Equity research and reports
Mental illness running high among uni students
Clinical psychologist Dr Helen Stallman from the University of Queensland says many students simply are not coping with university life.
"A really high proportion of university students are reporting higher levels of psychological distress and significantly more than that in the general population," she said.
Dr Stallman screened more than 6,000 students about their mental health.
Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities is proving a valuable tool for improving access to services, but people with disabilities in Victoria still don’t get a fair go according to a report released this week. Launching the Commission’s report Talking rights – consulting with Victorians about the rights of people with disabilities and the Charter, Commissioner Dr Helen Szoke said that there is still a strong need to change community attitudes towards people with disabilities. Read more
A sample group of 920 AHRI members responded to the Australian Human Resources Institute Workplace Gender Equity Survey that has resulted in this report. The results reveal some interesting data with nearly two-thirds of the sample reporting male majorities of between 70-100 per cent in management and leadership positions in their organisations. Not surprisingly, around six out of ten respondents believe that the gender mix in their organisation is not appropriate. Only a minority of respondents reported that managers at any level are required to satisfy measurable key performance indicators on gender equity.
Report prepared for the Federation of Australian Scientific and Technological Societies
Sharon Bell, October 2009.
This review focuses on the participation, retention and success of women in the science, engineering and technology (SET) fields in Australia, concentrating on the persistent horizontal and vertical segregation of women academics and researchers as key contributing factors that impact on Australia's research and innovation agendas. Particular emphasis is placed on identification of the barriers women face in their career paths as researchers and tertiary education professionals, the barriers to attaining the highest levels of achievement and recognition, the cost of attrition of women from SET in terms of international competitiveness and return on educational investment.
More on Staff equity research
Access and equity in Australian higher education has recently undergone a large shift towards embedding greater student choice, and specifically increasing the participation and success of students from low socio-economic status (SES) backgrounds.
The Bradley Review of higher education and the Federal Government’s response – Transforming Australia's Higher Education System – has begun significant reforms to the Australian higher education system, with a particular focus on student equity.
The Federal Government aims to improve the participation of students from low SES backgrounds in higher education to 20 per cent of all undergraduate students by 2020 and to increase the proportion of 20 - 25 year olds with bachelor degree qualifications, or above, to 40 per cent by 2025. New, more accurate measures of SES are soon to replace the current “postcode” method.
The Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP) has been one of the most significant policies to come from this, and Deakin University has implemented a number of aligned equity initiatives through the Deakin University Participation and Partnerships Program (DUPPP).
Published in July 2009 by the Education and Training Committee of the Victorian Parliament, this report reveals a number of differences in the way that students from metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas access higher education. Key points include:
- 'Interface' areas on the fringes of Melbourne are grouped in a separate category from metro and non-metro areas as they have their own characteristics.
- In 2007, university application rates were below the state average in each non-metro region except the Western District. Students in non-metro areas were almost as likely as metro students to be offered a university place. Students in the Western District were more likely than those in any other non-metro area to receive an offer.
