Athena SWAN Bronze award for Kent

Athena SWAN Bronze award for Kent

The University of Kent's success in developing employment practices to support the career progression of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) has been recognised with an Athena SWAN Charter Bronze award.

The Bronze award recognises that Kent has established a solid institutional foundation through the development of policies, practices and systems to advance gender equality and to embed an inclusive culture that values all staff.

The School of Computing is also working towards its own, separate Athena SWAN Charter award.

The beliefs underpinning the Athena SWAN Charter are:

• the advancement of science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) is fundamental to quality of life across the globe
• it is vitally important that women are adequately represented in what has traditionally been, and is still, a male-dominated area
• science cannot reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population, and until women and men can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.

Kent's Vice-Chancellor Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow said: 'I congratulate all those who have contributed to this important achievement. Whilst Kent has always promoted equality of opportunity and celebrated diversity, we have been concerned about the lower representation of women in senior positions in STEMM areas. This award demonstrates our determination to understand the reasons for this and, through the policies and practices we have put in place, our commitment to tackle the unequal representation of women in science.'

Professor Mark Burchell, Dean of Sciences at Kent and Chair of the University's Athena SWAN Working Group, added: 'I am delighted that the hard work that is already underway to improve equality at Kent has been recognised by this award. Major strides have already been taken and all the Schools in the Faculty are fully committed to this important goal of equality.'

Kent will receive its award at a ceremony at Durham University on Thursday 10 July.