Athena Swan

As a university we are delighted to have achieved our institutional Bronze Athena Swan award. The University of Suffolk has robustly maintained its commitment to gender equality, and we are very proud of the significant achievements we have made since gaining our independence in 2016.  In 2021, we committed to adopt the Athena Swan principles and develop our first submission, because we recognised how the Athena Swan journey can help us achieve greater equity and equality for all genders and intersecting identities institution wide. 

Promoting Gender Equality: We are committed to advancing gender equality through a range of initiatives and policies that support the career development of all staff and students. Our goal is to identify and address barriers to equality, creating opportunities for everyone to succeed.

Supporting Career Development: We prioritise the career development of women and underrepresented groups in academia. Our initiatives include mentorship programs, leadership development workshops, and tailored career advice to help individuals navigate their professional journeys and reach their full potential.

Creating an Inclusive Work Environment: Fostering an inclusive work environment is a key priority for us. We are dedicated to ensuring that our policies and practices are fair, transparent, and supportive of all staff. This includes promoting a healthy work-life balance, offering flexible working options, and providing family-friendly policies to support our staff members.

We have an exciting five-year journey ahead as part of our Athena Swan commitment. While we are proud of our achievements to date, we are focused on building upon this strong foundation with the aim of achieving Silver status within the next five years.

 

About Athena Swan

The Athena Swan Charter was established in 2005 by the Equality Challenge Unit, now known as Advance HE, to promote and recognise efforts to advance the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) in higher education and research. In May 2015, the charter was expanded to include arts, humanities, social sciences, business, and law, as well as professional and support roles. Today, the charter addresses gender equality more broadly, focusing on eliminating barriers to progression for all genders, not just women.

Good practices recognised by the Athena Swan Charter include:

• Developing an effective workload model that accommodates the diverse responsibilities of staff.
• Implementing positive measures for flexible working, career breaks, and parental leave policies.

Our commitment to the Athena Swan Charter principles will help foster a diverse, inclusive, and dynamic working environment for both our staff and students.