Initiatives for Workplace Equity and Inclusion: A series of rapid systematic reviews of the peer-reviewed literature

Immediate, purposeful, and coordinated systemic change is needed to advance equity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields – a sector pivotal to increasing Australia’s productivity, innovation, and social and economic strength.In this report, we present the results of a series of rapid systematic reviews, undertaken to identify initiatives effective in supporting workforce equity and inclusion. Initial findings and recommendations from each stream of research were presented as four independent reports in June, July, August, and September of 2023. Our research synthesised the peer-reviewed evidence on evaluated workplace equity initiatives that are implementable by organisations, peak bodies, and/or government entities. We focused our research on initiatives addressing the challenges of gender equity, bullying and harassment, the gender pay gap, and disability inclusion. We asked: what initiatives applicable to the workplace are effective in increasing the participation of women, non-binary people, and people with disability in STEM careers?