The book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus should probably read “men and women are from Earth” because the Australian Space Agency has just committed to a diversity and inclusion statement for the space industry.

In an Australian first, such a commitment is essential when you look at history:  When the first female astronaut went into space for a week – NASA suggested she take 100 tampons. When the first all-female space-walk was announced, NASA had to cancel because there was only one space suit that would fit a woman.

ANU gender researcher Dr Elise Stephenson says Australia’s industry is growing rapidly, particularly in the ACT, and there is an opportunity to do it differently, “to get it right from the start”.

“This new inclusion statement is pretty awesome to think about, not only creating a policy statement but also about what do we want the sector to look like in the future,” Dr Stephenson says.

“The ACT is positioning itself to be a gateway, a national or international hub for the space sector. Although there’s this enormous opportunity, we’re seeing a lot of inequality.

“The space sector doesn’t just involve people who have STEM skills, it’s an under-utilised opportunity. They need to get better at how they market opportunities and the pathways into the sector, such as more traineeships, on-the-job training, thinking about lateral transfer, re-skilling mothers returning to the workforce or changing careers.”

It’s worth remembering that if it wasn’t for female mathematicians, the US might not have successfully sent people into space or to the moon and back.

“We’ve got some big organisational issues that the space industry and government has to grapple with to ensure that their workforce is inclusive,” Dr Stephenson says.

“Space hasn’t been designed around women and If we’re ever to settle future planets, that’s obviously a problem. To be able to sustainably reproduce humanity, we actually need all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds. We have a practical imperative in making sure everyone’s involved.”

Save the date: NASA’s Christina Koch is set to become the first woman on the moon in late 2024.

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