Athena Swan Gold Award renewed

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework that is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. A Gold award is the highest level achievable.

Chemistry at York were the first ever department to win an Athena SWAN Gold award in 2007. We have held this continuously since then and the latest renewal will extend the award until 2029. We are proud of our outstanding and sustained record as an international leader in the advancement of gender equality in higher education and research.

Professor Charlie Jeffery, Vice Chancellor and President said "2007-2029 is some record. Maintaining this level of commitment and impact over time is extraordinary. My congratulations and thanks to all concerned."

Professor Kiran Trehan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise, Partnerships and Engagement said “This is a great achievement and testimony to the inspiring work and commitment of colleagues in chemistry in advancing the EDI agenda.”

Our evidence-based activity over many years has substantially increased the proportion of women at all levels of our academic pipeline. We are proud of our successes around recruitment, including our innovative unconscious bias observer scheme, family friendly policies and the advancement of women in the Department, who are internationally recognised as world-leading researchers and scholars. We support and influence others through our beacon activities, including international symposia. Our decolonisation and diversification work has increased representation of minoritised individuals, especially women, in our teaching and gained international attention.

Our next five-year action plan sets out new initiatives to:

• Continue improving representation of all genders.
• Understand national gendered/intersectional trends in students’ sense of belonging.
• Improve support around peri/menopause and menstrual health.
• Raise awareness and improve support to prevent harassment/bullying.
• Improve support at the intersections of gender with ethnicity and disability.

Head of Department, Professor Caroline Dessent, said: “I am so proud of our Athena Swan team and the whole department for being successful in winning our 5th Athena Swan Gold award! Over many years, the department has become a place where Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are just a part of our everyday life, and provide the background against which individuals are nurtured and can flourish, irrespective of who they are.”

Learn more about our commitment to the Athena Swan Gender Equality Charter.