Athena Swan Award
What is Athena Swan?
The Athena Swan Charter recognises and celebrates good employment practice for women working in science, engineering and technology (SET) in higher education and research.
Athena Swan is an essential action point from ‘Principle 6’ of ‘The Concordat’ report. The University has applied for membership for the Bronze Award and the ‘HR Excellence/Athena Swan working Group’ have begun creating an action plan.
The Athena SWAN Charter is a scheme which recognises excellence in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) employment in higher education. The Charter was launched in June 2005. Any university or research institution which is committed to the advancement and promotion of the careers of women in SET in higher education and research can apply for membership.
The beliefs underpinning the Charter are:
- The advancement of science, engineering and technology (SET) is fundamental to quality of life across the globe.
- It is vitally important that women are adequately represented in what has traditionally been, and is still, a male-dominated area.
- Science cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population, and until women and men can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.
What is the Bronze Award?
is the level which the funding councils are encouraging all universities to achieve as an institution. This is due to funding councils having to comply with the Single Equality Act, in addition to addressing the traditional issues on Gender Equality in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) departments.
Athena SWAN awards recognise and celebrate good practice on recruiting, retaining and promoting women in SET in higher education.
How does the University gain the Athena Swan award?
A Bronze University Award recognises that the University overall has a solid foundation for eliminating gender bias and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff. This includes:
- an assessment of where the university is in quantitative (staff and student data) and qualitative (policies, practices, systems and arrangements) terms, which has identified both challenges and opportunities;
- a plan that builds on the assessment, the activities that are already in place and what has been learnt from these; and
- an organisation (the self-assessment team) to carry proposed actions forward.
How is the University progressing its application?
On 17 November 2011 a strategic steer was taken in the University via the formation of an ‘Athena Swan’ working group. To date, the group has undertaken a review of current practices and procedures across the University, including meeting all the SET department Heads of Schools, and further 1:1 meetings with representatives of Academic and Research staff. The working group includes:
CAPOD representatives
Director of HR
Equality & Diversity Officer
Careers Adviser
Senior Academic (Professor/Principal Investigator, and Chair of the group).
In addition, a number of academics and researchers have agreed to act as departmental representatives:
Biology: Dr Rona Ramsay
Chemistry: Dr Tanja Van Mourik
Computer Science: Dr Ishbel Duncan
Mathematics and Statistics: Dr Ineke De Moortel
Medicine: Dr Silvia Paracchini
Physics and Astronomy: Dr Jane Graves
Psychology: Dr Peter Foldiak
The University’s final report and accompanying action plan will be submitted to Athena Swan in November 2012. You will be able to view it here.
Fairness=Funding
The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) invests public funds (more than £1.7 billion in 2009-2010) in Scotland’s further and higher education sector for teaching, leaning and research. As an organisation it also complies with the 'Public Sector Equality Duty'. Find out more information about the University’s Fairness=Funding work.
