QUT Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Symposium

QUT Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Symposium

Monday 13 November 10am-3pm

Gardens Theatre, QUT Gardens Point campus

QUT strives to create an environment that is fully inclusive of all people and respects the individuality of all staff and students to ensure an equal, equitable and diverse teaching and research environment. The inaugural QUT Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (GEDI) Symposium aims to advance gender equity, diversity and inclusion in the university setting.

Keynote speaker 

Dr Leonora Risse
The pathway to gender equality: What does the research evidence say? And what gets in the way?

Dr Leonora Risse is an economist who specialises in gender equality. She is a Research Fellow with the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia and an Expert Panel Member on gender pay equity with the Fair Work Commission. She previously held roles with the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard University, the Australian Government Productivity Commission, and RMIT University. Dr Risse is a co-founder and former National Chair of the Women in Economics Network. 

In 2024 she will commence as an Associate Professor in Gender Economics at the University of Canberra. Dr Risse’s research focuses on gender gaps in the workforce, including the gender pay gap and women’s under-representation in leadership. She engages regularly with governments and organisations on evidence-based strategies to close gender gaps and how to apply a gender lens to economic analysis and policy design. She holds a PhD in Economics, Bachelor of Economics (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.

Speaker's Abstract
Our collective knowledge on the causes of gender gaps in organisations – and what works to close them – is growing. Yet, barriers persist in converting this knowledge into action and sustaining progress. Bringing an economic and policy design lens to the challenge, this presentation synthesises key research insights and maps out a framework for navigating the evidence on how to create more equitable and inclusive organisations.

It explores the shortcomings of the “fix the women” approach, and compares this to the value of applying a “gender lens” across all processes and policies to uncover the hidden gender biases within organisational culture and systems.

Making progress on gender equality also requires a deeper understanding of sources of resistance and backlash. This presentation weaves together research insights from the fields of social psychology and organisational change to help equip decision-makers and change agents to manage this resistance. These insights and challenges are explored in the context of the university sector, with wider applicability to all organisations and workplaces more broadly.

The first QUT event of its kind, the symposium will bring together voices of local and national university leaders and experts in gender equity and diversity, and people with different lived experiences through a series of presentations, plenary and panel discussions.

The 2023 symposium is a unique opportunity for:

• gender equity champions to connect and collectively identify the challenges and the positives of diversity within the community.
• QUT students, academic and professional staff to share their inputs, engage in dialogue, provide and receive feedback on diversity, equity and inclusion, and build interdisciplinary networks.
• conversations about gender equity across QUT and in their daily lives and create a pathway for QUT staff and students to be champions of change for healthy relationships, allyship to other communities, wellness, and cultural competency.