Posted on: 31 March 2021
Three Schools at Trinity College Dublin have secured Athena SWAN Bronze awards in the latest round of awards to recognise commitment to gender equality.
Trinity’s Schools of Histories and Humanities, Computer Science and Statistics, and Engineering join seven which already hold awards, bringing the University’s total to 10. Their success represents an important further step in Trinity’s ongoing progress towards applying for an institutional Silver award.
The Athena SWAN charter launched in Ireland in early 2015 and engagement with the charter is a key pillar of Ireland’s national strategy for gender equality with progress linked to institutional eligibility for funding from Ireland’s major research agencies.
Today, a total of 15 awards were announced across all Irish third level institutions, including ten university departments. These latest awards are conferred on submissions that were made between November 2020 and January 2021.
All the Trinity applications in both this and the previous application round were successful, representing a 100% success rate for 2020 and a total of seven new awards during this period. Trinity Schools now hold almost one fifth of the 52 School awards held across Higher Education Institutions in Ireland (more here).
Clodagh Brook, Associate Vice-Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Trinity, said:
I’m thrilled to see our Schools attain 100% success rate for the second time in 6 months. It signals a step change and sees all the hard work and creative thought rewarded. As Schools follow their action plans, we’ll see positive changes emerge for gender balance, for caring and maternity supports, workload, and broader equity that will benefit both men and women.
Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, said:
My department is working to ensure gender equality across Higher and Further Education. I very much welcome today’s announcement of the 15 new Athena SWAN awards. These awards represent a significant step forward for gender equality in our higher education institutions. We are making progress on this issue, and these awards recognise the commitment that our institutions are making to improving gender equality for those working in higher education.
Notes for editors:
The Athena SWAN (Scientific Women’s Academic Network) charter is a framework that is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality in higher education and research. The charter launched in Ireland in 2015 with a specific remit to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment. The charter has since been expanded to include arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL) and staff working in professional, managerial and support roles (PMSS). The framework also now recognises work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, including consideration of the experience of trans staff and students, as well as the underrepresentation of men in particular disciplines.
