Horizon Europe - University of York Gender Equality Plan

Our current University Athena Swan (gender equality) action plan was signed off by University Executive Board (UEB) and is published as part of our University Athena Swan application. Implementation of the AS plan is overseen by the Athena Swan Steering Group and is currently being evaluated as part of the self assessment process for the next application. This assessment process also includes development of a new action plan to address our gender equality priorities over the coming years. Detailed public documentation for our HR Excellence in Research Award is signed off by the University Research Committee. 

At the most senior level, our Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise, Partnerships and Engagement, Professor Kiran Trehan, provides strategic leadership of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion agenda, working closely with colleagues on the Board to drive an ambitious EDI agenda. Professor Trehan chairs the University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) and is Co-Chair of the University’s Athena Swan Self Assessment Team (YASSAT). The Equality and Diversity Office is a centre for advice, guidance and good practice for our staff and student community and dedicated to ensuring that equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded at all levels of the institution and considered in everything the University does. Within the E&D Office we have expertise in gender equality and work closely with our network of departmental Athena Swan leads and Equality Champions network to embed EDI principles and share good practice on advancing gender equality via our Athena Swan (gender equality) governance structure and delivery of our University Athena Swan action plan and departmental AS action plans.

We collect and publish our annual equality and diversity data, including data on sex/gender, in line with our responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty in the Equality Act 2010.

We report annually on our gender and ethnicity pay gaps with published action plans to address these gaps. Sex and gender data is used to inform the prioritisation and evaluation of our EDI strategic objectives and as part of our institutional and departmental self-assessments for Athena Swan award applications which include analysis of staff and student data by sex and, where data allows, gender identity. Data for annual processes, such as academic promotions, are scrutinised through a sex/gender lens to identify issues and develop initiatives to encourage greater diversity, for example in senior academic roles.

We analyse data from the National Student Survey (NSS) which feeds into general action planning and review, and from postgraduate researchers via the biennial PRES survey which is used to develop an action plan to address the challenges identified for specific groups with protected characteristics.

We are developing an EDI Research Data Working Group as part of our Research Culture Action Plan.

Equality, diversity and inclusion training is mandatory for all staff and includes information about gender equality as well as case studies to help embed learning. Our Unconscious Bias resources and training module are also compulsory for all staff and contain examples of good practice from within the university to help embed learning and provide real examples of how to reduce bias in decision making.

Staff involved in recruitment processes for both staff and PhD student recruitment must undertake Unconscious Bias in recruitment training and this is also reinforced as part of involvement in other processes such as academic promotions and preparation for submission to the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

EDI principles, including understanding of potential barriers to achieving and promoting gender equality, are embedded in the University’s leadership, management and researcher development programmes.