York’s commitment to gender equality recognised with two more awards

Posted on 27 October 2020

The departments of Computer Science and Social Policy and Social Work are the latest of the University’s departments to receive Athena SWAN awards.

Both departments have been recognised with Bronze awards for their work to promote gender equality and to address challenges particular to their departments and disciplines.

York has been involved in the Athena SWAN Charter since its inception and is one of only a handful of institutions to hold 20 or more awards, including three Gold and three Silver. All ten departments in the Faculty of Science hold awards, with more than half the departments in the Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities Faculties also recognised under the Athena SWAN Charter.

Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement and Chair of the Athena SWAN Steering Group, said:

“I am delighted to congratulate colleagues for their hard work and the recognition they have gained in these new awards. Receiving an award means a huge amount of analysis and self-reflection has taken place in these departments to understand where they can make changes to tackle the everyday barriers that still exist in the pursuit of true gender equality. I am proud to be a part of a University that puts equality and diversity at the heart of what it does and I thank colleagues for their continued commitment to keeping this important work going despite the immense challenges of recent months.”

Among the actions the departments have highlighted as priorities:

Computer Science has committed to making sure all undergraduates are taught by a woman in their first year to provide female role models and to demonstrate that women can succeed in this typically male-dominated field.

A key focus for Social Policy and Social Work is to improve representation of women in senior academic roles and provide more support for career progression for professional and support staff.