Surveying & Spatial Sciences Institute

Our 2011 survey is now closed and the results will be published here. Thankyou to all those who responded.

Women in Spatial Report 2006/2007

Spatial Sciences Institute November 2007

Authors: Renee Bartolo, Penny Baldock & Gypsy Bhalla

The Spatial Sciences Institute Women in Spatial Initiative

In November 2005, it was found that only 8.5 % of the Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) membership were women. This came as a surprise to most people (as the participation rate was thought to be much higher) and consequently it was decided to find out how accurately the SSI membership mirrored the participation of women in the spatial industry. It was also noted that at the time, women were not well represented in governance roles within the institute. The SSI commenced the Women in Spatial initiative early in 2006 to determine various aspects relating to the participation of women in the spatial sciences within Australia and New Zealand.

Click here to see the full report

The Women in Spatial initiative is being led by SSI members within the various SSI regions, however the initiative is not restricted to SSI members. The study is being undertaken through a number of mechanisms:

SSI membership statistics
An extensive survey of women in the profession distributed through the SSI and enhanced through existing networks within large organisations and regions
Forums being held across Australia and New Zealand to obtain further qualitative information.

The Women in Spatial Survey is a key component of the initiative. The survey has been designed to collect principally quantitative information on the following (although it is not limited to these topics):

Mechanisms by which women have entered the profession (education pathways).
Discipline specific numbers.
Industry sectors where women are working.
Age profiles.
Average salaries.
Barriers to spatial careers.

The survey has been circulated throughout Australia and New Zealand via email. Circulation was initiated through the SSI network, but has been considerably enhanced through the use of informal networks and word of mouth, as well as the efforts of regional WIS representatives. The informal sample method of the survey must be considered when interpreting results; however the sample size and broad geographical representation add weight to the findings.

The results presented here are an excerpt of the entire study (Section 2).