CONFERENCE: Diversity at the Frontier: Gender Equality in Space

Date & time

Thu 13 Apr 2023, 9am–5.30pm

Location

The Australian National University, Canberra

Home
Registration
Program
Speakers
Resources
Location
Contact

Read and watch highlights from the day here >

Inclusion, diversity, equality and access at the frontiers of the space sector

On March 25 2019, NASA announced it would launch the first all-female spacewalk of two women at the International Space Station. Yet, days after the announcement was made, the spacewalk was cancelled as there was only one space suit that would fit a woman. Months later, the historic spacewalk was completed, yet the incident highlighted the gender gap that remains in space.

Given Space 2.0 is bringing unprecedented opportunities for nations, building on humanity’s first endeavours to reach space by increasing accessibility, improving technology, and rapidly growing the surrounding space industry, ensuring our progress does not outpace the development of the right kind of space sector remains a crucial challenge. Whilst we know that women’s inclusion in international affairs results in better decision-making and higher levels of collaboration and consensus and the ‘business case’ for diversity can be made on moral and strategic grounds, currently, inclusion, diversity, equality and access (IDEA) in space is not guaranteed.

The Diversity at the Frontier: Gender Equality in Space Conference will bring together experts, practitioners, policymakers, and the next generation of the space workforce in person at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

Generously supported by the ACT Government along with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Australian Space Agency, the United States Government and the Australian Academy of Science, the conference will explore the most pressing questions of the space sector.

Is space gendered?
What challenges exist for women and historically marginalised groups seeking space careers?
What policies do government and industry need to ensure an inclusive future?
What values do we want to embed in our space conduct, and how can government and industry be at the forefront of values-led space engagement?
How can we apply the Women, Peace and Security Agenda to space?
Does (and how does) a lack of diversity in the space workforce pose a security risk?
What are the implications of space exploration for First Nations communities?
How does space affect women’s bodies and health?

File attachments:

- Space conference programme (small).pdf (PDF, 4.94 MB)

Conference schedule

The full program is available here. The conference will be followed by a public event and reception from 6pm at the Manning Clark Theatre in Kambri, ANU.

Time	Details
9am	Registration and tea/coffee
9.30am	Welcome
9.45am	Keynote – Diversity at the Frontier: How is Space Gendered?
10.15am	Mapping the ‘big issues’ for diversity in space
11:15am	MORNING TEA
11.30am	Women, Peace and Space Security
12.30pm	LUNCH
1.30pm	Living and Working in Extreme Remote Environments
2.30pm	TEA/COFFEE
3.00pm-4.00pm	First Nations Perspectives on Space
4.00pm-4.45pm	Where to From Here? Research to Practice Panel
4.45pm-5.30pm	Networking drinks and Launch of Women in Space Network

Some of our speakers and experts include:

Dr Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director, Global Institute for Women's Leadership & Gender, National Security & Space Fellow, National Security College and gender diversity, space and international relations expert

Dr Cassandra Steer, Deputy Director, ANU Institute for Space and international space law expert

Professor Meredith Nash, Associate Dean - Diversity, Belonging, Inclusion, and Equity in CECC, and women's leadership in STEM expert

Professor Anna Moore, Director, ANU Institute for Space

James Blackwell, PhD candidate in Indigenous Diplomacy, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs - ANU College of Asia & the Pacific

Professor Chris Lawrence, Indigenous space expert and Associate Dean (Indigenous), Monash University

Professor Katrina Lee-Koo, Gender, Peace & Security Expert and Head of the Politics and International Relations, Monash University

Dr Jacqueline Paul, Director, Gender and Multilateral Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Dr Caitlin Mollica, Youth, Peace & Security Expert, University of Newcastle

Shamsa Lea, Chief of Staff - Indigenous Leadership @ Deloitte

Jennifer Wittwer CSM, FAHRI, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Expert and Former Defence Technical Advisor for Women, Peace & Security

Associate Professor Alice Gorman, Space archeologist, Flinders University

Linda Spurr, Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Safeskies Australia, Women in Aerospace and Aviation

Chloe Chang, co-CEO Monash Nova Rover

Rebecca Leith, co-CEO Monash Nova Rover

A full list of conference speakers and experts is available here.

About the organisers

The Diversity at the Frontier: Gender Equality in Space Conference is led by Dr Elise Stephenson, Deputy Director of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at the Australian National University, alongside Dr Cassandra Steer (Deputy Director, ANU InSpace/Australian Centre for Space Governance and Professor Meredith Nash Associate Dean, College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics.

Founded and chaired by the former Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Julia Gillard AC, GIWL brings together rigorous research, practice and advocacy to better understand and address the causes of workplace gender inequality and women's underrepresentation in leadership positions across sectors and countries. GIWL aims to overcome a lack of connection between much of the current activity in the diversity and inclusion world, and what research evidence shows is truly effective. It also seeks to shine light on and amplify existing effective practices and solutions being applied in different countries across the globe. GIWL has substantial active partnerships with organisations such as the federal and state Offices for Women, Workplace Gender Equality Agency, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, intelligence community, and more.

ANU InSpace is a unique national and cross-disciplinary organisation, that connects ANU space research with society’s biggest challenges to deliver positive impact. The ANU is home to worldleading space researchers and more than $130M of world-class space infrastructure; InSpace specialises in connecting industry partners and teams of multidisciplinary researchers for effective solutions; We guide innovation teams, supporting a holistic, systems approach to problem solving; Our researchers help the Australian and global space industries define future challenges and solutions in a variety of areas including advanced communications, Earth observation, space situational awareness and space law and ethics.

The Australian Centre for Space Governance advocates for Australia’s interests in space in the 21st century, and advances the agenda for responsible space governance. It does so through three areas of focus: Serve the nation's space law and governance needs (government, industry and broader stakeholders); Provide space law and governance education and training nationally; Produce interdisciplinary research to solve national and global space governance challenges. Australia is at an inflection point as it grows its civil and defence space sector, and emerges as a responsible space actor at a complex moment in geopolitical history. We have the potential to shape international norms of responsible behaviour in space, to contribute to solving the challenges of safety, security and sustainability in space, and to be world leaders in some important space applications for communications connecting remote communities, climate change response, and regional security. As Australia seeks to grow our sovereign capabilities, to partake in the global space economy, and to assert ourselves as a space middle power, this requires a strong, well thought out and fully informed foundation to underpin the choices we make as a nation to grow technological capabilities or operations. The ACSG aims to support the building of this foundation. The ACSG brings together national expertise in space law, governance, policy, security, property, history, ethics, political and social sciences, to answer these needs. We are committed to the values of interdisciplinary collaboration; safety, security and sustainability in space; diversity and inclusivity in the space sector; ensuring Australia fulfils its potential as a space middle power; a thriving national space sector; full engagement with Indigenous Australians, and incorporating Indigenous co-design and governance values to the use of land, sea and skies for space activities.

The College of Engineering, Computing and Cybernetics (CECC) is an exceptional community of students, educators, scholars, and researchers who embrace the breadth of the engineering and computing professions including aerospace engineering, artificial intelligence, software innovation, cybernetics and more.

Recent research papers and articles highlighting the need for greater diversity in space:

Space exploration is an area of human endeavour that came of age during the entrenchment of gender equality, at least as an aspirational norm, along with wider civil rights movements. The US’s NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos were only founded in the 1950s, whilst across the world over 70 other space agencies have been established during the growing ‘age of equality’. At no other point in history have we had the same leverage over new institutions to normalise and mandate gender equality and women’s leadership from the start. The precedent we set now matters for the entrenchment of equality, justice, and fairness as cornerstones of the space sector. Read more from Dr Elise Stephenson here https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2023/03/making-space-for-women-gender-diversity-and-outer-space
With all the hype around the first images from the James Webb Space Telescope recently, named after a man associated with the persecution of queer people in the “lavender scare” of the ‘50s and ‘60s, what does diversity in space look like? What can Australia (and other nations) do now to get it right from the start? Opinion - Getting Diversity ‘Right’ In Australia’s Nascent Space Industry Matters (e-ir.info) by Dr Elise Stephenson
Senior US Space Force officials visiting Australia have warned that a conflict in space in the next few years is a very real prospect. From Australia’s participation in the UN open-ended working group on reducing space threats, to the establishment of the Defence Space Command in January, space security is becoming an increasingly critical focus. To date, however, there’s been no overlap between Australia’s approach to space security and its commitments to international security through the UN women, peace and security (WPS) agenda. Why? And where are the women in space security? Old inequalities, new space? Women, peace and space security | The Strategist (aspistrategist.org.au) by Dr Elise Stephenson and Dr Cassandra Steer
International space law today contains many powerful remnants of the Cold War era, including gender-specific language in the OST which states that space shall be “the province of all mankind”. While we cannot change the terms of the treaty, we can change the way language is used today within the space governance power structures and in future legal instruments. Some may argue that this is not necessary, since “mankind” is intended to include women, however a feminist legal analysis reveals the power dynamics in processes of law-making, interpretation and application which maintain a status quo. In space law and governance, that status quo includes geopolitical dominance by a small group of elite countries, and underrepresentation of women at all levels of decision-making. In the space sector as a whole, the status quo is also a persistent lack of diversity, which not only limits design decisions, but can negatively impact our future in space. If we seek to build new human societies in space, on the Moon, and eventually on Mars, this requires reproductive health and the full participation of all members of these new societies. We cannot achieve this unless we radically shift the assumption of male biology and the male experience as the norm, and unless we move away from elite decision-makers forming laws and governance structures to their own benefit. This chapter undertakes to learn from achievements of feminist legal activism in domestic laws, and to apply this to the process of space law-making, interpretation and application. The use of language in the law is of paramount importance, and so a feminist outcome would be to actively re-interpret the OST and ensure that space becomes the “province of all humankind”. 'The Province of all Humankind' - A Feminist Analysis of Space Law by Cassandra Steer :: SSRN by Dr Cassandra Steer
Only 566 people have ever travelled to space. Sixty-five of them, or about 11.5%, were women. Almost 90% of astronauts have been men. But the future of space may be female (theconversation.com) by Associate Professor Alice Gorman