Innovation for a gender equal future
International Women's Day: 8 March 2023
Every year on 8 March, communities around the world celebrate International Women's Day (IWD) – recognising the significant contributions and achievements of women, and rallying to accelerate gender equity in a range of social, cultural, political and economical arenas.
In 2023, the Australian IWD theme is 'Cracking the Code: Innovation for a gender equal future'.
This year's theme highlights how women in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM) have accelerated our progress towards a gender equal future.
By ensuring equal access to education for women and girls, and creating clear pathways and inclusive workplaces for women in STEM, we can leverage the transformative power of inclusive innovation, so critical to cracking the code to gender equality.
In honour of the day, Contact is spotlighting some of UQ’s remarkable alumni and women in STEM.
Keep scrolling to read their stories and inspiring IWD messages.
Khwanruethai (Kara) Ngampromwongse
Senior Research Administration Officer, First Nations Cancer & Wellbeing Research (FNCWR)
Bachelor of Health Sciences '20, Master of Philosophy student
I am passionate about equity.
I live at the intersection of multiple diverse identities and carry the lived experience of joy and hardship from being raised by a single immigrant mum, having a disability, being a queer woman and having a rich culture as a Wiradjuri/Ngemba and Thai person. Many people see these intersecting identities as barriers. For me, I see an opportunity to bring diversity into STEM.
We need to encourage and build girls' confidence to study and work in STEM fields as early as possible. I value having strong, visible role models who create diverse, inclusive and respectful environments. These elements are key to achieving equity and ameliorating unconscious bias in classrooms and the workforce.
I remember I was insecure as a young girl. I loved my science subjects, but classrooms were intimidating. Male teachers doubted my potential and boys picked on girls. I was scared to get an answer wrong because it only confirmed what the boys had been saying: 'girls are dumb, girls can’t do maths'. I disengaged from my classrooms, stopped raising my hand and didn’t ask for clarification when I was struggling.
As a young girl, Kara loved science subjects.
As a young girl, Kara loved science subjects.
In Year 11, I went to a UQ InspireU Science camp run by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit (ATSISU). This experience changed everything for me. I met First Nations girls and women who were students and academics. I went home empowered and motivated to be like the girls and women I met. Seeing their leadership in education, health and sciences inspires me every day.
Kara graduating from her undergraduate degree at the St Lucia campus.
Kara graduating from her undergraduate degree at the St Lucia campus.
Blak women are the epitome of resilience, strength, love and staunch. We face an overwhelming number of barriers including racism, discrimination, and misogyny. In spite of this, we are still here.
Remember, being a girl is not a barrier. Stereotypes, prejudice and sexism are.
I am indebted to the women who got me to where I am today. I will carry that legacy of the women who championed for me, raised me and guided my spirit. I can only hope to do the same for the next generation of leaders.
About Kara
Khwanruethai Ngampromwongse (Bachelor of Health Sciences '20) is a proud Thai and Aboriginal (Wiradjuri/Ngemba) woman. She is a Senior Research Administration Officer in the First Nations Cancer & Wellbeing Research (FNCWR) program and a Master of Philosophy student at the UQ School of Public Health. Her research is focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s wellbeing, health equity, and cultural safety.
Khwanruethai was awarded the 2023 Metro South Health Research Support Scheme Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Novice Researcher Grant. She is currently a Principal Investigator of the Yarning About Cultural Safety (YACS) project based in Princess Alexandra Hospital Division of Cancer Services. YACS will deliver effective and appropriate strategies that are equitable, accessible, culturally appropriate to support the wellbeing of First Nations people with cancer.
Dr Elizabeth Woods OAM
Chair, Australian Institute of Marine Science Council
Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) '77, Doctor of Science honoris causa '21
My maternal grandmother found herself responsible for her family of 5 small girls and her ageing mother when my grandfather died suddenly when he was around 40 from health impacts suffered in the World War I.
The stories of her efforts to support her family left me in no doubt that I would ensure I was always equipped and ready to provide for myself and any dependents.
At that time, women’s jobs were poorly paid; my ambition would require greater returns. My paternal grandmother inherited the family farm when the men of her family didn’t return from World War I. As a result, farming was always discussed at home and my career choice was a STEM-based career in Agricultural Science.
Roll forward more than 40 years (after a fascinating and rewarding working life) to a recent trip in Bangladesh as a Commissioner for International Agricultural Research – part of the Australian Government's international development aid delivered by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. I’m sitting in a village in the deltas of southern Bangladesh where up to 60% of people live below the internationally recognised poverty line.
An Australian project is working with Bangladeshi researchers and women farmers on options to increase income.
An Australian project is working with Bangladeshi researchers and women farmers on options to increase income.
Female scientists from both Australia and Bangladesh work side-by-side with their male colleagues, but the farmers are predominantly women. The men of the village are increasingly working in off-farm employment. So, like my grandmother, the women find themselves responsible for feeding the family, generating income and leading the innovation that will help their families prosper in the face of change.
Their work within the project has demonstrated the potential to almost double annual food production and provide a small surplus to sell, but their call to us is for more technology and more information (the products of science, technology, maths and engineering), to secure an even better future.
STEM skills have provided a rewarding career for me and they can for you. But, more importantly, they will allow you to provide for a better future while protecting our environment.
About Dr Woods
Dr Woods devoted her career to agriculture and science, primarily at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Queensland, where she held the position of Director-General from 2016 to 2021. She is currently the Chair of the Australian Institute of Marine Science Council.
Dr Woods was Queensland's first female Rhodes Scholar and first female agricultural extension officer. Over her distinguished career, Dr Woods has contributed to many national and international committees and led a number of vital agriculture sector initiatives.
Stephanie Taylor
Digital Technology Engineer (Automation and Software Development) at Arcadis
Chair, Young Engineers Australia (Queensland)
Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) '19, Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) student
I remember the moment vividly. I was in one of my first classes during my first year of engineering at university.
I was in a room of about two-hundred wide-eyed students. We were separated onto tables, with 10 or so students per table. We had a weekly assessment for this specific class, which we had to complete in a certain book, before each class. We were then required to stack these books in the centre of the table, at the beginning of each class, for marking by available tutors.
As expected, a tutor soon came passed my table and collected the ten or so books stacked in the centre.
After some time, I heard what I thought was my name, being yelled from across the room.
"Stephanie!" I heard loudly, now confirming my suspicion.
I stopped working and gave a confused look in the direction of my name. In the distance, I saw a tutor holding a stack of books, eyes darting around the room, desperately looking for some validation.
"Stephanie!" They shouted once again, this time with more urgency, as the stack of books began to slip from their hands.
I raised my hand, hesitantly. Visibly relieved, the tutor hurried over to my table, dumping the stack of books with an exaggerated exhale.
I sat back in my seat, my book closed in front of me, as I tried to absorb what I had just witnessed.
I observed the tutors as they operated with such efficiency, repeatedly calling the name of a female at each table to identify the correct table for which each stack of books belonged.
Stephanie and friends graduating from a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) in 2019.
Stephanie and friends graduating from a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) in 2019.
It was more convenient for them to look for a "Stephanie" in a room of engineers, than the alternative.
It was in this moment, where I became truly passionate about uplifting women in engineering. I wanted to cultivate a diverse and inclusive profession, which values, supports and celebrates the contributions of women, and men.
I hope that one day, it will be just as inconvenient to look for a "Stephanie" in a room of engineers.
About Stephanie
Stephanie Taylor is currently working as a Digital Technology Engineer in the Automation and Software Development Team at Arcadis. She is also the Chair of Young Engineers Australia (Queensland), as well as a Committee Member of Australia Computer Society (ACS) Emerging Professionals (Queensland). She completed a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) in 2019 and is currently completing a Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours) at UQ.
Julia Spicer OAM
Queensland Chief Entrepreneur
Bachelor of Environmental Management '01
At the Vancouver Peace Summit in 2010, the Dalai Lama said: “The world will be saved by Western women. Not any women but burning women. Women who have stepped out of silence and into the fullness of their power.”
I truly believe this statement! I have seen women on farming operations across rural and regional Queensland stepping into their roles as environmental stewards, monitoring biodiversity and changes in the landscape.
I have seen it in landcare and catchment groups with technical officers testing soil for organic matter, trialling biological control on weeds and pests and reviewing historical rainfall data to forecast climatic changes.
Our lived experiences in the regions means we have seen changes in traditional industries such as agriculture and mining. We understand and have lived climate change.
"On International Women’s Day, we should always reflect on what has been achieved. Then let’s use the day to also look at where we can continue to improve. To ensure that we have rural, regional and remote women engaging in STEM fields."
So, how do we do this?
- Encourage girls to have a mindset of control over their destiny – they are the masters of their fate.
- Support from an early age the link between curiosity and life-long learning – understand a topic and then see where STEM can leverage a solution.
- Ensure access to all. If the rural, regional and remote girls and women aren’t finding us, we need to find them. Holiday programs, study trips and school projects can be enough to spark a fire in the belly of a regional woman.
So maybe what the Dalai Lama meant to say was that it will be western Queensland women who have stepped into their STEM power who will save the world.
Happy International Women’s Day – let’s keep working.
About Julia
Julia Spicer was recently appointed as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur. Julia also runs her consulting business, Engage & Create Consulting, and a co-working space, The Goondiwindi Business Hub, in partnership with her husband. She also sits on not-for-profit boards, including Motherland Australia, and the Innovation Advisory Council as the regional representative.
Julia has a background in small business, a passion for community and a drive for positive outcomes for the regions. She works with like-minded organisations, industry and governments to create and drive change. As a community leader, she is a dedicated mentor, working with people based in the regions who are on the journey to discover their leadership capabilities.
Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM
Director, STEM Careers Strategy at Australian Academy of Tecnhology & Engineering
Bachelor of Music '92, Bachelor of Science '92, Graduate Diploma in Science '94
Perpetuating gendered stereotypes sets us back as a nation and presents unnecessary roadblocks to thriving on the international stage.
You know how it happens – you read or hear words like nurse, scientist, engineer or farmer and instantly, a picture forms in your mind.
Gender stereotypes are deeply embedded in our psyche over generations. They stem from systematic conditioning through societal culture and social norms and they are often unconscious.
From an early age, we encourage boys to be strong and competitive, and girls to be helpful and collaborative. These stereotypes are evident in children’s toys, the clothes they wear, their experiences of education, their responsibilities within the home, and what studies they pursue; all of which feed into their future lives and careers.
It is critical we seek to actively shift these preconceived biases, break down barriers and open every door to people of every gender.
Dr Evans-Galea is an internationally recognised advocate for inclusion and diversity.
Dr Evans-Galea is an internationally recognised advocate for inclusion and diversity.
This shift is critical in the male-dominated fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Restrictive gendered roles limit the breadth of ideas and innovations in research, entrepreneurship, problem-solving and decision-making. We see fewer women in STEM fields and fewer men in teaching, health and social service roles.
Women in STEM are routinely tasked with non-promotable activities – routine tasks that do not boost their careers – including minute-taking, unpaid talks, mentorship and committee service, as well as organising social activities and events.
Women also perform significant unpaid work and caring duties. Women are often delegated lower-profile collaborations and education roles, while men are given higher-profile leadership opportunities.
Collectively, these factors can be career-limiting and reduce women’s capacity to establish and expand their track record and thrive in STEM, and the impact will reverberate throughout their career.
"The good news is things are changing."
Today’s new parents do not solely buy pink for girls and blue for boys, but instead see many colours suited to every newborn. Our students see through a different lens too, with more children drawing women scientists than ever before.
As leaders, we can embrace this generational shift and drive positive change by challenging our thinking, learning and unlearning, and then learning anew. Then with our newfound knowledge, take decisive action and do better.
About Dr Evans-Galea
Dr Marguerite Evans-Galea AM MAICD is an accomplished STEM executive, board chair and director. She is a strong advocate for STEM research, innovation and education, and the development of a highly skilled and diverse future STEM workforce.
Dr Evans-Galea is Director of STEM Careers Strategy at the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE). Dr Evans-Galea also co-founded Women in STEMM Australia, a NFP advocating for greater representation of women in STEMM leadership roles in Australia. Dr Evans-Galea's commitment to STEM has been recognised with an Australian Leadership Award, the Vice-Chancellor's Alumni Excellence Award from The University of Queensland and is a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
Cracking the code
UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Deborah Terry AO shares her International Women's Day message for 2023.
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