Academic Career Equalities Working Group
One of our core University values is equity - we are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment for our students and staff. We recognise that one key area in which we are currently falling short is in advancing the careers of female academic colleagues. Records show that we are failing to enable female academic colleagues to progress as effectively as their male counterparts. This is to our detriment as a leading academic institution and we must address this. As one might expect, the underlying causes are complex and in seeking to address this we will need to tackle both practical, as well as cultural issues. But tackle it we will.
As a first step in taking a fresh approach, the Academic Career Equalities working group has been convened. Its priorities include: identifying what can be done to support female colleagues at key transition points in their careers; how we can improve matters through our recruitment policy and practice; what role our staff development and review process can play; and how we can achieve better results in terms of external measures such as Athena SWAN awards. The Group will also seek out best practice within and beyond our University and, indeed, the sector, as well as monitor the University’s performance in terms of academic progression and promotion.
The working group focuses on academics, rather than all staff because the evidence suggests that the problem is much more pronounced among our academic community than it is among Professional Services. However, it should be noted that the initial focus on equality in the development of academic careers is the first step in a longer journey.
Professor Guy Orpen, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research)
Chair of the Academic Career Equalities Working Group
Membership
Deans were invited to nominate two members of staff from each faculty. If you have issues or suggestions that you would like to bring to the attention of the ACE working group, please do communicate these to members of the group.Academic Career Equalities Working Group membership list (213KB)
Terms of reference
Terms of reference for the Group will be published following approval.
Note: some of the documents on this page are in PDF format. In order to view a PDF you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader 