Athena SWAN

We are delighted to announce that the university is restarting our submission for the Athena Swan Charter | Advance HE (advance-he.ac.uk) institutional bronze award, and welcome Emma Garbett into the role of project manager. 

The Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 by the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research. In May 2015 the charter was expanded to include work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL), and in professional and support roles, and for transgender staff and students. The charter now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

Membership of the Charter will help us to improve our gender equality, work towards sustaining equitable working environments and enhance our reputation as an employer of choice. To find out more details on the membership of our Athena SWAN self-assessment team, please click here.

By being part of Athena SWAN, we have joined a global community with a shared goal of addressing gender inequalities and embedding inclusive practices; adopting these principles within our policies, practices, action plans and culture. The University has signed a commitment to the UK Athena Swan Principles, which can be accessed via the document below:

Principles Certificate - University of Cumbria

If you would like to know more about Athena Swan, then please email athenaswan@cumbria.ac.uk .