The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.
Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women. Institutions that are Members of Advance HE can apply for the award.
Applications are peer reviewed by academics, subject experts, and equality and diversity practitioners. A Bronze award requires an assessment of gender equality and the related challenges as well as a 4-year action plan to address these challenges. Northumbria University has held an Athena Swan Bronze award since 2015, with a successful renewal application in December 2019 allowing the institution to retain the Bronze award for a further 3 years.
In May 2020, the Psychology department also submitted an application and achieved the Bronze award. This fantastic achievement, led by Laura Longstaff and the department’s self-assessment team, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to ensuring gender equality for students and staff within our department. Read more on our new departmental Athena Swan webpage here.
We are currently collecting data to understand students’ perception of the departmental representation of gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+ and disability. To give your opinion, you can complete the survey here.
If you would like to know more about Athena Swan, please contact lisa.thomas@northumbria.ac.uk
Northumbria University Psychology Department 