THE ATHENA SWAN CHARTER

The Athena SWAN Charter evolved from work between the Athena Project and the Scientific Women’s Academic Network (SWAN), to advance the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM).  With the support of Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) and the UKRC, the Charter was officially launched in 2005, with the first awards conferred in 2006. The Charter has grown consistently from its inception.

At EEECS, we are committed to supporting the career progression of women in science, engineering and technology (SET) in line with the principles of the Athena SWAN Charter which are:

• To address gender inequalities requires commitment and action from everyone, at all levels of the organisation
• To tackle the unequal representation of women in science requires changing cultures and attitudes across the organisation
• The absence of diversity at management and policy-making levels has broad implications which the organisation will examine
• The high loss rate of women in science is an urgent concern which the organisation will address
• The system of short-term contracts has particularly negative consequences for the retention and progression of women in science, which the organisation recognises
• There are both personal and structural obstacles to women making the transition from PhD into a sustainable academic career in science, which require the active consideration of the organisation