Empowering Excellence: Queen’s University Belfast Achieves Prestigious Athena SWAN Award

By Clare Tweed

Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) was a recent recipient of an institutional Athena SWAN Gold award for their commitment to advancing gender equality in higher education. The Athena Swan award recognises QUB’s work in ensuring the breakdown of restrictive barriers that can prevent students and staff members from achieving equal opportunities in their respective fields of study. QUB becomes the first university in Ireland and second in the UK to receive this prestigious award.

What is the Athena SWAN Award?

The Athena SWAN Award was introduced to focus on the promotion of equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) related subjects but has since expanded to incorporate other subjects relating to humanities, arts, business etc. Additionally, the emphasis on female equality has been adapted to include all genders with the aim of providing gender equality as a whole. It aims to celebrate the commitment of academic and research institutions to advancing gender equality.

How did QUB Achieve the Award?

QUB has attributed this achievement to the hard work of their senior female staff over the past 25 years. QUB, which opened in 1845, was originally an institution that only allowed male enrolment for over 30 years. They are now leaders in the advancement of gender equality in higher education. The QUB Queen’s Gender Initiative is a female-focused entity that works to enhance the participation and visibility of women in all aspects of University life. This team includes Professor Karen McCloskey, Paula Dougan, Victoria Montgomery, Lauren Gallagher, Claire Owens, Cathy Carey, and Kerrie-Ann Forsyth. These women were the driving force behind obtaining this prestigious award. This entity leads the Athena Swan programme in QUB and actively promotes an environment of inclusion and support for all students and staff regardless of gender. It represents an ambition within QUB to continue this work in future. Societies such as Feminist and Equality Society, Pride Society, WoMED Society, Women in Engineering Society, and Women in STEM Society show QUB’s commitment to representation.

The Student and Staff Perspective

To gain a student’s perspective, I talked to Eve Gordon, a final year Biology student. Upon being asked about her experience as a female student in a STEM course, she responded:

“Gender disparity has never been an issue in lectures/ laboratories, and I’ve never felt there’s been less opportunities for me because of my gender.”

I asked her whether she felt the university was worthy of this award, to which she replied, “I feel as though the university has earned this award as it continues to provide equal opportunities and access to all students across all areas of teaching and research”. The student’s perspective, as depicted above, shows the importance of the award and the work that has been conducted to achieve it in the university environment.

For the perspective of a staff member, I talked with Dr Jocelyn Bosse, Module Coordinator for Intellectual Property Law and Lecturer in the School of Law. She expressed that she is relatively new to the university but could clearly see there were efforts in place to ensure gender equality within the workplace. She felt the award signified “visibility and reputation” for the university, and it was evident “a lot of work had been done to achieve the award”.

Additionally, I discussed the award with Prof Aoife O’Donoghue, Module Coordinator for Gender and the Law, and professor in the School of Law. I asked her about the significance of the award for QUB. She highlighted the reputation of the award and the significance of being the second university in the UK and first in Ireland to achieve it. Additionally, Prof O’Donoghue expressed the precedence it sets within QUB, explaining they are “committing to something” which acts as a representation of acceptance within the university. She raised an important point that women shouldn’t be seen as “exceptions” or people “that have to be accommodated” but rather a natural part of the university that should be respected. I inquired about her perspective as a member of staff and what this award meant for her. Prof O’Donoghue explained that for her it “imbedded in the structure” the concept of reforming gender equality within QUB. She expressed that within her role, she felt the environment within QUB is very open and accepting of her ideas regarding gender equality, including having conversations regarding menopause and gender in the law, subjects that elsewhere would be seen as taboo. She felt that the Queen’s Gender Initiative and the team involved (discussed above) were the main driving force behind the incredible achievement. Finally, I asked what the award represented for the future of QUB. Prof O’Donoghue shared that there is now an ethos behind the award and the university “can’t stop” as she “believe[s] the university is committed to maintaining the award”. The work for the award doesn’t stop now that they have received the award, it acts as a representation of the work that must be maintained to uphold the standard. She raised the aim to continue the work, but also to promote “more intersectional work” and “support for non-binary students and staff members,” as well as to address the issue surrounding “male student attainment.” These issues are part of the future work of the university to uphold their work on gender equality in higher education. She states the award shows the university is on a “positive trajectory” to achieve more in the future, and the award is essential to ensure the backing of QUB and those who are part of the university.

Navigating the Future of Gender Equality in QUB

The future for QUB looks positive as they commit to continue their admirable work towards achieving gender equality within higher education. With their ambition of reaching gender representation regarding the percentage of female professors, they aim to reach 40% by 2030. They also hope to invest in a Queen’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership.

Many representatives for QUB have not only highlighted the incredible achievement but have emphasised the motivation to continue their work. QUB Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer, expressed the intention to uphold this award, stating “and this work will of course continue.” Professor Karen McCloskey, Director of Queen’s Gender Initiative, voiced her pride regarding the award and her admiration for all those involved in the process.

“I would like to acknowledge the ongoing contribution of committed champions and networks of staff and students who build on the legacy of outstanding women graduates and leaders.”

https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/featured/queens-achieves-gold-athena-swan-award.html

She stated this award will provide motivation to QUB and encourage future work:

“The Gold award is a fantastic achievement for the University and will spur us on to continue this important work.”

https://www.qub.ac.uk/News/Allnews/featured/queens-achieves-gold-athena-swan-award.html

QUB have achieved a globally recognised award that will be beneficial to the future development of the university. QUB will hopefully continue to develop new programmes and actions to address ongoing gender equality issues on campus, in order to provide a fair, positive workplace and learning environment.

Edited by Sarah Michaelides