BU is committed to promoting gender equality and inclusion in higher education, and we became a signatory of the Athena Swan Charter in September 2012. We have proudly held an institutional Bronze Award since 2015.
We recognise the unique challenges faced by women and men in academic careers, which often result in fewer women in senior positions. Our goal is to address these issues and maximise the potential of all our staff.
We are committed to ensuring a fair, inclusive and supportive environment where all staff and students can thrive, reaching their full potential.
Athena Swan Charter and framework
The Athena Swan Charter provides a self-assessment framework to identify local gender equality priorities based on our data and the Athena Swan principles. Our comprehensive action plan, developed as part of our award submission, ensures a coordinated approach to:
- Embedding and celebrating the Athena Swan Charter across the university
- Ensuring visible leadership and active engagement with Athena Swan, gender equality, and inclusion
- Enhancing promotion opportunities and increasing the number of women in senior academic roles
- Attracting diverse job candidates and strengthening inclusive recruitment practices
- Improving staff retention and encouraging career progression at BU
- Unblocking talent pipelines
- Ensuring inclusive family-friendly policies and enhancing flexible working practices.
Governance and awards
Our gender equality work is overseen by the Athena Swan Steering Committee, which provides strategic direction and leadership. The Athena Swan Institutional Self-Assessment Team, a sub-group of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) and the Steering Committee, supports the delivery of our institutional submission and action plan.
By 2025, we aim for all departments to achieve an Athena Swan Award. Local teams within departments work towards achieving and maintaining departmental awards, implementing inclusive practices, and raising awareness of gender equality issues. Departmental Athena Swan leads are supported through workload allocations. Our Athena Swan Forum, open to all interested in gender equality, promotes discussion and shares learning across the university. These combined efforts contribute to our overall goal of fostering an inclusive and supportive environment across the university.
Six departments currently hold a local Athena Swan award:
- Department of Media Production
- Department of Archaeology & Anthropology
- Department of Computing & Informatics
- Department of Design & Engineering
- Department of Life & Environmental Sciences
- Department of Psychology
