  In recent years, there has been significant debate and discussion about the
glaring gender disparity in the physical sciences. To better understand and
address this within the Australian Space Research Community, in 2015 we began
the process of keeping a record of the gender balance at the annual Australian
Space Research Conference. In addition, we began holding an annual 'Women in
Space Research' lunch at that meeting, to discuss the situation, and search for
routes by which issues of equity can be addressed, and the situation improved.
We present an update based on the 16th Australian Space Research Conference,
held at RMIT, Melbourne, in September 2016. As in 2015, male attendees
outnumbered female attendees approximately 3:1. However, there was a small
shift (~2.3%) in the balance, with female delegates now making up 26.4% of the
total, up from 24.1% in 2015. This shift was mirrored in the gender
distribution of talks, with 28.9% of all oral presentations being given by
women (up from 25.2%). More striking, however, were the changes in the
distribution of plenary presentations (44.4% female, up from 22.2%), poster
presentations (31.8% female, up from 7.7%), and student awards (33.3% female,
up from 12.5%). These changes are encouraging, and will hopefully continue in
years to come. The conference organising committee again mirrored the gender
balance of the delegates as a whole (27.3 % female vs. 26.4% of delegates),
though the program committee was markedly more male-dominated this year than
last (82.4% male, against last year's 72.2%). At this year's 'Women in Space
Research' lunchtime event, a number of suggestions were made that could help to
make future conferences, and the wider community, a more equitable place... ---
abstract abridged ---
