by Danny Kingsley
A report on women's involvement in science, engineering and technology commissioned in 1993 and released by the Office of the Chief Scientist in December 1994 has still seen no action by the Department of Industry, Science and Tourism (DIST).
Despite the amount of work involved in preparing the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WISET) discussion paper, there is speculation that the Minister for Industry, Science and Tourism, Mr Peter McGauran 'may wish to take a fresh look at the whole issue,' according to an officer in DIST.
Certainly any implementation of the report's recommendations now awaits the August Budget, after which the Federal Government will revise the draft response prepared by the previous government.
But Mr McGauran has shown interest in the report and will be meeting early this month with Professor Ann Henderson-Sellers of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, who chaired the WISET committee.
The committee consisted of eight senior women scientists from around the country, four women in the social sciences, and two male research managers from industry. This was supplemented with nearly 100 submissions.
While the members of the committee were working in an honorary capacity, their travel expenses (and accommodation expenses in at least one case) were paid for by the Government.
It also absorbed the administrative costs of correspondence, printing and distribution. There has been concern expressed by at least one member of the committee over the amount of money and energy spent on the report without any apparent result.
An initiative by Senator Chris Schacht, who was the Minister for Science in 1993, the WISET report was commissioned to advise on strategies to improve women's participation in science, education and technology (SET) careers and education.
The terms of reference for the report were to address the following:
The report found that women remain seriously under-represented in some specific disciplines of SET, and are not well represented at the most senior level in all disciplines.
One of the suggestions for countering this problem was a paradigm shift from asking what is wrong with girls and women to questioning what it is about the environment of SET that it does not attract and retain the interest of girls and women.
The report also recognised that there is a range of important education and employment issues which affect all women, not just those engaged in SET education and careers, such as appropriate child care, more flexible working hours and a recognition of the impact of caring responsibilities.
The recommendations the WISET report put forward included a survey of higher education and vocational sectors to determine the extent of mentoring schemes for men and women in SET-based education, training and employment.
There was also a recommendation to explore the viability of developing a selection criterion for Government contracts which acknowledges the contribution employers are making to affirmative action in SET-based industries through including women in SET careers in contract tenders.
In response to this paper, a working committee was formed. This incorporated members of the Office of the Chief Scientist, Department of Industry Science and Technology, Department of Employment, Education and Training and the Office for the Status of Women.
The response document was intended to be the working paper from which the suggestions of WISET could be implemented. With the calling of the March election, work was suspended on the document.
Resumption of the work now awaits the August Budget.
Those interested in obtaining a copy of the report should contact DIST on (06) 276 1264.
(Reproduced with permission from LABNEWS, July 1996)