring Responsibilities ....................................................................................................................................... 100 5.4. ORGANISATION AND CULTURE ...................................................................................................... 1 0 1 (i) Culture ..................................................................................................................................................................... 102 (ii) HR Policies .............................................................................................................................................................. 107 (iii) Proportion of heads of School by gender ..................................................................................................... 107 (iv) Representation of men and women on senior management committees .......................................... 109 (v) Representation of men and women on influential institution committees .......................................... 110 (vi) Committee workload ............................................................................................................................................. 111 ii (vii) Institutional policies, practices, and procedures ............................................................................................ 111 (viii) Workload Model ..................................................................................................................................................... 112 (ix) Timing of Institutional Meetings and Gatherings ......................................................................................... 114 (x) Visibility of role models ....................................................................................................................................... 114 (xi) Outreach activities ................................................................................................................................................. 115 (xii) Leadership ................................................................................................................................................................ 117 6. SUPPORTING TRANS AND GENDER DIVERSE STAFF .......................................................... 119 (i) Current Policy and Practice ................................................................................................................................ 119 (ii) Review ..................................................................................................................................................................... 120 (iii) Further Work ........................................................................................................................................................... 121 7. INTERSECTIONALITY ................................................................................................................. 122 (i) Current policy and practice ................................................................................................................................ 122 (ii) Review ...................................................................................................................................................................... 123 (iii) Further work ........................................................................................................................................................... 123 8. FIRST PEOPLES ........................................................................................................................... 125 (i) Current policy and practice ...............................................................................................................................