Athena SWAN awards announced (November 2012 submissions)
http://www.athenaswan.org.uk/content/athena-swan-awards-announced-november-2012-submissions
Thu, 25/04/2013
The Athena SWAN Awards recognise success in developing employment practices to further and support the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) departments in higher education. Awards were achieved by 35 different institutions across the sector, with four of the institutions achieving four awards each and one achieving five.
The Biological Sciences department at Queens University Belfast has been awarded the third ever Gold Award, and the first to go to a department other than chemistry. Gold awards recognise a significant and sustained progression and achievement in promoting gender equality and addressing the challenges particular to the specific STEMM discipline of the department.
Sarah Dickinson oversees the Athena SWAN Charter, run by Equality Challenge Unit. Commenting on the awards, she said:
Ninety-six applications were submitted to the Athena SWAN charter this year, which is a huge increase. In part this is due to Department of Health funding stipulations linking NIHR funding for medical schools to holding a Silver Athena SWAN award. Twenty-four percent of submissions were from medical and dental schools and departments, and 29% of awards were to these disciplines. Last year this figure was just 9%.The Athena SWAN Charter awards have been running since 2005, recognising the commitment of the higher education sector to address gender inequalities, tackle the unequal representation of women in science and to improve career progression for female academics. In total, 176 awards have now been achieved at bronze, silver and gold levels.
However, with the increase in applications across the board we’ve also seen a rise in unsuccessful submissions. The Charter exists to instigate real and continuing change for women, and also their male colleagues, working in STEMM – departments have to demonstrate not just a commitment to improving working practices but also measure the impact these changes are having, and tackle areas where progress hasn’t been as fast. For those seeking to renew their awards, it isn’t enough to simply show they are working at the same level as their original submission three years ago. It’s about striving for better and continuing to improve the reality of the working environment.’
