SOAS's commitment to gender equality recognised
SOAS has been awarded the Athena Swan Charter bronze award, following our recent submission to Advance HE. This award marks SOAS’s continued recognition for its gender equality work.
The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equity in higher education and research. The award recognises our commitment to the advancement of gender equity, including for members of the SOAS community who identify as trans, non-binary and intersex, to develop an inclusive culture that values all staff.
We are very pleased to see our commitment to gender equality continually recognised.
The panel identified good areas of practice across SOAS and commended work on campus safety, such as ensuring gender diversity within the team and establishing the women's safety network as well as offering safety tours. They also noted work around menopause awareness and support, where managers are encouraged to complete our online menopause training.
Professor Laura Hammond, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research & Knowledge Exchange, said: “We are very pleased to see our commitment to gender equality continually recognised. I wish to congratulate all the staff involved in ensuring that SOAS continues to meet this high standard – and for their work in creating real changes commended by this award.”
Claire Herbert, Head of Head of EDI and Staff Wellbeing at SOAS added: “I’m grateful to everyone who contributed, with a special shout out to Heidi Boahen, who led the project, colleagues who provided extensive staff and student data, and everyone involved in the brilliant work already completed on wellbeing and campus safety. We look forward to progressing the action plan and creating demonstrable impact.”
The Charter has helped to identify four key priority areas that will be implemented over the next five years. These are addressing gender divisions in labour, increasing the proportion of women from minoritised ethnic backgrounds in senior roles, further work on dignity and respect and embedding gender equity at a more local level across SOAS.
