University of Melbourne celebrates International Women’s Day 2023

The University of Melbourne remains committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all our students, staff and partners. This includes our ongoing work to further advance women’s careers within our institution.

The University’s latest figures show:

• The number of women in leadership roles, both academic and professional, has grown from 35 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent at the end of 2022.
• The University Council has reached parity, with women making up 50 per cent of its membership in 2023. The University Executive is made up of 38 per cent women and 40 percent of Deans are women.
• The number of academic women at the highest level in the University has increased from 39 per cent in 2020 to 44 percent at the end of 2022 for Associate Professors, and from 32 percent in 2020 to 35 percent at the end of 2022 for Professors. More women than men have been promoted to Professor and Associate Professor in the last two years.
• The University has continued to develop and invest in a range of programs focusing on Advancing Women’s careers including the Academic Women in Leadership program, the Athena Swan STEP (Supporting Talent and enabling Progression) mentoring program and the Pathways to Politics program.

The University is today celebrating International Women’s Day through a range of activities and events across the campus and by focusing on the contribution our research makes to women’s lives.

Earlier today, the University announced it would provide $750,000 in pre-seed investment to support two innovative female-founded healthcare startups, at-home pregnancy monitoring startup Kali Healthcare and clinical trial participant recruitment start-up Torch Recruit.

The University also announced the award-winning Pathways to Politics Program is now open for applications for its 2023 intake. The program equips women with the skills, knowledge, confidence and networks to run for elected office and thrive as political leaders.