Tom Elliott hears from a man who was unable to apply for a women-only job

A female-only job at Swinburne Uni has been blasted as being ‘ridiculously unfair’.

Tom Elliott spoke with Professor Sarah Maddison, Dean of the School of Science at Swinburne University.

She says this is due to an ‘under representation’ in certain areas she deemed it necessary to source women for these specific jobs.

The job advertisement is legal under the ‘equal opportunity act’. 

‘There’s a lot of programs that are trying to boost women’s participation.’ – Professor Maddison told Tom Elliott.

Aaron, a young researcher with a PhD in chemistry, has been barred from applying for any of five research fellowships because he is a man.

In the ad, Swinburne says it is committed to advancing gender equality in academia, and in particular in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

As such, only people who are female, or who identify as female, may apply for the positions.

But Aaron told Tom Elliott the best applicant should be selected regardless of their sex.

‘It’s already ridiculously hard to get such a position,’ he said.

‘I’m a young dad, I worked really hard to get where I am. It really upsets me.

‘I’m absolutely all for engagement of women in the sciences. In my previous work, I’ve mentored young women in research on half-a-dozen occasions.

‘But discriminating against me because I happen to be male is ridiculously unfair.’

The job ad is legal pursuant to a Special Measure under Section 12 of the Equal Opportunity Act.

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Click PLAY below to hear the Dean of Swinburn respond