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Gender equality at Flinders.

Flinders University is committed to advancing gender equality and providing a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for our University community. 

Everyone deserves to feel safe, supported and empowered to thrive. At Flinders, we're committed to advancing gender equality, removing barriers to opportunity and creating a more inclusive university community.

Explore the initiatives driving meaningful change, from supporting parents and carers and promoting menopause awareness to preventing and responding to gender-based violence and improving workplace equality. Discover the resources available, the progress we've made and how we're continuing to build a more equitable future for all.

Our gender equality commitments.

Flinders puts this commitment into action through three key areas:

  • Athena SWAN: using an evidence-based approach to identify and address systemic barriers to gender equality across recruitment, career progression, leadership, workplace culture and caring responsibilities. Flinders holds Athena SWAN Bronze accreditation and has achieved five Cygnet Awards.
  • Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA): undertaking workforce analysis, gender pay gap analysis and reporting, and setting gender equality targets to identify areas of inequality, inform action and monitor progress.
  • Gender-based violence prevention and response: taking a whole-of-University approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence and embedding gender equality across University programs, systems and processes. This includes prevention, early intervention, trauma-informed support, education and training, governance and continuous improvement.

For detailed gender pay gap analysis, industry comparison and actions, read the current WGEA Employer Statement 2024–2025.

Together, these initiatives support our work to address the systemic drivers of gender inequality, reduce our gender pay gap, improve the participation and advancement of women, and prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

The gender equality targets below support this broader commitment and provide a further focus for action and reporting from 2026 to 2029.


Target 1

Analyse the gender pay gap every year

Undertake a comprehensive gender pay gap analysis annually and report the results to University Council.


Target 2

Reduce the gender pay gap

Reduce the gender pay gap by at least one percentage point from the published baseline of 8.5%.


Target 3

Increase parental leave uptake by men

Increase participation by men from the published baseline of 4%.

Current Policy

Equal opportunity and protection from discrimination.

Flinders’ Equal Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination Policy sets out the University’s commitment to providing a safe, respectful and equitable work and study environment and promoting gender equality. It applies to all members of the University community when engaged in work or study-related activities.

The policy outlines Flinders’ approach to preventing and addressing discrimination and harassment, including discrimination based on protected characteristics such as sex, gender, gender identity and gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding status and caring responsibilities. It also provides protection from victimisation for people who raise concerns, make or support a complaint, provide information or are involved in an investigation.

Read the policy >

Flinders reports to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) under the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012.

Changes introduced through the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Act 2023 require Flinders to nominate three gender equality targets and report progress across 2026–2029.

The targets align with existing work including the SAGE Athena Swan Bronze Action Plan and Cygnet program, with Silver accreditation in progress, and the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence (2025).

Employees can comment on a submitted report by contacting Equal Opportunity or by commenting directly to WGEA.

Support, development and participation.

Practical initiatives and services support women and gender equity across working, caring, health, career development, study and safety.


Athena Swan and career progression

Flinders has achieved Athena SWAN Bronze Institutional Accreditation and five SAGE Cygnet Awards in recognition of our ongoing work to identify and address barriers to gender equity.

Explore Athena Swan


Menopause at Work

Flinders is the first Australian university accredited as a Menopause Friendly Workplace and the first SAGE member institution to receive a Cygnet for menopause-related work.

Menopause at work


Family and caring

Gender-neutral parental leave, flexible work, breastfeeding support, childcare information and caring resources support participation and career continuity.

Family and caring support


Career development and research support

Academic promotion can recognise achievement relative to opportunity, while professional development and research support can help staff continue career progression through changing circumstances.

Explore professional development


Women in STEM

Women-focused STEM outreach, enrichment and mentoring activities encourage participation in fields where women remain underrepresented.

Women in STEM


Safety, prevention and support

Find information about gender-based violence, sexual harassment and assault, discrimination, reporting pathways and specialist support.

Explore support

Progress on gender equality.

External recognition and public reporting help show where progress is being made and where further work is needed.

#6

in the world for Gender Equality

5/5

Cygnets achieved, eligibile for Silver Accreditation.

FIRST

Accredited Menopause Friendly Australian university workplace

WGEA progress and workforce participation.

Flinders reports gender equality data to WGEA and has set measurable targets for the 2026–2029 period. The figures below are drawn from Flinders' current public Flinders University Gender Pay Gap Report 2024–2025 / Employer Statement. The 8.5% median total remuneration gap is the published baseline for Flinders' 2026–2029 pay-gap target.

Flinders recognises the non-binary nature of gender. Where source systems or historical reports use binary categories, those terms are retained only where needed to accurately represent the underlying published data.

Gender pay gap

WGEA measure2023–242024–25
Average total remuneration11.8%11.6%
Median total remuneration9.7%8.5%
Average base salary11.3%10.6%
Median base salary9.3%8.1%

Primary carer leave by gender

Reporting periodWomenMen
2024 - 202596%4%
2025 - 202696%4%

Women’s access and participation tracked.

Flinders publicly tracks women’s applications, entry rates, commencing enrolments and graduate share, alongside pathways and outreach designed to support gender equity in access and participation.

Detailed student evidence is published on the admissions and participation page, keeping this staff page focused while maintaining a clear public evidence trail.

Explore admissions and participation evidence

Reports and evidence.

Current policies, WGEA reporting and Athena Swan evidence are published here for transparency and ongoing accountability.


Equal Opportunity and Anti-Discrimination Policy

The current policy sets out Flinders' approach to gender equality, discrimination, harassment and victimisation across the University community.

Read the policy


Latest WGEA public report

The 2025–26 Flinders public report includes the WGEA questionnaire and employee data tables used for current workplace gender equality reporting.

Explore the report


Latest Employer Statement

Flinders' 2024–2025 Gender Pay Gap Report and Employer Statement publishes gender pay gap measures, workforce context, sector comparison and actions supporting gender equality.

Explore our statement


Athena Swan evidence

Explore Flinders' Bronze Accreditation, five Cygnet Awards and work towards Silver Accreditation.

Explore Athena Swan

Flinders has achieved all five Cygnet Awards required to apply for Silver Accreditation. Public applications document action, outcomes and evidence across five priority areas.

For questions about Flinders' WGEA reporting or gender equality initiatives, contact Katie Hazell, Senior Diversity and Inclusion Consultant.

Gender equality resources.

Explore organisations, information and related Flinders programs supporting women, working parents, leadership and participation.

External resources

Related Flinders support and programs

Contact us.

Need advice or support? Choose the contact that best matches what you need.

Business Partnering Team

(08) 7421 9001

EO Contact Officers (Staff)

Lodge a complaint or grievance

equal.opportunity@flinders.edu.au

Student Equal Opportunity Advisor (Students)

Urgent help: If you are in immediate danger, call 000. For on-campus security assistance, call Flinders Security on (08) 8201 2880 
External support and advice: 1800RESPECT · Equal Opportunity SA  · Australian Human Rights Commission

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Last Updated: 09 Nov 2026