Danielle Meddemmen
5 March 2021: The University of Canberra will celebrate its continued commitment to gender equality in conjunction with this International Women’s Day, through a series of events to be hosted by the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation in March.
Established by the University’s Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis (IGPA) in 2017, the Foundation is working towards achieving equal representation for women in leadership and decision-making by 2030.
The first event – a workshop entitled ‘Choose to Challenge’ today - features Foundation Co-Director Professor Kim Rubenstein, Associate Professor Dr Chris Wallace, Dr Pia Rowe and Katherine Berney, who will facilitate this workshop for over 150 high school students.
The Foundation team will work with students on projects they hope will improve gender equality in their school and across the education system.
Following this, on Wednesday 10 March, Co-Directors Trish Bergin and Professor Rubenstein will present at the Institute of Public Administration. This will be a digital workshop for Australian Public Service staff, focusing on enacting gender equality in government policy.
“We are excited to be participating in the online event, going into the heart of what gender equality is, how we enact it, how our public service sees it and how it fits into their work on policy,” Ms Bergin said.
Later in the month, the University will hold its first Pamela Denoon Lecture – Australia’s oldest and most prestigious annual feminist lecture – featuring guest speaker Workplace Gender Equality CEO, Ms Libby Lyons.
The free event is open to the University community and the wider public and will discuss Workplace Gender Equality Agency data findings on gender equality progress in Australia.
Ms Bergin said holding an event like this at the University, with the support of sponsor, UniSuper, cemented its place as a leading organisation in the gender equality issue.
“This is a testament to the University’s investment in the 50/50 Foundation, which has allowed us to grow,” she said.
To conclude the series of events, the Foundation will be hosting a parallel event to the United Nation’s annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65).
Usually held in New York, the CSW65 will instead take place virtually through a series of parallel events.
The 50/50 Foundation will coordinate and facilitate the event on 23 March, talking about the progress of gender equality in Australia, and it will be streamed on the UN’s platforms around the world.
Ms Bergin said it was important to highlight International Women’s Day now more than ever.
“It’s hard not to take the current context as a significant backdrop this year with the strong feelings of inequality and unfair power dynamics in Parliament House,” she said.
“Our renewed focus on activated research to have impact on policy making is so central at the moment and will be promoted through these events.”
Registration to the Pamela Denoon Lecture is essential, and can be done online.
