York’s commitment to gender equality recognised with three new Athena Swan awards

The Athena Swan Charter recognises work undertaken to address gender equality in the Higher Education sector. 

The University now holds 23 Athena Swan departmental awards, including three gold and three silver awards and an institutional bronze award. The latest bronze awards are valid for five years.

Professor Kiran Trehan, Athena Swan University lead and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Partnerships and Engagement said: “These new awards are a fantastic achievement and testimony to the hard work, commitment and passion of colleagues across the university in advancing our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. 

“The awards highlight that the University of York’s Department of Language Linguistic Science, the Law School and York Management School are all making a measurable difference and demonstrates the strides we continue to make in ensuring gender equality. I would like to congratulate and thank the members of our Athena Swan assessment team and everybody who has been crucial in our continued success.”

Originally established to address gender inequality and the under-representation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) disciplines, since 2015 the Athena Swan Charter has helped to foster gender equality across all disciplines. 

Departments in our Faculty of Sciences have achieved three gold, two silver and five bronze Athena Swan awards. Departments in our faculties of Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities have also taken up the challenge to nurture an open culture in which equality, diversity and inclusion are embedded and this has been recognised with one silver and 12 bronze awards.

Professor Dunstan Brown, Head of the Department of Language and Linguistic Science said: “I'm delighted that our Athena Swan application was recognised as a strong example of Athena Swan bronze level. The process has been very informative for us. 

“We carried out a thorough analysis of equality and diversity challenges and built consensus. I'd like to thank our Athena Swan team for all the hard work they put into the analysis. We're looking forward to implementing the next steps in our action plan and ensuring a more inclusive and equal environment for all colleagues and students.”

Head of York Law School, Professor Caroline Hunter said: “We are delighted to have the Athena Swan bronze award conferred. York Law School has always been committed to creating an inclusive community where everyone can thrive and the award demonstrates our commitment to the values of the school. We are excited to have already started to implement our action plan.”

Professor Mark Freeman, Dean of the York Management School said: “The school is proud to receive its first Athena Swan bronze award. This recognises our commitment to creating a fully inclusive and supportive environment in which staff and students can thrive. 

“The school has a strong reputation for researching and teaching issues related to equality and diversity and it is fantastic that our own practice, reflecting these principles, has been rewarded in this way. Implementation of the Athena Swan action plan will ensure our ongoing dedication to promoting, celebrating and raising awareness of equality and diversity issues.”

Find out more about our Athena Swan awards