sue couling the department of chemistry. the university awards departmental key targets...
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Sue Couling
The Department of Chemistry
The University awards
Departmental key targets
Implementation and Benefits
The Department of Chemistry
1. Commitment and action at all levels of the organisation
2. Changing cultures and attitudes across the organisation
3. Diversity at management and policy-making levels
4. The high loss rate of women in science
5. Short-term contracts
6. The transition from PhD into a sustainable academic career
Athena SWAN
Principles
The Department of Chemistry
University of York: Bronze Award 2006, 2009
Department of Chemistry: Gold Award 2007, 2010
Biology, Psychology, Physics, Computer Science
The Department of Chemistry
Driven by Research Policy - to retain the best
The Department of Chemistry
Key Targets from 2007:
To increase proportion of senior female staff
To attain gender parity in undergraduate students
Department of Chemistry
Percent female staff at each grade
2006
2006
2010
2010
2010
2006
0
10
20
30
40
Lecturer Senior lecturer Professor
Key Target: To increase the proportion of female senior staff
69% female chemistry academics are now on senior grades
The Department of Chemistry
Increase Female Applications
Male
Male
Female
FemaleFemale Male0
10
20
30
40
50
60
applications interview appointment
Women on all interview panels
Identify potential women candidates and encourage them to apply
Visible Family Friendly Policy
Examples of successful different academic career path ways
Key Target: To increase the proportion of female senior staff
The Department of Chemistry
Increase Female Promotions
Promotion seminars
Identify potential women candidates and encourage them to apply
Statistics monitored by Head of Department
Key Target: To increase the proportion of female senior staff
0
1
2
3
4
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Female
Male
The Department of Chemistry
2007: 39% of undergraduates were female
2010: 44% of new intakeis female (46% in 2011)
Key Target: To attain gender parity in undergraduate students
The Department of Chemistry
Improve marketing materials
Welcoming environment
Visible female staff on application days
Positive images
Key Target: To attain gender parity in undergraduate students
The Department of Chemistry
Good practice benefits all staff and students. Bad practice adversely affects women’s careers more than men’s.
The best departments don’t target measures specifically at women. Good practice is about processes that are fair, flexible, accessible and transparent to all.
Good practice departments attract and retain women better than other departments
Implementing Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
Implementing Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
There is no evidence that good practice affects scientific excellence. In contrast,the detrimental effects of bad practice are incremental.
Young men and women with families have different expectations from their older colleagues. The careers of younger staff cannot thrive unless the working culture reflects the reality of dual career partnerships.
"The Department has always been supportive of flexible working which has been of enormous help in my career. While I was on maternity leave, a post-doctoral research assistant helped keep up my research activities."
- Professor Lucy Carpenter
Implementing Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
Leadership from the top is critical.
Successful action is based on good planning.
Implementing Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
Stimulated us to:
Think regularly about diversity
Take a “round-table” view
Be self critical
Keep thinking of new things
Able to quickly recognise and respond to new challenges
Benefits of Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
Benefits of Athena SWAN
The Department of Chemistry
Influenced University at top level and other departments
Considerable impact outside York eg:
Talks across UK and Europe,
GeCo, Integer Ambassadors, Prages
RSC Reports
Membership of:
Athena Swan Steering committee
Membership of judging panels
RSC Diversity Committee
Many of the changes in practices and procedures that have been successfully introduced were not expensive, but required understanding and planning. In retrospect, the changes now seem simple and make common sense to those who made them, ‘they are just ‘how we do things round here’.
The Department of Chemistry