Athena SWAN

Home Connect Jobs Equality, diversity and inclusion Awards Athena Swan Share Home Connect Jobs Equality, diversity and inclusion Awards Athena Swan Athena Swan Manchester’s Athena Swan Bronze Award, received in 2008 and renewed in 2011, 2014 and 2018, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all. There are three levels of Athena Swan awards:  Bronze – planning Silver – doing Gold – sustaining  We are committed to demonstrating a real culture change within the University and our individual Schools and Departments. Our Schools and Departments holding Athena Swan awards include:  Bronze Award: the Alliance Manchester Business School; the School of Engineering and the School of Environment, Education and Development. Silver Award: the School of Biological Sciences; the School of Health Sciences; the School of Medical Sciences; the School of Natural Sciences and the School of Social Sciences. The Athena Swan Charter was established by the Equality Challenge Unit, now called Advance HE, in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in STEMM employment in higher education and research. In May 2015 the charter was expanded to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL), and in professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women. Examples of good practice recognised by the Athena Swan Charter include:  creating an effective workload model for staff that takes into consideration their diverse responsibilities; and positive steps towards flexible working, career breaks and parental policy.  In practice this may translate into actions such as:  the active scheduling of meetings between the hours of 10am and 3pm; addressing unconscious bias during interview selection procedures; and mentoring of staff, from researchers to professors, to allow progression of careers and to ensure equal opportunities are available to all.  Our commitment to the principles of the Athena Swan Charter, joined with the growing acknowledgement of the award by research councils, will ensure a diverse and vibrant working environment for staff and students.  Further information on Athena Swan for University staff