Supporting women carers at UNSW to take control of their careers
Career Coaching for Carers (3C) supports academic women (cis and trans), including sessional staff and post-graduate students, with current or recent carer responsibilities to develop their careers and address the disadvantage many have experienced due to COVID-19.
The program offers small-group career coaching sessions with an expert facilitator, and provides a supportive space for reflection and connection, leading to actionable insights tailored to individual situations.
In addition, UNSW HR runs an interactive information session ensuring participants are familiar with existing supports for carers at UNSW and how to access them.
Who is 3C for?
3C supports academic women (cis and trans) who have undertaken carer responsibilities during the last 3 years. This focus responds to evidence that women academics were disproportionately impacted by the intensification of care loads during the pandemic.
3C uses the Carer’s NSW definition:
“A carer is any individual who provides care and support to a family member or friend who has a disability, mental illness, drug or alcohol dependency, chronic condition, terminal illness or who is frail due to age.”
A period of care may be ongoing or temporary, of long or short duration. Caring responsibilities are often hidden and sometimes difficult to recognise even by those undertaking them. 3C encourages staff who may not previously have considered themselves as carers to take part.
The focus of 3C is on carers as defined above, including parents caring for a child with disability or long-term illness. It also recognises that women may have multiple caring relationships and parental care may be an important part of a carer’s overall experience.
