NAWO QLD
From Classroom to Control Room
Thank you for attending the NAWO QLD event!
Here are the resources that Felicity discussed in her presentation.
Supporting women at work
What’s Working? Gender Equity: Data Driven Insights for Advancing Diversity
The What's Working? Gender Equity report by WeAspire offers evidence-based insights into effective strategies for advancing gender equity in the workplace. It highlights that addressing bias, promoting diversity, and fostering inclusive cultures are crucial for attracting, hiring, and retaining top talent. Key findings emphasize the importance of middle-manager mentorship over senior leadership, the necessity of mitigating unconscious bias in performance evaluations, and the positive impact of gender-diverse teams on innovation and profitability. The report provides actionable recommendations for organizations to implement immediately, aiming to create more equitable and productive work environments.
Access the report and video mini series here.
Supporting women to lead
Help Women Become a Respected Leader
The Respected Leader Scorecard by WeAspire is a practical tool designed to help individuals assess and enhance their leadership capabilities. The scorecard provides a personalised assessment, offering insights into strengths and areas for development. By identifying these areas, individuals can create a tailored action plan to build confidence, gain respect, and achieve recognition as leaders. This approach is particularly beneficial for first-time leaders in high-stakes industries like construction and infrastructure, where effective leadership is crucial.
Get your Respected Leader Score here.
Attracting and retaining Women
People Like Me
The “People Like Me” resource, developed by the UK’s Women’s Engineering Society, is designed to help girls and young women see themselves in STEM careers by shifting the language used to describe those fields. Instead of focusing on technical jargon or job titles, it uses relatable personality-based language to connect personal strengths and interests with real engineering and technology roles. This approach reframes STEM as diverse, creative, and people-oriented - challenging stereotypes that often deter women from entering these industries. By changing how we talk about STEM, the resource makes it more inclusive, accessible, and reflective of the wide range of skills that engineering and science careers truly require.
Power of Engineering
Power of Engineering is an Australian not-for-profit initiative that shifts perceptions of engineering by making it inclusive, engaging, and relevant to the real world. The program inspires students—particularly girls and underrepresented groups—through hands-on activities, real industry challenges, and collaboration with engineers who serve as relatable role models. By using inclusive language and showcasing the human and societal impact of engineering, Power of Engineering broadens understanding of what engineers do and who can become one, helping young people see engineering as a creative, purposeful, and accessible career path.
BBC Documentary
In the BBC Two documentary No More Boys and Girls: Can Our Kids Go Gender Free?, Dr Javid Abdelmoneim investigates how deeply ingrained gender stereotypes shape children’s behaviour, confidence, and aspirations. Through a classroom experiment on the Isle of Wight, he challenges traditional gender norms by removing gendered language, toys, and expectations to see if boys and girls develop more equal attitudes and abilities. The documentary reveals how early social conditioning — not biology — drives many of the differences seen between boys and girls, and shows that by changing the messages we give children, we can create a more equal and empowered generation.
Advancing Women in STEM Strategy Snapshot
The Advancing Women in STEM Strategy Snapshot outlines Australia’s national approach to achieving gender equity across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It recognises that women and girls face barriers at every stage — from early education through to senior leadership - and aims to close these gaps by building confidence and interest in STEM from a young age, improving workplace culture and career progression, and increasing the visibility of women in STEM. The strategy focuses on three key areas: enabling STEM potential through education, supporting women’s retention and advancement in STEM careers, and making women’s contributions more visible. By addressing systemic bias and the “leaky pipeline,” the strategy positions gender equity as vital not only for fairness, but for Australia’s innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth.
The Invergowrie Foundation Girls in STEM Report
The Invergowrie Foundation Girls in STEM Report highlights the systemic barriers that prevent girls in Australia from pursuing STEM subjects and careers at the same rates as boys. From early childhood, gender stereotypes, low teacher confidence, curriculum limitations, and limited awareness of diverse STEM pathways discourage participation, with girls particularly underrepresented in physics and advanced mathematics — key gateway subjects for tertiary STEM study. The report recommends early interventions, teacher professional development, mentoring and role models, improved career guidance, and stronger school–industry–community partnerships to make STEM more accessible, relevant, and inclusive. It emphasizes coordinated, systemic change rather than isolated programs to close the gender gap and ensure girls can fully realise their STEM potential.