Gender Equity in Higher Education During the COVID-19 Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically reshaped our society. In the rush to manage this health and economic crisis, it became increasingly apparent that there would be a gendered impact extending beyond the initial crisis period. The United Nations’ Secretary General António Guterres brought attention to the gendered impact of COVID-19 on 10 April 2020, calling for urgent and immediate action. He stated that the pandemic is having “devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls” and urged governments and institutions to put gender issues at the centre of COVID-19 responses.

Early analysis confirmed the need to address indicators that women are facing deep social and economic effects from the pandemic (e.g., UN Policy Brief, The Lancet, and Broad Agenda). Both the UN and the Australian Human Rights Commission have indicated that the impact of the COVID 19 experience on women stands to undo decades of progress towards gender equality and posed an amplified risk of gendered violence.

One of the many challenges the COVID-19 global pandemic created for the tertiary education sector was ensuring that the significant advancements in gender equity were not lost amid the crisis.

In the face of this challenge, Western Sydney University led  a group of senior equity practitioners from across Australian universities in the development of a joint sector position statement, committed to preserving and prioritising gender equity across the sector. The University is committed to considering the impact on women when planning our short, medium and long-term responses to COVID-19.

Read a media statement about the joint sector position.