SDG 5 GENDER EQUALITY

EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION AND WORK

Gender equality is necessary for a more fair and sustainable society. An important contribution to that goal is equal access to education and employment opportunities. Our policies on Admission, Equality and Diversity, Non-discrimination and Anti-harassment are designed to ensure equal access and prevent discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. We also have established appeal processes to promote transparency and accountability.

At USJ, we continuously implement a generous maternity and paternity paid leave policy. This policy supports families through gender-responsive employment practices and policies that promote work-life balance. We also established a partnership with a childcare facility for staff. This provides childcare facility at reduced rates for our staff, enhancing support for working parents and gender equality in our workplace.

In the 2024-2025 academic year, 58% of our student body is female, among them, roughly 10% are starting a degree, and 3% are first-generation students. While 61% represent the number of female graduates among all graduates. Approximately half of the staff body is female, accounting for 50% of the total. Among academic staff, females account for 40%, while among senior academic staff, the proportion currently stands at 22%. The administrative staff shows that females make up the majority, at 65%.

DEDICATION TO ADVANCING GENDER EQUALITY

During the academic year 2024-2025, we were invited by the Education Bureau to the First Plenary Meeting of the Committee for Women and Children’s Affairs 2025, where we supported 2 of our first-year Social Work students to participate, boosting youth engagement in gender advocacy and policy dialogue. We were also represented in the 14th Guangdong Provincial Women’s Congress (2025-2029) by our Vice-Rector for Student Life, Dr Teresa Loong, who serves as one of the 25 Special Invited Representatives from Macau. In this role, she contributes to regional efforts to promote women’s rights and development opportunities in education, employment, and health, and encourages female participation in Macau’s social, economic, and political life. As part of our commitment to sustainable development and community outreach, we hosted a “Career Exploration Day” at our Ilha Verde campus, welcoming 120 Grade 11 students and teachers from Our Lady of Fatima Girls’ School. The initiative aimed to broaden young learners’ horizons for future studies and career planning.