An Exploration of WSU Staff's Understandings of Trans and Gender Diversity: Vice Chancellor's Gender Equality Fund 2020

This research explored WSU cisgender staff understandings of trans and gender diversity (TGD), school-based support for TGD students and staff, and University policy on TGD. A key aim was to identify the needs of staff in regard to working more effectively with TGD students and staff in order to develop more inclusive policies and practices and to contribute to reducing inequalities based on gender diversity. Research Methodology: This multi-method research included a staff on-line survey (multiple choice and open-ended questions) and a focus group. The online survey was completed by 346 staff members – 61% were professional staff and 39% academics. Seven participants volunteered to be involved in the focus group discussion. Key Findings: There was considerable misunderstanding and confusion around terminology (e.g. transgender, gender diversity, non-binary), with sexuality and gender identity often conflated; The majority of participants (approx. 80%) believed knowledge of TGD issues was important to their role or function at WSU; with 20% having been in a situation where gender identity was pertinent to their work (e.g. Affirmed names being different to names on staff roles and ID cards); There was a lack of awareness and knowledge of institutional procedures and guidelines relevant to TGD (e.g. gender affirmation/ use of pronouns). Participants requested resources and clear guidance in this area; A minority of participants did not believe TGD students and staff required ‘special treatment’, commenting they treated all people the same. Some considered TGD issues were concerns relevant to individuals only, rather than being reflective of structural problems; Participants overwhelmingly requested greater culturally appropriate awareness training opportunities on TGD issues. Eighty-five percent of survey participants were aware of the ALLY Network, but only 23% were members, with 90% of those having competed the training; Strong, supportive, vocal leadership at all levels and a whole institutional approach to TGD issues is also key to enhancing current practices in this area

Vice-Chancellor's Gender Equality Fund Final Report 2019: Redressing the Promotion Gap: Practices and Processes to Minimise Gender Disparities in Academic Advancement

Like many universities in Australia and internationally, women at Western Sydney University (WSU) remain under-represented in senior academic positions. In addition, there is a persistent gender pay gap for female academic staff across the institution. Despite the robust literature, researchers and higher education institutions have struggled to understand how vertical gender segregation might be alleviated in academia, and to establish effective gender equity programs which target gender differences in promotion. In addition, little research has evaluated the impact of existing programs beyond the individual level and in comparison to other institutional initiatives. The degree to which gender initiatives are effective in making change is one of the most important and challenging questions in striving for gender equity in contemporary universities, yet this has been inadequately addressed by researchers. There are two key research questions for this project: how does WSU’s promotion policy and process compare with other Australian institutions, and; how might WSU alter current policy and practice to reduce the gender promotion gap? Data was collected through interviews with women academics who had progressed to Professor or Associate Professor whilst at Western Sydney, and both internal and external members of the Western Sydney University Academic Promotions Committee. The research also included an assessment of the WSU promotions policy and relevant promotions and gender equality process documents, and a comparison was carried out between WSU and two other institutions. We find that women are at a disadvantage in achieving measures of excellence in academic competitions for promotion. What is more, gender bias also works around these measures, so that even when women do successfully compete in terms of the metrics, they are blocked by institutional gatekeepers or marginalized and stigmatized for attempting to play a game for which they are seen to be corporeally mismatched. These processes were recognized by the women who bid for promotion but also by several of the promotions committee members. Although there is some useful policy and processes in place in our institutions in relation to promotion, gender bias continues to work through cultural practices. There is also evidence of a reticence to see the metrics of excellence, that serve academic capitalism very well, as anything but neutral or to see gender inequities as systemic. In order to redress the promotion gap, we therefore need to challenge these perceptions and look to cultural and educative solutions. This project provides recommendations for increasing women’s promotion rates, which will also assist in reducing the gender pay gap

What is Good Evidence?

In recent years, there has been a shift in the way that researchers and practitioners have thought about evidence, from a rigid commitment to the strict implementation of rigorously assessed EBPs only, to an understanding of the importance of program adaption in response to local context and the importance of flexibility to address challenges as they arise. Comparing the relative value, quality, and strength of different types of evidence is not straightforward. Although randomised controlled trials (RCTs), focus groups, and observational studies all produce valid forms of evidence, they are not all equally suited to answer the wide range of questions that are of interest to human services organisations. The aim of this report is to provide organisations with a practical guide on how to engage with research evidence in the assessment of their services

Vice-Chancellor's Gender Equality Fund Final Report 2021: Equity, Policy and Practice: Disruptions to Candidature and Barriers to Career Progression for Women HDR Candidates

Whilst prior research has established barriers to career progression for women academics, the experiences of women HDR candidates and the barriers to candidature progression, including movement to on-going, academic labour, or careers outside of academia, has not received the same level of attention. This project therefore aims to generate a better understanding of equity considerations for research disruption, with particular reference to the COVID-19 pandemic, for women HDR candidates. There are two key research questions for this project: 1. What are the barriers to HDR progression for WSU women candidates? 2. How might WSU support the progression of women HDR candidates through targeted strategies? This report provides recommendations for best practice for supporting the progression of women HDR candidates at Western

Acknowledgement of Country practices in Early Learning Centres

This report explores ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ practices in early education. The report identifies key features of Acknowledgement of Country practices, examines the process that contribute to their implementation, and explores how families and educators perceive the significance, meaning, benefits and impacts of Acknowledgement practices. An important aim of this research is to provide research data that informs the development of professional training for educators, particularly non-Aboriginal educators, to support them as they embed Acknowledgement of Country in early learning environments. The research was informed by an Indigenist research framework (Martin & Mirraboopa, 2003) and yarning methodology (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010). Guidance was provided by a steering committee which included Aboriginal members with practitioner and research expertise in early education. We interviewed 20 educators and six adult family members, including Aboriginal educators and an Aboriginal family. However, since one explicit purpose of the research was to contribute to professional development for non-Aboriginal educators to better embed Aboriginal Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing, the predominance of non-Aboriginal voices was appropriate to understanding the development needs of this group. From the research data we constructed five themes, and the report is structured around these themes. These are: the range of Acknowledgement practices present; the land on which we play; living with many cultures – acknowledging the First Peoples; Getting it right / just start; someone to ask; and begin with the children. We have developed seven guiding principles, and our recommendations for practice are clustered by these principles. 1. Develop relationships with local Aboriginal people. 2. Seek out and honour local Aboriginal knowledge. 3. Privilege Aboriginal culture in celebrations of diversity, because we are on land that belongs to the First Peoples. 4. Encourage families to travel this journey with you. 5. Prioritise time for professional reflection and learning. 6. Decide as a centre the extent to which you will share difficult knowledges with the children. 7. Invest in a shared collection of resources. We acknowledge our recommendations are based on the inclusive practice of educators and other staff at all WSUEL centres. These recommendations are intended to support and enhance this practice, and make it visible, for the benefit of other early learning centres

Fibonacci Forum: Creative Communities and Cultural Wellbeing Framework

The Fibonacci Forum Cultural Wellbeing Research engaged with 130 cultural practitioners from 8 sectors to investigate the Cultural Wellbeing Framework within community. In each forum community practitioners presented their work and commented on how it related to the framework. In this way the forums could illuminate how important it is to understand and consider the wellbeing needs of a community. The framework is thus an important tool with which to evaluate the wellbeing needs of communities and also to document what is already being done. Therefore, the forums, together with the framework, were able to instigate conversations about wellbeing and potentially germinate new projects that embed cultural wellbeing from the start. Curating the forums (who was asked and why) brought in changemakers who were committed to bringing together arts and wellbeing with innovative strategies and models of creative expression that can send a community message about lived wellbeing. The research found that while many individual researchers and cultural practitioners incorporate arts, culture and wellbeing outcomes in their work, there is currently no Australian State or National body for Cultural Wellbeing. Such a body would make it easier for researchers and practitioners to advocate for the creative cultural wellbeing needs of their communities and work in a cross-sectoral way to address societal inequalities

Co-Design of an Integrated Intergenerational Model: Uniting Generations Through Shared Spaces

This report sets out the findings from a research project to develop an intergenerational model of care at Uniting Westmead. We review relevant literature to understand what is already known about the impact of intergenerational care models on wellbeing and development outcomes for young children, older adults, other community members, and staff, and distil the core elements of program implementation that are most influential in determining positive outcomes. The research uses a combination of focus groups followed by a co-design workshop. From the research data we develop principles of practice for intergenerational care. Then, the report presents a Theory of Change, developed using a co-design process, which brought together researcher knowledge of the existing evidence, the practice wisdom of Uniting, the lived experience of the young children attending the early learning centre, the older adult residents, and their families and staff members as co-designers

Supporting family identity : the processes that influence belonging and boundaries in an LGBTQ playgroup

LGBTQ families have to navigate parenting in a heteronormative world. Like many other parents, LGBTQ families create playgroups to support their parenting endeavour. Drawing on research into how family and parenting identity influences playgroup participation and choices, this paper reports on interviews with members of an LGBTQ playgroup in a city in Australia. The group provided a space for many LGBTQ families to be supported and nurtured in their parenting and LGBTQ identities. However, as with any group, some families were not present or did not feel welcomed in the group. This paper examines how the playgroup drew its boundaries, who was included and who excluded, and the mechanisms that created these boundaries

Playgroups : moving in from the margins of history, policy and feminism

Playgroups began in Australia in the early 1970s, at the same time as significant changes in early childhood education and care (ECEC) began taking place. This paper explores how early playgroups were positioned in the ECEC policy, and the experiences of playgroup organisers in New South Wales. Methods used were documentary analysis of Project Care (Social Welfare Commission, 1974) and interviews with key players. Findings were that playgroups grew rapidly in response to grassroots demand from mothers wanting their children to learn through quality play, besides the demand for adult social support. Since Project Care was strongly influenced by feminist lobbying and the objective of enabling women to engage in paid work—and playgroups relied on mothers to deliver the service—playgroups were an uneasy fit in the ECEC policy. Although Project Care integrated playgroups into its recommendations for ECEC services, subsequent funding was at a low level. Today, ECEC services would benefit from a strengthening of the community playgroups model

The relationship between social support and parent identity in community playgroups

Community playgroups are member-run parenting groups in Australia, aligned with early childhood services. Parents and carers meet weekly with their babies, toddlers and preschool children. Through interviews with mothers who attend community playgroups, I find that these playgroups are important sites of social support for parents. Social support is interwoven with parental and family identity, and the shift in identity when becoming a parent. This is demonstrated through three themes: making a connection, shared practices and language, and judgement and respect. Parents seek out a playgroup in which to belong, where they feel included and respected. These findings can inform the creation and operation of parenting groups