Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review Dialogue Starter
The purpose of this ‘Dialogue Starter’ paper is to encourage a wide range of people and organisations to share their experiences of the STEM system. It is a non-standard paper that seeks to draw out non-standard answers that articulate the cultural and structural changes needed in the STEM system.
The independent Diversity in STEM Review Panel, established by the Australian Government, looks forward to receiving submissions from both individuals and organisations that identify the barriers that they have encountered in the STEM system. These stories and perspectives will give the panel valuable insights and greater understanding of how change can be made across the wider STEM system.
The panel also invites you to share any relevant research that you or your organisation may have contributed to, or are aware of, that would assist in its review. We’re particularly interested in evidence that demonstrates real impact and change relating to increasing diversity in STEM.
We will consider the information provided and then engage further, both online and in workshops, to explore pathways, solutions and opportunities.
This will particularly help us address these parts of our Terms of Reference:
Cultural and structural barriers that limit participation and retention of women and other historically underrepresented groups in STEM professions
Broader program and policy measures to promote and support greater and more nuanced inclusion and diversity in STEM with a focus on people from underrepresented cohorts
Opportunities to attract, promote, retain and support diverse leadership in the STEM sector.
We will also consider the findings of an independent evaluation of the government’s women in STEM programs, a review of other relevant programs, and research, including by the Women in STEM Ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith.
We will publish draft recommendations in mid-2023 for feedback.
We will provide final recommendations in a report to the Australian Government in
October 2023.
What is STEM?
We think it is important to have a broad view of STEM, over and above the terms ‘science, technology, engineering and mathematics’. When we talk about STEM, we mean:
the many ways people interact with, and learn about, the world around them
developing, sharing and applying knowledge
the tools people create and use
what people can make and will make in the future
the patterns people see
the stories that people tell about how these all fit together.
Why we need diversity in STEM
As well as impacting people and their ability to secure employment, a lack of diversity limits the contribution STEM can make to society. Creative leaps and innovative approaches are more likely in organisations that embrace different:
ways of thinking
life experiences
educational qualifications
backgrounds.
Without greater diversity, our STEM system will be less able to innovate and ensure
a prosperous and sustainable future for Australians.
What we want to solve
We want to solve:
how to increase diversity in STEM
how government, industry and communities can work together to make this happen.
The government wants to improve diversity in Australia’s STEM system and has established an independent expert panel to lead a Diversity in STEM Review. The panel wants every Australian to be able to access and belong in STEM-based education and work. This will give Australians the best chance to put forward their talent, ideas and innovation.
We’d like you to share your stories of the opportunities and barriers you’ve experienced with STEM. We would also like to hear perspectives and experiences from those who deliver and interact with policies and programs working to make change.
We want to learn about the barriers that underrepresented groups face in entering, participating and staying in STEM. We also want to learn about ways to remove these barriers. We want to hear how we can make STEM more inclusive for people. This will be good for people, their communities, their environment and all of Australia.
We want to hear about the assumptions that are built into our modern world that can act
as barriers.
Assumptions
Society makes assumptions about people’s abilities, and these assumptions can create barriers.
For example, stairs are everywhere in our built world, and some areas are accessible only by stairs. This assumes that everyone can use stairs. As a result, stairs can act as a barrier to people with limited mobility.
This happens throughout society. Some examples are visible, like stairs. Others are less visible, like institutions, processes and qualifications. But all these things make assumptions about people. That means some traits (like being neurotypical) are often advantaged while other traits (like being neurodivergent) are disadvantaged.
Biases and stereotypes
Assumptions can be the cause of individual and structural biases, whether conscious or unconscious, open or hidden. Biases are unfair prejudices against a particular person or group, and they can often form and operate invisibly to others. For people who don’t match society’s assumptions, entering, participation, retention and progression in STEM is more difficult.
One way that assumptions apply to STEM is how people think of ‘science’. A lot of people interpret ‘doing science’ as working in a laboratory, wearing a white coat and using test tubes. But this idea of science excludes many people, including many First Nations people who develop their Knowledge of Country through a range of valid and important methods.
A narrow understanding of science promotes the work of some people while not recognising the work of others. This difference in treatment may discourage people from studying science or seeing themselves as scientists.
Another way that assumptions can create barriers is by assuming everyone speaks and uses English in the same way. Scientific papers often need to be submitted in academic English, and STEM education often involves technical language and some forms of jargon. These can be barriers to learning and participating in STEM.
Inequity
Some groups also face discrimination and unequal access to education, resources and training. For example, someone growing up in a regional or remote area may not have the same educational opportunities as a person growing up in a major city. This can make it harder for them to get STEM work that needs certain qualifications.
Discrimination can occur in any part of Australian society. People are excluded or targeted because of their ability, age, gender expression, race, religion, sexual orientation or other traits. This kind of discrimination can be obvious or subtle, but it is often widespread and hard to address. Discrimination can have a big impact on people exploring education and career options.
Stepping along the pathway to diversity
These problems are big, complex and often deeply embedded. And we know there are far more barriers to diversity in STEM than the examples above. Addressing them needs collective, sustained action.
We think that we need an open, honest conversation about what the world is like and how we can work together to improve it. We want to know how these issues apply in STEM, including where wrong assumptions are being made or where particular people or groups benefit.
We need to hear from as many different people and groups as possible, because greater diversity means better outcomes for everyone.
Please tell us about:
your experience of STEM (including with any existing measures or programs)
how we can correct common assumptions about what STEM is
how we can address the barriers that these assumptions create
who STEM is for
how you can participate in and benefit from STEM.
If you are responding for an organisation, we encourage you to consider how your organisation participates in the STEM system in the context of each question.
Questions to start the conversation
We are inviting responses to the below questions in a range of formats from communities across Australia. Visit consult.industry.gov.au/diversityinstem1 for more information on how you can respond.
1. What does STEM mean to you?
You might like to think about:
why it is important to you, your field or your organisation to be involved in STEM
what you are most proud of (in STEM)
how diversity contributes to why STEM is important to you.
2. What are your stories or perspective of accessing and belonging (or not) in STEM?
You might like to think about:
any opportunities you wish you had now, in the past or in the future
if you can provide these opportunities (in the past, present or future), how do they contribute to access and belonging
how organisations, including yours, have addressed a lack of diversity,
including where they have embraced opportunities for change and thrivedany positive or negative experiences you have had or created within the structures of STEM (meaning institutions, processes, qualifications, etc).
3. How can we fix the unacknowledged assumptions, including unconscious biases, of our STEM system?
You might like to think about:
who you think is seen as the ‘typical’ STEM worker – What do they do?
What do they look like? What is their background?what you think is seen as the ‘typical’ STEM organisation’ – What do they do?
What do they look like? Who leads them?who do you think has the power or control when it comes to designing or participating in STEM education, STEM programs and the STEM workforce
how we can help shift this culture
what you are most afraid of if we don’t solve this challenge
what the most pressing need is
what this review can do to help.
4. Have you had experience with existing measures or programs (government funded or not) aimed at improving the diversity of Australia’s STEM system?
You might like to think about:
whether your experience was positive or negative
what need, barrier or opportunity the program/s seek to address
how this contributes to systemic or cultural change
how you would improve the effectiveness of these programs.
Further information
To receive email updates about this work, including future consultation phases,
subscribe at industry.gov.au/DiversityInSTEMSubscribe
You can find out more about the review and panel at industry.gov.au/DiversityInSTEM.