The first-ever gathering of the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership (APWiL) Mentoring Program at the Asia Pacific Women in Leadership Summit 2024 took place in late-June at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, as a part of the 2024 APRU Annual Presidents’ Meeting. The event united four cohorts of the APWiL Mentoring Program to share their inspiring journeys and practical skills for advancing women’s leadership in higher education.

The APWiL Mentoring Program provides international and intercultural opportunities for the empowerment, professional growth and development of aspiring women leaders within APRU. This program matches mentors and mentees in international mentorship pairs across leading research universities of the Asia-Pacific region.

Recommendations Rooted in Data

Delivering opening remarks, Prof Joanna Regulska, APWiL Co-Chair and Vice Provost and Dean – Global Affairs, Distinguished Professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, University of California, Davis, reminded the audience that the APWiL Mentoring Program was triggered by the 2019 APRU Gender Gap Report which measured progress of gender equity in APRU universities since the 2013 APRU Gender Gap Report initiated at a meeting held at Waseda University in 2013.  “A few years later, the idea emerged that we should actually do a second gender gap report, but unfortunately, the result of that second report was not so great, as female academics were still significantly underrepresented across all academic levels and in administration,” Regulska said.

“I think it is time for all of us to do the third report, and maybe the news will be better.”

Exponential Impacts of the Mentoring Program

Reflecting on the APRU network’s steadily strengthening commitment to succeed in narrowing the gender gap, Prof Yvonne Lim, APWiL Co-Chair and Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International), Professor of Parasitology, Universiti Malaya, pointed out that the APWiL Mentoring Program started off with mentee-mentor pairs from just 10 institutions, and has since grown to 31 institutions.

“From my mentee, I learned to be more positive and open, and I learned to embrace things that I don’t know,” Lim said. “[My mentee] Jessica herself was indigenous, so I connected her to my indigenous colleagues at Universiti Malaya, and they then started a year-long webinar series across the world, which shows that this program not only impacts individuals, but also the institutions.”

Cultivating Women’s Leadership in New Zealand

Prof Dawn Freshwater, Vice-Chancellor, Waipapa Taumata Rau – The University of Auckland, Vice-Chair of APRU, and APWiL Presidential Champion, confirmed the notion of Auckland being a perfect choice for the event, given that New Zealand has a proven track record of advancing women’s leadership. New Zealand was the first country in the world where women could vote, and two years ago, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Governor General, and Chief Justice were all women. Freshwater is the first woman to lead The University of Auckland as Vice-Chancellor.

“So, I could stand here and tell you that there’s no problem in Aotearoa, New Zealand, with women in leadership positions, but that would be untrue,” Freshwater said.

“A study released earlier this year by one of our own business school academics, Dr. Amanda Sterling, that digs deeper into what it’s like for women navigating leadership roles and motherhood in corporate New Zealand found that pregnant women and new mothers often encountered leadership norms that they weren’t able to fit into.”

Ziena Jalil, Chief of Staff at Te Pūkenga, and a board member for the Asia New Zealand Foundation, Education New Zealand, Toka Tū Ake, Earthquake Commission and DNA, shared with the audience that she grew up in Fiji as a descendant of labourers who had been brought to Fiji under the British colonial rule to work on sugar cane plantations. Jalil came to New Zealand 25 years ago on a scholarship for university studies.

“In New Zealand many in our Maori and Pacific communities are the first in their families to go to university, but there are a range of barriers, burdens and biases that they face,” Jalil said.

“Universities can play a pivotal role in providing support services and networking opportunities to help all women thrive, and it is important that we expose our children and our teenagers to a range of career paths that aren’t limited by gender.”

Sharing Strategies for Gender Equity

In a panel session themed “Creative ways that you’ve advocated for women at your institution,” Dr. Rachael Hains-Wesson, Academic Director Work-Integrated Learning Hub and Associate Professor in Work-Integrated Learning, The University of Sydney, explained that the university’s Honor and Ethics Code is one of the key policies it has implemented to support gender equity. The code serves as the basis for the university currently having almost 60% male and 30% female full-time professors, with 45% of its scientific production over the last five years having been contributed by women.

“This reflects our dedication to creating an inclusive environment where all members of our community can thrive,” Hains-Wesson said.

“By upholding these values and policies, we strive to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender, has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from the vibrant ecosystem of our universe.”

In a keynote discussion themed “A conversation on driving change toward gender equity,” Prof. Cindy Fan, Vice Provost for International Studies and Global Engagement, University of California, Los Angeles, stressed that even though the world is facing multiple increasingly serious challenges, such as climate change, natural disasters, global conflicts, and food shortages, it is still also imperative to make progress towards closing the gender gap.

“It’s been 40 years that more women receive doctoral degrees in the US than men, and these are talents who contribute to society,” Fan said.

“It would be actually a disservice to society if we do not prioritize lifting up women, because as we’re lifting up women, we’re also lifting up the entire society.”

Roundtable discussions gave participants an opportunity to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and recommendations around five topics within gender equity in higher education. Topics included, work-life balance and avoiding burnout; balancing administrative and research duties; developing your leadership skills and style; establishing and prioritizing goals; and building a network and establishing collaborations for research.

A presentation by Dr. Anders Karlsson, Vice President, Global Strategic Networks at Elsevier gave key insights from Elsevier’s latest report, “Progress Toward Gender Equality in Research Innovation” focusing on the progress of gender in research. The analysis reflected on Scopus data stretching back more than two decades to assess the representation of women in research and changes over time, in a global context and for 18 countries.

University Presidents Committed to Gender Equity Across the Pacific

The Presidential Panel, for its part, served as a perfect platform for Prof. Rosa Devés, President, Universidad de Chile, to point out that the university has been a key player in promoting women’s participation and leadership, both in Chile and Latin America. The first woman to obtain a university degree both in Chile and Latin America graduated in 1886 from Universidad de Chile in medicine.

“In the last decade we have created a gender equality office situated at the president’s level, the purpose being to promote anti-discrimination in the university and in places that guarantee equal rights and opportunities between men and women,” Devés said.

“We have institutionalized the gender equality system, which is not only a benefit to women, but the institution as a whole.”

“Prof Thomas Schneider, APRU’s Chief Executive, concluded the summit with a strong affirmation of its success. The event not only fulfilled its primary goal by generating a substantial amount of input for practical measures but also laid down a clear mandate. This mandate calls upon university presidents to take decisive and tangible actions towards addressing gender equity within their institutions. The insights gathered are set to guide forthcoming APRU steering committee meetings and the future strategy of APWiL, ensuring that the momentum for change is not only maintained but accelerated.”

“Many new mentorship relationships have been created today, and I hope this also elevates up to the next level,” Schneider said.