Initiatives to support academics returning from parental leave, increase female students in STEM subjects, create pathways to promotions for women, support the future success for Black women academics and address ethnic minority and intersectional underrepresentation at a senior level are all highlighted in an updated database of good practice to boost gender and race equality in higher education.
Advance HE’s Good Practice Initiative Database celebrates the breadth of gender and race equality initiatives taking place across the higher education sector through successful applications from Gold or Silver recipients of Athena Swan, which encourages and recognises commitment to advancing gender equality, and the Race Equality Charter which aims to improve the representation, progression and success of Black, Asian and minority ethnic people in higher education.
The initiatives are drawn from analysis of selected successful applications and include:
Athena Swan
A long-established Fellowship scheme to support academics returning from parental leave (maternity, adoption and/or shared parental leave) enabling them to concentrate fully on their research work with more than 200 Fellowships awarded.
A continuous increase female student numbers, consistently keeping statistics above national averages at close to 20% achieved by engagement with schools, and a new Masters programme aimed at attracting a broader range of female applicants to continue STEM careers.
A new academic career framework developed by UCL created clearly defined pathways to promotion increasing the percentage of women professors by 3.5%, from 27% in 2015 to 30.7% in 2019.
Race Equality Charter (REC)
To support the future success for Black women academics, DMU developed and piloted a co-created Black Women’s academic development programme.
To address ethnic minority and intersectional underrepresentation at senior level, The University of Manchester invested in and offered significant targeted careers support through leadership development schemes and opportunities increasing presence on leadership committees from 11% to 13.3% and 41% to 55% for women.
Dr Ruth Gilligan, Assistant Director for Equality Charters at Advance HE, said,
“We are delighted to share these good practice initiatives from Gold and Silver recipients of Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter awards to help those working to advance gender and race equality to learn from evidence-based schemes undertaken by successful applicants.
“Advance HE equality charter members can access the database to pick up practical ideas and be encouraged to trial new initiatives informed by evidence of what works. Each case study illustrates just one approach to either gender or race equality work but there are a variety of successful approaches out there, so charter members should consider their local evidence-base and how to adapt to their context when deciding how to advance equality in their setting.”