Athena SWAN

Athena Swan

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework that supports the progression of gender equality within higher education and research institutions across the world. University of the West of Scotland currently holds a bronze Athena Swan award, with a renewed submission scheduled for March 2024. The University’s application and action plan will be published and available for download in the months that follow.

Established in 2005, the Charter initially focused on advancing the careers of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) employment and now addresses gender equality in a wider context.

The transformed Charter

The transformed Charter is a revised UK Athena Swan Charter, developed in 2020, which builds on the strengths of the existing framework to support greater inclusivity for people in all roles, of all gender identities, and those facing intersectional inequalities.

In determining our own priorities and interventions at UWS, we commit to the following:

1. Adopting robust, transparent and accountable processes for gender equality work, including:

• embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in our culture, decision-making and partnerships, and holding ourselves and others in our institution/institute/department/directorate accountable
• undertaking evidence-based, transparent self-assessment processes to direct our priorities and interventions for gender equality, and evaluating our progress to inform our continuous development
• ensuring that gender equality work is distributed appropriately, is recognised and is properly rewarded

2. Addressing structural inequalities and social injustices that manifest as differential experiences and outcomes for staff and students

3. Tackling behaviours and cultures that detract from the safety and collegiality of our work and study environments, including not tolerating gender-based violence, discrimination, bullying, harassment, or exploitation

4. Understanding and addressing intersectional inequalities

5. Recognising that individuals can determine their own gender identity, and tackling the specific issues faced by trans and non-binary people

6. Examining gendered occupational segregation, and elevating the status, voice, and career opportunities of any identified under-valued and at-risk groups

7. Mitigating the gendered impact of caring responsibilities and career breaks, and supporting,
flexibility and the maintenance of a healthy ‘whole life balance’; and

8. Mitigating the gendered impact of short-term and casual contracts for staff seeking sustainable careers.

Our Athena Swan Team

University of the West of Scotland established an Athena Swan self-assessment team (SAT) to undertake a targeted self-assessment of the University’s context, identify priority issues, and design actions to advance gender equality and embed an inclusive culture. Membership of the SAT is gender-balanced, taking account of intersectionality in its membership so far as is practicable, with the goal of being representative of the diversity of people at UWS.

The Athena Swan charter is not just an award, it is a university-wide commitment to the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) through an intersectional lens.  I came to work on the SAT through my work as Chair of the School of Education and Social Sciences EDI committee, which raises awareness of EDI issues affecting staff and students. As one of the leads for this charter going forward, my goal is to ensure that we implement the actions we have proposed, while continuing to monitor and adjust our responses based on current data. 

Dr. Laurie Walden – Athena Swan co-lead

Extending support for Athena Swan beyond UWS

University of the West of Scotland is part of an international project to encourage more women into senior roles in higher education.

Funded by the British Council, UWS is part of the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project, which sees the University work with higher education institutions in India to address the gender gap and encourage diversity and inclusion.

Through the GEDI project, UWS has engaged with seven universities across Cambodia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste, Thailand, and Brunei to exchange knowledge, and to share and receive best practice in leadership in gender, equality, diversity and inclusion.  Representatives from UWS delivered a series of workshops, some as part of a wider group involving a number of other institutions, both in the UK and across Southeast Asia and to our targeted group of partners.

UWS was successful in a recent British Council call for U.K. higher education institutions to work with colleagues in Brazilian universities on gender equality in STEM. This partnership will utilise our prior experience with the Athena Swan Charter to share good practice and discuss challenges in gender equality.

For more information on the Athena Swan Charter, please visit Athena Swan Charter | Advance HE (advance-he.ac.uk). For information on the UWS submission, please contact our Athena Swan Project Lead, Nina Downs: nina.downs@uws.ac.uk.