SDG 5 Gender Equality :: University of Waikato

Gender Equality Plan

We have a Gender Equality Plan that sets out our commitment to gender equality for students and staff and in our research and teaching.

The plan summarises the policies, resources and intiatives that are in place to further this goal.

Workplace Integrity

We have zero tolerance for bullying, harassment and discrimation.

We also have a robust protected disclosure policy to make it easy and safe for staff and students to anonymously report issues.

Support

Our parental leave policy provides six weeks paid leave in addition to that provided by the Government.

We have many generous scholarships for women.

Women's Access and Success

In 2023 women made up 64% of students starting a degree and 63% of the degrees we awarded.

Our qualification completion rate for female students in 2023 was 70%, compared to 63% for male students. (Based on Tertiary Education Commission EPI data for 2023 for the full-time Level 7 degree level cohort.)

48% of female applicants received unconditional offers in 2023 compared to 29% of male applicants.

	2021	2022	2023
Female applicants receiving unconditional offers	45%	47%	48%
Male applicants receiving unconditional offers	28%	30%	29%
Female students starting a degree - percentage of all students	63%	63%	64%
Female students completing a degree - percentage of total graduates	60%	63%	63%
Qualification completion rate for female students	68%	70%	70%
Qualification completion rate for male students	60%	65%	63%

Programme to support emerging women leaders

Since its launch in 2021, the Waikato Women in Leadership programme has helped emerging women leaders across the University develop leadership capabilities and enhance their networks. The year-long programme combines one-on-one mentoring, peer group mentoring and workshops on topics ranging from cultural leadership to communications and career planning.

Wāhine Student Mentoring and Support

At the University of Waikato, female and female-identifying students can engage in diverse student clubs, spanning Business, Law, Sports, and STEM fields. These clubs offer crucial support for women, offering mentorship, networking opportunities, skills workshops, and social gatherings. This empowers women to thrive in their studies, fostering a sense of community and promoting the exchange of expertise.

The gendered pandemic

Professor Holly Thorpe at the University is currently exploring how New Zealand women have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in a new multi-disciplinary project. In 2021 she was awarded a two-year James Cook Research Fellowship. The research builds on two pilot projects being led by Professor Thorpe investigating how women across the sport sector have responded to the pandemic, and another project exploring how women from different cultural backgrounds are understanding, defining, and managing wellbeing.

“At the local level this research will contribute to more complex ways of thinking about women’s wellbeing and what strategies and policies are needed to recognise the gendered effects of the pandemic and how we can better support women through this and out the other side of it."

Spotlight on health of female athletes

Waikato researchers have been investigating chronic energy deficiency amongst elite female athletes for many years, joining forces to lend their expertise to High Performance Sport New Zealand through an initiative called Healthy Women in Performance Sport. This initiative brings together a multi-disciplinary team of experts to support women in sport to protect their health and wellbeing while striving for high performance. They tackle issues ranging from energy deficiency to menstrual irregularity, ACL injuries and pregnancy.