Catalysts were invented to speed up chemical reactions, helping to maximise yields from available resources. If the same logic is applied to chemists themselves, what impact would this have on helping us maximise Australian female talent in the chemistry sector? This article aims to provide information on the current problems faced by female chemists across categories of workplace culture, work–life balance, measures of merit, and mentorship. It also serves as a call to action for all of us who work in the chemistry sector to be that catalyst (#catalystforchangeinchemistry) – to help speed up change towards gender equality that will, in turn, maximise our collective and diverse talents.

发明了催化剂来加速化学反应，从而帮助从可用资源中获得最大的收益。如果将相同的逻辑应用于化学家本身，这将对帮助我们最大限度地利用化学领域的澳大利亚女性人才产生什么影响？本文旨在提供有关女性化学家当前面临的问题的信息，这些问题涉及工作场所文化，工作与生活平衡，绩效评估和指导等类别。这也呼吁我们在化学领域工作的所有人成为催化剂（#catalystforchangeinchemistry），以帮助加速实现性别平等的转变，从而最大程度地提高我们的集体和多元化才能。