The absence of evidence of the effectiveness of Australian gender equity in STEM initiatives

This paper explores the range of initiatives offered across Australia to support the attraction, retention and progression of girls and women to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies and careers. A mapping exercise, conducted by the author as part of the development of the Decadal Plan for Women in STEM for the Australian Academy of Science, provided an overview of 337 programmes and initiatives offered nationally, the majority of which were university scholarships. Academia, industry and government are the main providers of these initiatives, with collaborations common between all the different stakeholder groups identified. Of all the initiatives mapped, only seven had publicly facing evaluation data, of which one went beyond self-reports of satisfaction and enjoyment. The myriad initiatives show a concerted effort to engage girls and women in STEM, but the absence of any meaningful evidence of impact means we simply do not know whether these initiatives are benefiting girls and women and achieving the desired policy outcomes or not.