Marking 20 years of Athena Swan and 10 years of the Race Equality Charter, we celebrate the progress in gender and race equality across higher education.
From 2005, over two decades, the Equality Charters have evolved and grown in their reach across equality issues, institutions and geographies. We are now delighted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Athena Swan and the 10th anniversary of the Race Equality Charter.
Athena Swan was initially established to advance the careers of women in STEMM and, in response to the sector’s needs, the charters have evolved to encompass gender equality more broadly, and race equality through the Race Equality Charter (REC).
In the UK, applicants have grown to include specialist institutions and research institutes, as well as universities, and professional, technical and operational directorates, as well as academic departments.
Inclusive campus communities
Today, there are 132 UK members of Athena Swan and 111 members of the REC, including 11 Small Specialist Institutions and Research Institutes (SSI/RI) participating in a REC Pilot. A total of 1,046 awards have been conferred.
There are nationally recognised Charters across several countries outside the UK – including Ireland, Australia, Canada, US, and a pilot underway in Cyprus – with over 220 members collectively. That’s more than 350 institutions using or have adapted one or more of our Charters as a key framework for their work to promote inclusive campuses where everybody has the opportunity to thrive.
A growing impact
During this anniversary year, we are developing and sharing ‘theories of change’ for our Equality Charters and commissioning an impact evaluation of Athena Swan. This evaluation will explore how the Charters have contributed to sector-wide developments alongside broader policy, practice, and cultural shifts. Evidence from sector data, institutional applications, and feedback on our services is informing this work.
Over the past two decades, the higher education sector has made steady progress in advancing gender equality. In 2003/04, 40% of academics were women, rising to 48.6% by 2022/23, reflecting a shift toward greater inclusivity. While multiple sector-wide efforts, policies, and cultural changes have driven this progress, Athena Swan has supported its members by providing a framework to reflect on challenges and implement targeted actions.
A key focus of Athena Swan has been addressing gender imbalances in leadership roles. In the last decade:
- The proportion of professors who are female has increased by 9.1 percentage points from 21.7% in 2012/3 to 30.8% in 2022/23
- The proportion of female Heads of Institution has increased by 12.7 percentage points from 20% in 2012/13 to 32.7% in 2022/23, representing a doubling in number from 35 women in 2012/13 to 70 women in 2022/23.
Similar improvements in representation have been seen for racially minoritised staff in the ten years since the REC was established:
- The proportion of racially minoritised academics has increased by 9.6 percentage points from 12.8% in 2012/13 to 22.4% in 2022/23
- The proportion of racially minoritised professors has increased by 4.4 percentage points from 8.4% of professors in 2012/13 to 12.8% of professors in 2022/23
- The proportion of racially minoritised Heads of Institutions has increased by 10.5 percentage points, from 0% in 2012/13 to 10.5% in 2022/23.
David Bass, Advance HE’s Director of EDI, said, “It is very encouraging and rewarding to see how institutions have used the Charters to such positive effect. This progress has been achieved in partnership with institutions and it’s their hard work that is directly improving things. The strength of the Charters is their flexibility, providing the user with a structured framework so that they can identify and better understand inequality where it may exist on their campus so that they can devise their own effective solutions in their institutional contexts.”
“We also need to recognised that while significant improvement has been made, significant under-representation and inequality persists, for example, in 2022/23 only 3.6% of professors were racially minoritised women.”
“Addressing persistent under-representation and inequality is a key focus for us and our equality charter members, and we’re determined to support institutions to see more progress in the coming years.”
A key commitment in Advance HE’s strategy is to explore the potential of a holistic approach to EDI that will support members to maximise their impact across all equality areas. In consultation with the sector, we are in the advanced stages of developing an ‘Inclusive Institution Framework’ which we will share this year for further feedback from our members. The ‘Inclusive Institution Framework’ will complement the Charters which are aimed at specific areas of inequality.
Celebrating our Charters Anniversaries
Get involved in the celebrations – explore events, and share your experiences.
All statistics are taken from the 2014 and 2024 Equality in Higher Education Statistical Reports: Equality in higher education: statistical reports | Advance HE
