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Gender Equity Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) QUT will embed gender equity philosophy and practices into all aspects of the university's activities.

(2) QUT recognises that gender is one dimension of diversity and is committed to achieving fair and equitable outcomes for students and staff in all aspects of work and study, regardless of gender identity or presentation.

(3) Gender equity for students and staff enhances QUT's purpose and strategies as well as enabling diverse communities to flourish and achieve their potential.

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Section 2 - Application

(4) This Policy applies to all students, staff and members of the university community, and all aspects of QUT's activities.

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Section 3 - Roles and Responsibilities

Position
Responsibility
Managers and Supervisors (within their scope of authority)
Ensure workplace and study environments are inclusive and free of gender related  discrimination and harassment.
Implement gender equity policy in all aspects of their area's activities.
QUT community
Individual responsibility to ensure that they conduct themselves in a manner which is mindful of sex and gender diversity and is non-discriminatory.
Vice-President (People) and Chief People Officer
Director, Equity
(according to their portfolios)
Provide advice and support to university officers in meeting the university's gender equity obligations.
Manage the design, implementation and monitoring of specific gender equity initiatives.
Manage reporting within the university and to relevant Commonwealth government agencies.
University Equity Committee
Provides advice on gender equity according to responsibilities its charter.
Women in Leadership Committee
Focuses its activities on academic, senior and near senior appointed women at QUT and provides development and support programs.
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Section 4 - Sex and Gender Diversity

(5) QUT recognises that its community includes people who do not identify with the binary construct of being either male or female, and who may be gender diverse, including those who affirm their gender as being different to the sex assigned at birth, who were born intersex or whose sex is indeterminate, or who identify as transgender or no gender.

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Section 5 - Embedding and Achieving Gender Equity

(6) QUT will support gender equity in relation to students, staff and the University.

Students

(7) Ensuring student services are appropriate for a diverse student population.

(8) Identifying targeted support services for specific groups needing particular support.

(9) Promoting awareness and understanding of gender equity and diversity in curriculum.

(10) Ensuring that all students’ experiences, including Work Integrated Learning are inclusive, and monitored so that students are not subjected to unlawful conduct or unfair treatment.

(11) Ensuring access to learning resources does not present unexpected barriers, costs or technology requirements for students, including for students with responsibilities related to their sex or gender identities or presentations, family responsibilities, maternity or parental status.

Staff

(12) Improving pay equity by assessing and, if required, reducing gender gaps at all levels; and in starting salaries, total remuneration, and above-base payments.

(13) Ensuring procedures for recruitment, selection, promotion and performance reviews are fair and free from bias, including unconscious bias.

(14) Maintaining working conditions that are consistent with the needs of a diverse community, specifically the responsibilities related to their sex or gender identities or presentations, family responsibilities, maternity or parental status.

(15) Providing flexible working arrangements to support staff with family or caring responsibilities.

(16) Supporting staff experiencing domestic and family violence.

(17) Consulting regularly with staff on a comprehensive range of gender equity matters, guided by relevant legislation and benchmarking requirements.

(18) Ensuring restructures or other significant operational changes do not impact negatively on gender equity.

Organisational Culture

(19) Eliminating gender and sex-based harassment and discrimination.

(20) Celebrating gender diversity and creating a culture that welcomes diversity on campus and online.

(21) Promoting an inclusive organisational culture through policy, and embedding gender equity targets in strategic planning.

(22) Fostering leadership and accountability of Managers and Supervisors as part of the career planning process.

(23) Providing appropriate grievance procedures and support for staff and students accessing these procedures.

(24) Regularly monitoring and reporting on gender-related and diversity outcomes internally and in response to mandatory reporting requirements.

(25) Encouraging research and community services activities that actively engage with gender and diversity issues, and are inclusive of, and beneficial to, gender diverse groups.

(26) Ensuring all conferences, speaker series and the like, organised or supported by QUT, have a gender equity policy to ensure balance and diversity in their programs.

(27) Assisting in the management of the intersection of work, study, personal circumstances and family responsibilities, including:

  1. information on childcare services;
  2. the provision of accredited facilities for breastfeeding; and/or
  3. the provision of appropriate toilet/restroom facilities and/or signage to support access to safe facilities on campus by people who are gender diverse.

(28) Recognising those who develop their skills and knowledge in the area of gender equity.

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Section 6 - Definitions

Term Definition
Binary Construct Relating to gender, is a social construct that identifies an individual as either male/man or female/woman and does not take account of other sex or gender identities or presentations.
Gender Is part of a person’s social and personal identity. It is typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological, referring to the characteristics that a culture delineates as masculine/male or feminine/female (see definition for ‘gender diverse’).
Gender Diverse  Is a term used to recognise people who do not fall within the gender binary construct of male and female.
Intersex  Refers to people who have genetic, hormonal or physical characteristics that are not exclusively ‘male’ or ‘female’. A person who is intersex may identify as male, female, intersex or as being of indeterminate sex.
Pay Equity Means individuals receiving equal pay for work of equal or comparable value and there is no gender bias at any point in the remuneration process (for example at commencement, base salary, out-of-cycle pay reviews, discretionary loadings and bonuses, and movement within the total remuneration range).
Sex Means the characteristics associated with biological sex, generally assigned at birth usually described as being male or female. A person’s sex and gender identity or presentation may not necessarily be the same.
Transgender Is a general term for a person whose gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth. A transgender person may take steps to live permanently in their nominated sex, with or without medical treatment.
Unconscious Bias  Is a form of discrimination also known as implicit bias or implicit social cognition. It arises from the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner.