Athena SWAN at Kent: What do we do?

The Athena SWAN Charter is based on ten key principles. By being part of Athena SWAN, institutions are committing to a progressive charter; adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and culture.

The University of Kent has always promoted equality of opportunity and celebrated diversity but does acknowledge that there is a low representation of women in senior positions in all three of Kent’s faculties. Joining the charter, and successfully achieving the University Bronze award in April 2014, and renewing it in 2018, has helped to focus our energies into understanding the reasons behind the lack of representation at senior roles, understand inequalities for all genders and intersectionalities, and to identify actions to rectify this. We are continuing to establish policies and practices which will create a better working environment across the Faculties and Central Ser-vices- for all staff. The Athena SWAN Team is focusing on implementing the Bronze award action plan in preparation for the University to make its Silver Application in 2021 as well as supporting Schools to make departmental applications.

The University has joined and is committed to the principles of the Athena SWAN charter. The charter, which was launched in June 2005, was first implemented to advance the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEMM). In 2015, the charter was expanded to also include arts, humanities, social science, business and law (AHSSBL) disciplines as well as professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students.

Find out more about Advance HE’s Athena SWAN Principles here.