Gender Equality
York Law School is committed to promoting gender equality within the School and the legal profession.
We are pleased to have achieved the Athena Swan bronze award in 2021 in recognition of this commitment and our values. You can see our application and action plan here: Athena Swan YLS Bronze application (PDF 
, 3,993kb).
For the application we undertook a detailed assessment of gender equality in the department, drawing from quantitative and qualitative data. The process was led by the Athena Swan self-assessment team, with all staff involved in dedicated workshops to identify both positive practices and challenges. We also carried out culture surveys of staff and students during 2019.
This assessment informed our action plan, which incorporates what we are already doing, what we have learned, and our priorities and objectives for the next 5 years. The action plan contributes to our wider Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and aims to ensure that these principles are embedded through all the department’s activities.
The Athena Swan Charter recognises work undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. It was originally established to address under-representation and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine). In 2015 the Charter was expanded to foster gender equality in representation and progression across all disciplines. The Charter now endorses a more inclusive understanding of gender equality, which is not limited to barriers affecting women.
York Law School’s Athena Swan Lead is Dr Sue Westwood
University of York Resources
External Resources
The Law Society report: ‘Influencing for Impact: The Need For Gender Equality In The Legal Profession’