Queen’s University Belfast shares the celebration of its Athena Swan institutional Gold Award at a special event.
Queen’s University Belfast became the first university on the island of Ireland, and the second in the UK, to achieve an Athena Swan institutional Gold Award for its work improving gender equality earlier this year.
The prestigious award is the culmination of 25 years’ work led by visionary senior women with improvements made including:
· improving gender balance across roles and grades – in areas of challenge, significant progress has been made with more than three times (34%) the percentage of women professors today than 25 years ago. The University has ambitions to reach 40% by 2030.
· changes to working practices and patterns with the University recently enhancing its portfolio of work / life policies with new flexible and agile working approaches, and new policies supporting colleagues undergoing menopause or fertility treatment.
Gold celebration event
The First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill, and Emma Little-Pengelly, deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, both attended a special Athena Swan Gold celebration event held at Queen’s in May.
In a speech, Michelle O’Neill said, “To have gender equality so embedded in the culture of Queen’s, is a really welcome success story and something to be sung from the rooftops about. It’s a testament to the unwavering commitment and dedication of Queen’s towards creating that more inclusive, diverse and equitable learning environment for everybody.
“By fostering that environment where everybody’s valued, where everybody’s respected, where everybody is empowered to reach their full potential, there’s no doubt that Queen’s is really setting a shining example for others to follow.”
The University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, highlighted the significant strides made by the University in fostering an inclusive and equitable environment, stating:
“Achieving the Athena Swan Gold status is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the entire University community to gender equality.
“Together we reflect on our journey, celebrate our achievements, and envision a future where equality and inclusivity are at the forefront of our civic mission.
“Our leadership in this arena serves as an inspiration to other institutions and underscores the critical importance of gender equality in our society.”
Watch the celebration event video below, learn more about the event here and check out the ‘In Pictures’ review.
The beginning
Queen’s relationship with Athena Swan began in 2003 when the University achieved the Royal Society Athena Award. Two years later, Queen’s was one of 10 founding members of the Athena Swan Charter, holding an institutional Silver Award since 2007. In addition to the institutional Gold Award, all fifteen Schools at Queen’s hold Athena Swan Awards (3 Gold, 7 Silver and 5 Bronze).
Looking to the future
Queen’s has pledged an ambitious plan to continue its sustained and longitudinal approach to gender equality. This work will include investing in a new Institute for Women’s Leadership, to improve access to higher education for disadvantaged schoolgirls, showcasing gender equality research across Queen’s and launching international leadership programmes.
