Athena SWAN @ ICG · Daniel Thomas - ICG - January 2017 Athena SWAN @ ICG What is Athena SWAN? The Athena Project was a national Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine

Athena SWAN @ ICGDaniel Thomas - ICG - January 2017

Athena SWAN @ ICG


AS Self-Assessment Team

Holly Green (support staff)

Katarina Markovič (postdocs)

Karen Masters (staff)

Michael Tarr (students)

Daniel Thomas (staff)

David Wands (director)


What is Athena SWAN?

The Athena Project was a national Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) diversity project, which ran from 1999 to 2007.

'Advance and promote the careers of women in science, engineering and technology in higher education and research and to achieve a significant increase in the number of women recruited to top posts in the UK'.

Set up by women in the academic science community, for women in the academic science community.

The Athena Forum was established in 2007/8 and is an independent committee.

Athena Project and Scientific Women’s Academic Network (SWAN) produced a charter in 2005.

Athena - goddess of wisdom, craft, war



The Athena Project was a national Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) diversity project, which ran from 1999 to 2007.

'Advance and promote the careers of women in science, engineering and technology in higher education and research and to achieve a significant increase in the number of women recruited to top posts in the UK'.

Extended including arts, humanities, social sciences, business, law (AHSSBL).

Professional and support staff.

Transgender.

Will extend to racial diversity in future too?

Athena - goddess of wisdom, craft, war



Organisation with the aim to advance diversity and equality in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) ECU’s equality charters enable organisations to apply for an award recognising their commitment to, and progress on, equality and diversity, particularly in race and gender. HEFCE funded (Higher Education Funding Council for England) Support for universities

Self-assessment Peer review

Equality Challenge Unit (ECU)


Athena SWAN webpage


Why?

Fact: lack of women in STEM subjects (‘leaky pipeline’).

Support diversity.

Openness, fairness, a transparency at workplace.

Athena SWAN actions benefit everybody

Also: loss of workforce, potential funding implications


Leaky pipeline

GraduatesPhDs

PostdocsLecturers

ReadersProfessors

Percentage of women among…


Athena SWAN application

Letter of endorsement from head

Self-assessment process (AS SAT)

Picture of the department (staff and student gender stats)

Supporting and advancing women’s careers

Key career transition points, promotion and career development Induction and training, support for female postgraduate students Organisation and culture Fixed-term and permanent contracts, workload model Timing of departmental meetings, culture Outreach activities Flexibility and managing career breaks

Action plan


Picture of the ICG

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3. A'picture'of'the'department:'maximum'2000'words'(2000!words)'

The! ICG! was! established! as! a! research! department! within! the! Faculty! of! Technology! by! the!

University! of! Portsmouth! in! January! 2002.! It! formed! from! members! of! the! Relativity! and!

Cosmology!Group! set!up!by!Prof!David!Matravers,!head!of! the!School!of!Mathematical! Studies.!

There! were! five! academic! staff! (all! male),! and! about! ten! PhD! students! and! postUdoctoral!

researchers!of!both!genders.!The!group!won!their!first!major!research!grant!from!PPARC!(the!UK!

Particle!Physics!and!Astronomy!Research!Council)! in!1998!to!study!the!evolution!of!cosmological!

structure.!In!the!UK!Research!Assessment!Exercise!in!2001!(RAE2001),!research!submitted!by!the!

group!was! awarded! a! grade!5,! recognising! the! international! excellence!of! their!work! in! applied!

mathematics!and!leading!to!the!establishment!of!the!ICG!the!next!year.!In!2007,!the!first!(of!the!

currently! two)! female!academic!staff!members,!Claudia!Maraston,!was!hired!as!Senior!Lecturer,!

followed!by!promotions!to!Reader!in!2009!and!Professor!in!2014.!Karen!Masters!joined!the!ICG!in!

2008! as! research! staff! member,! and! became! member! of! the! academic! staff! in! 2014! with! a!

promotion! to! Senior! Lecturer! followed! by! a! promotion! to! Reader! in! 2015.! The! ICG! continued!

achieving! excellent! results! in! the! RAE2008! and! the! Research! Excellence! Framework! 2014!

(REF2014)! with! 97%! of! the! research! output! graded! as! internationally! excellent! (3*)! or! worldU

leading!(4*).!All!academic!staff!at!the!ICG!including!both!female!members!have!been!part!of!these!

submissions.!All!ICG!academic!staff!including!both!female!members!are!also!coUinvestigators!on!an!

STFC!Consolidated!Grant.!

As! of! November! 2015,! there! are! 11! academic! staff,! 21! research! staff,! and! four!

professional/support!staff!members!at!the!ICG.!The!overall!gender!ratio!of!academic!and!research!

staff! is!9/32! (28%)! female.!The!are!23!postgraduate!research!students! in! the! ICG,!5/23! (22%)!of!

whom! are! female.! Table! 1! provides! a! further! breakdown! of! academic! staff! into! Readers! and!

Professors!(there!are!no!Lecturers!or!Senior!Lecturers!at!the!moment)!and!shows!the!comparison!

with!national!benchmark!numbers!taken!from!the!most!recent!Demographic!Survey!of!the!Royal!

Astronomical! Society! (RAS)!published! in!McWhinnie! (2011).!Numbers!appear! to!be!quite! typical!

with!a!smaller! fraction!of!women!among!academic!staff!compared!to!research!staff.! !A!detailed!

discussion!and!investigation!of!the!fraction!and!roles!of!women!among!staff!and!students!at!the!

ICG!will!be!presented!below.!

!Table'1'Academic!and!research!staff!at!the!ICG!as!of!November!2015!

! Women! Men!%Women!!

ICG!

%Women!!

RAS!benchmark!

Professors! 1! 5! 17%! 7%!

Readers! 1! 4! 20%! 16%!

Research!staff! 7! 14! 33%! 27%!

PhD!students! 5! 18! 22%! 34%!

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Picture of the ICG!

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Student'data!

ICG! academic! staff,! both! women! and! men,! are! involved! in! undergraduate! teaching! at! the!University,!but!undergraduate!courses!are!not!managed!directly!at!the!ICG.!As!a!consequence,!the!ICG! has! responsibility! for! postgraduate! research! students,! but! no! undergraduate! students.!We!focus! therefore! on! postgraduate! gender! statistics! of! research! degrees! and! the! ratio! of! course!applications!to!offers!and!acceptances!for!postgraduate!research!degrees.!!

Table!2!shows!the!total!postgraduate!gender!statistics!of!research!degrees!at!the!ICG!over!the!past!3!years!(census!date!is!1st!of!October!at!the!beginning!of!each!cycle),!while!Table!3!and!Figure!1!show!the!number!of!studentship!applications,!offers!and!acceptances!by!gender!for!postgraduate!research!degrees.!!Table'2!Postgraduate!gender!statistics!of!research!degrees.!

! 2012U2013! 2013U2014! 2014U2015!

! M! F! %F! M! F! %F! M! F! %F!

Postgraduates! 16! 4! 20%! 17! 2! 11%! 16! 4! 20%!

As!can!be!seen!from!Table!2,!between!two!and!four!female!PhD!students!held!studentships!at!the!ICG! at! any! one! time! over! the! last! three! years.! With! around! 16! men! (17! in! 2013/2014),! this!translates! into! 20%!women! in! 2012/2013! and! last! year,!with! a! drop! to! 11%! in! 2013/2014.! For!comparison,! the!national!average! in!the!STFC!(Science!and!Technology!Facilities!Council)!subject!areas!‘Observation’!and!‘Theory’!was!29%!and!26%,!respectively,!in!2014!(the!RAS!find!that!33.8%!of! research! students! in! astronomy!are! female,!McWhinnie!2011).!Hence,! the! fraction!of! female!PhD!students!at!the!ICG!is!below!this!national!benchmark.!To!identify!a!cause!for!this,!we!analysed!the!PhD!recruitment!figures!of!the!past!years! (Table!3!and!Figure!1).!The! low!number!of! female!PhD!students!seems!to!be! the!consequence!of! lower! fraction!of!women!applying! (always!below!24%!on! average)! and! relatively! few!women!accepting!PhD! studentship!offers! (31%!of! offers! on!average!have!been!accepted!by! female! candidates! compared! to!54%!by!men)! in! the!past! three!years.!Table!3!shows!that!acceptances!to!PhD!studentships!at!the!ICG!were!indeed!at!a!minimum!(0/4)! in! 2013,!which! led! to! the! low! fraction! in! 2013/2014.! This! is! further! illustrated! in! Figure! 1!showing! the!percentage!of!women!applying! for,! being!offered,! and!accepting!places! to! take!up!PhD! studentships! at! the! ICG! (the! national! average! in! the! STFC! subject! areas! ‘Observation’! and!‘Theory’!for!2014!is!indicated!by!the!grey!horizontal!lines).!

The! gender! balance! of! acceptance! to! studentships! was! more! even! in! 2014! (2/6! or! 33%! were!women),! which! led! to! the! slight! rise! of! women! on! studentship! in! 2014/2015! (but! still! below!national!average).!!

Table!3!and!Figure!1!show!that!the!percentage!of!women!applying!for!PhD!studentships!at!the!ICG!actually!scatter!about!the!national!average!of!30%!with!about!ten!applications!from!women!each!year,!with! a! lowerUthanUaverage! fraction! in! 2013! (11/61,! 18%).!Offers! followed! this! curve! quite!closely!both!in!2013!and!2014.!Hence!the!key!issue!is!how!offers!then!convert! into!acceptances.!Unfortunately,! the! fraction! of!women! accepting! is! generally! lower! than! the! fraction! of!women!being! offered! the! studentship,! except! in! 2014.! This! was! most! extreme! in! 2013! when! the!percentage!of!women!accepting!offers! to!PhD!places!at! the! ICG!was! far!below!national!average!

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Table'4'Gender!statistics!of!academic!and!research!staff!for!2012U2015.!

! 2012U2013! 2013U2014! 2014U2015!

! M! F! %F! M! F! %F! M! F! %F!

ICG! 24! 7! 23%! 21! 4! 16%! 23! 10! 30%!

Faculty!of!Technology!!

147! 49! 25%! 151! 46! 23%! 163! 51! 24%!

STEM!subjects!at!University!

381! 219! 37%! 385! 219! 36%! 398! 226! 36%!

Table!5!further!splits!the!numbers!of!Table!4!according!to!position!by!grade!(grade!6!to!10).!We!note!that!research!staff!are!typically!on!grades!6!and!7,!and!all!academic!staff!are!on!grade!8!or!above.!It!can!be!seen!that!the!fraction!of!women!employed!on!grades!6!and!7!over!the!past!three!years!has!been!higher!on!average!(16/55,!29%)!than!the!fraction!of!women!employed!on!grades!8!or!above! in!the!same!time! interval! (5/34,!15%).!This!trend! is! in! line!with!the!national!trend!of!a!general!decline!in!numbers!with!seniority,!with!27%!of!fixed!term!researchers,!28%!of!Lecturers,!16%!of!Readers!and!7%!of!Professors!of!Astronomy!being!female!(McWhinnie!2011).!We!note!that!we!had!one!promotion!from!grade!7!to!grade!8!over!the!past!three!years,!and!this!promotion!was!a!woman!(Karen!Masters).!Promotions!are!discussed!in!more!detail!below.!

!Table'5'Gender!statistics!of!academic!and!research!staff!in!the!Institute!of!Cosmology!&!Gravitation!(ICG).!

!

Grade!

2012U13! 2013U14! 2014U15!

! M! F! %F! M! F! %F! M! F! %F!

!

(6)!Senior!Research!Associate/Tutor! 11! 4! 27%! 8! 2! 20%! 13! 7! 35%!

(7)!Res.!Fellow/Lecturer/Tutor! 3! 2! 40%! 3! 1! 25%! 1! 0! 0%!

(8)!Snr.!Res.!Fellow/Snr.!Lecturer/Snr.!Tutor!

2! 0! 0%! 2! 0! 0%! 0! 2! 100%!

(9)!Pr.!Res.!Fellow/Pr.!Lecturer/Reader! 4! 1! 20%! 4! 0! 0%! 4! 0! 0%!

(10+)!Senior!Academic!Staff! 4! 0! 0%! 4! 1! 20%! 5! 1! 17%!

Total!A&R!Staff! 24! 7! 23%! 21! 4! 16%! 23! 10! 30%!Senior,Academic,Staff,includes,Professors,,Directors,,Deans,,Associate,Deans,and,anyone,in,the,department,at,grades,10+.!


PhD recruitment

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(0/4),! in! spite!of! 3/14! (21%)!offers! to!women.! The! low! conversion!of!offers! to! acceptances! is! a!known! general! trend! within! the! South! East! Physics! network! (SEPnet),! and! may! be! caused! by!women!being!more!likely!to!have!several!PhD!offers.!We!queried!those!students!who!declined!our!PhD! place! offers! in! 2015,! and! discovered! that! five! of! the! six! women! (and! both! of! the! men)!accepted!PhD!positions!elsewhere!in!astronomy.!!

!Table'3'Applications,!offers!and!acceptances!by!gender!for!postgraduate!research!degrees.!

!

Recruitment!Year!

!

Men! Women!

APP! OFF! % OFF! ACC! %

ACC! APP! OFF! % OFF! ACC! % ACC!

2013!50!

(82%)!!11!!

(79%)!! 22%! 4!(100%)! 36%! 11!

(18%)!3!

(21%)!! 27%! 0!!!!!!!!(0%)! 0%!

2014!!26!

(72%)!8!

(72%)! 31%! 4!(67%)! 50%! 10!

(28%)!3!

(28%)! 30%! 2!(33%)! 67%!

2015!38!

(73%)!8!

(50%)! 21%! 6!(71%)!! 75%! 15!

(27%)!8!

(50%)! 53%! 2!(29%)! 25%!

Where,gender,is,unknown,applicants,are,not,included,in,any,count,(1,applicant,in,2013).,We,show,Applications,(APP),,Offers,(OFF),and, Acceptances, (ACC)., %OFF, indicates, the, percentage, of, offers, relative, to, the, number, of, applications,, %ACC, indicates, the,percentage,of,acceptances,relative,to,the,number,of,offers.,!!

!Figure'1!Applications,!offers!and!acceptances!by!gender!for!postgraduate!research.!


Staff recruitment!

13!

!Figure'3!Number!of!applications,!shortlistings!and!offers!split!by!gender!averaged!over!2012U2015!including!all!grades!from!6!(Senior!Research!Assistant)!to!10+!(Senior!Academic!Staff).!

The!percentage!of!women!applying!for!positions!at!the!ICG,!however,!is!lower!than!we!would!like.!Over!the!last!three!years!ICG!has!had!one!academic!staff!position!(grade!8)!open!(in!2015),!which!attracted! 50! applicants,! 20%! of!whom!were!women.! Assuming! the! national! pool! of! fixed! term!research!staff!is!representative!of!the!applicant!pool!for!ICG!staff,!we!expect!the!applicants!to!be!27.2%!women!(McWhinnie!2011).!This!suggests!we!attract!fewer!applications!from!women!than!expected.!The!shortlist!of!6!people!contained!no!woman.!Two!offers!were!made,!which!resulted!in!one! appointment! to! start! at! the! beginning! of! 2016.! We! note! that! the! other! grade! 8! position!offered!in!2014/15!to!two!women!(and!accepted!by!one)!is!a!fixedUterm!research!staff!position.!

We!aim!to!improve!the!relatively!low!fraction!of!women!applying!for!jobs!at!the!ICG,!and!the!low!fraction!of!female!academic!staff!in!general,!even!though!it!is!inUline!with!the!national!trend.!We!are!therefore!implementing!improvements!in!our!recruitment!policy,!inUline!with!the!University’s!Athena!SWAN!institutional!Action!Plan:!!

1) Staff! will! approach! suitable! female! candidates! and! advertise! in! sites! targeting! diverse!audiences!working!closely!with!the!SEPnet!Equality!&!Diversity!Officer!(Actions'1.1.1,'1.1.2,'1.1.3).!

2) We!will! keep! reviewing! a! statement! in! job! adverts! that! applications! are!welcomed! from!women!and!other!underrepresented!groups! in! line!with!Equal!Opportunities!Policies!that!the! University! has! fully! adopted! (Action' 1.2.1).! In! addition! to! this,! the! wording! will! be!checked!using!the!TextIO!package!to!ensure!suitability!(Action'1.2.2).!

3) Interview! panels! demonstrating! gender! balance! where! possible! (whilst! ensuring! panel!subject! expertise! is! adequately! represented),! following!University! policy.!We!will! always!ensure! genderUbalanced! panels! for! grade! 8+! positions! drawing! panel! members! from!outside!the!faculty!if!necessary!to!avoid!overburdening!female!staff!in!the!ICG!or!Faculty!of!Technology!(Action'1.3.1).!


Action plan6. Action plan

Athena SWAN Institutional Action Plan for the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation 20152018

Objective 1: Improve the recruitment of female staff and graduate students Actions/Activities Planned Impact Success Measures and

Performance Indicators Strategic

Responsibility Timeframe

1.1. Encourage female applicants

1.1.1. Staff to approach suitable female candidates

1.1.2. Work closely with the SEPnet equality and diversity officer

1.1.3. Advertise in sites targeting diverse audiences (e.g.Women in Astronomy Mailing List(s), Facebook Equality and Diversity in Physics Group)

• Increased fraction of applications from women

• Increased fraction of women recruited

• At least 2 appropriate female candidates approached per open research staff position

• Annual meeting with SEPnet diversity lead to provide advice on PhD recruitment

• Jobs advertised in venues targeting diverse audiences

Chairs of selection panels PhD admissions

officer

March 2017

1.2. Wording in job advertisements

1.2.1. Make job advertisements more attractive to women (in general)

1.2.2. Use HR software (TextIO) to check language for gendered terms

• Increased fraction of applications from women

• Increased fraction of women recruited

• Job advertisements meet current equality and diversity standard

• TextIO (or equivalent software) deem ad as ‘strong’

Chairs of selection panels

October 2016

1.3. Selection procedures

1.3.1. Require appropriate gender balance of academic/research staff on selection panels

1.3.2. Panels required to shortlist at least one woman, within job requirements.

1.3.3. Involve female members of staff visibly in the PhD interview days

1.3.4. Ensure that no group of PhD applicants invited to interview on a given day includes a sole woman

• Ensure fairness of selection process

• Give applicants female academic/research staff role models to meet

• Increase fraction of women in shortlists and offers

• Give PhD applicants female academic/research staff role models to meet

• Increase fraction on women accepting studentship offer

• All selection panels for Grade 8+ positions are gender balanced

• Selection panels for Grade 6/7 gender balanced where possible

• Record of shortlists, recruitment committee, and other staff involved

• Record of PhD interview invitations

ICG directors

AS lead

PhD admissions officer

March 2016

29


Action plan1.4. Additional training of staff

1.4.1. All academic staff and all staff involved in recruitment and selection will take training against unconscious bias

• Ensure unbiased recruitment process

• Unconscious bias training completed by all relevant staff ICG directors

AS lead

October 2016

1.5. Make ICG attractive to women

1.5.1. Offer basic “dual career information” to the recipients of offers

1.5.2. Provide an additional point of contact for female candidates at the interview stage to talk to about department culture

1.5.3. Develop an informal website with information about working at the ICG and living in Portsmouth

1.5.4. Put more (gender balanced) photos of ICG employees on website

1.5.5. Offer point of contact for advice on childcare and schools in Portsmouth

• Increase fraction of women applying and accepting (conversion)

• Information pack for applicants contains relevant information

• Website updated • Record of contact between

candidates and ICG staff for each position

ICG directors

AS SAT

ICG webmaster

PhD admissions officer

March 2017

1.6. Survey candidates about

application/interview process

1.6.1. Seek feedback from shortlisted candidates with regards to process

1.6.2. Follow up reasons for declined offers

• Improve understanding of patterns seen in recruitment (especially lower conversion rates of women relative to men)

• Collated statistics from feedback form and reasons for declined offers

Postdoc and PhD admissions

officers

AS SAT

October 2017

1.7. Reporting/review of staff recruitment

1.7.1. Staff recruitment gender balance annually reviewed

1.7.2. All staff conducting recruitment to monitor the gender balance at every decision point and provide report at the end of recruitment process.

1.7.3. Panels required to provide a detailed assessment of shortlisting process in case no woman has been shortlisted.

• Increased understanding of gender balance statistics

• More effective identification of potential issues

• Reports of recruitment processes for all staff positions

• Detailed assessment in all cases where no woman on shotlist

• Gender balance in reports and annual review

Chairs of selection panels

AS SAT

October 2017

30


Action plan

Athena SWAN Institutional Action Plan for the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation 20152018 Objective 2: To enhance the career development and progression of female academic and research staff Actions/Activities Planned Impact Success Measures and



2.1. Leadership Foundation Aurora

Programme

2.1.1. Eligible female staff in the ICG to be supported in applying for Leadership Foundation Aurora programme for women

2.1.2. Encourage senior female staff to consider being role models for LFA

• Support career development and progression of female staff

• Eligible staff participation in LFA programme (at least 50%)

• Senior female staff act as role models (either internally or at LFA) ICG directors October 2016

2.2. Provide mentors to all research staff

and students

2.2.1. Research staff and students to choose mentor.

2.2.2. Mentor to schedule at least one annual meeting with mentee

2.2.3. Mentors to attend mentor training

• Equal opportunity for CPD • Perception of research staff

about mentoring and networking opportunities

• All staff have mentor assigned • Meetings between mentor and

mentee recorded (at least one per year)

• Mentor training recorded

ICG postdoc officer

PhD admissions

officer

AS lead

October 2016

2.3. Promotions and turnover

2.3.1. Inform academic and research staff about the University’s promotion criteria and process

2.3.2. Line manager to hold exit interview in order to record reasons for leaving and leaver destinations

2.3.3. Record and monitor gender balance in lengths of contract, contract extensions and bridging support

• Support career progression of all staff including women

• Understanding of gender balance in turnover, promotion and contracts

• Record of dissemination of information via email

• Record of PDRs • Staff survey results (80% of

female and male staff show understanding of promotion criteria)

• Record of numbers available • Record of exit meetings

ICG directors

Line managers

AS SAT

March 2017

31


Action plan

2.4. Development and networking

opportunities

2.4.1. Monitor the gender balance in the takeup of effective Performance and Development Review

2.4.2. Uptake of staff training and development will be monitored

2.4.3. Monitor and encourage female staff and students specifically

2.4.4. Keep staff and students informed about opportunities

• Support career progression of all staff including women

• Gender balanced uptake of opportunities for career development

• 100% uptake of PDR • Record and statistics of staff

training uptake available (including gender balance)

• Dissemination of information via email and Induction

• Record of PDRs

Line managers

AS SAT

AS SAT lead

October 2016

2.5. Additional support for ICG members

with caring responsibilities

2.5.1. Encourage the use of “Keep in Touch” days for those on parental leave

2.5.2. Continue to provide support with childcare costs associated with conference travel

2.5.3. Inform staff about new shared maternity/paternity leave scheme

2.5.4. Inform staff about family friendly entitlements including adoption leave and pay, childcare vouchers, maternity leave and pay, paternity leave and pay, parental leave, time off for dependents, and the right to request flexible working

• Facilitate and foster career of

staff with caring responsibilities

• Support women’s careers

• Recorded use of conference travel grants (gender uptake monitored)

• Keep in Touch days used where appropriate

• Dissemination of information by email, Induction and PDR ICG directors

Line managers

AS SAT lead

March 2017

32


Action plan

Athena SWAN Institutional Action Plan for the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation 20152018 Objective 3: Implementation of transparent and flexible workload management Actions/Activities Planned Impact Success Measures and



3.1. Teaching and meeting schedules

3.1.1. Family and caring responsibilities to be taken into account for teaching timetabling

3.1.2. ICG seminars and group meetings throughout the week are all scheduled to take place at times between 10am and 4pm

• Facilitates engagement of staff with caring responsibilities

• Staff teaching constraints used in timetabling

• All ICG group meetings between 10am and 4pm

• Staff perception on timetabling in survey (at least 80% positive response from both genders)

ICG directors

ICG seminar organiser

March 2016

3.2. Equitable and transparent

distribution of workload and

committee membership

3.2.1. ICG academic staff workload model to be created

3.2.2. ICG research staff workload report to be created

3.2.3. Inclusion of AS SAT in workload model

3.2.4. Ensure appropriate gender balance on committees

• Workload distributed fairly • Gender balance in workload • Equality opportunity for

committee membership • Women are engaged in

proportion to their numbers

• Workload model in place for academic staff (AS SAT included)

• Workload reports for research staff

• Gender balance on committees

ICG directors

Postdoc officer

AS lead

October 2016

3.3. Flexible working

3.3.1. Rules for formal flexible working requests communicated to ICG staff and PhD students

3.3.2. Local guidelines to be set and communicated to staff and students

3.3.3. Make sure that managers are aware and communicate guidelines to staff

• Clarity on rules for flexible working

• Flexibility for staff with caring responsibilities

• Induction material • Set of local guidelines

available and communicated • ICG staff aware of rules and

guidelines • Staff survey results: at least

80% of female and male staff confirm that manager supportive of flexible working

ICG directors

Line managers

AS SAT

March 2017

33


Action plan

Athena SWAN Institutional Action Plan for the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation 20152018 Objective 4: To foster the culture of gender equality Actions/Activities Planned Impact Success Measures and



4.1. Equality & Diversity training

4.1.1. All ICG academic and research staff members and students required to undertake equality and diversity online training

4.1.2. Staff with management duties required to attend University workshop on antiharassment and bullying

4.1.3. Dissemination of antiharassment policy to all staff and students in Induction and by email

• Foster a culture of inclusion • Awareness of contact points

in case of harassment of bullying

• Line managers trained to deal with cases of harassment and bullying

• Enrolment and completion of E&D training course by all staff and students

• All managers have attended workshop

• Policy in Induction documents • Email on antiharassment and

bullying policy sent

ICG directors

AS SAT lead October 2016

4.2. ICG seminar

4.2.1. Commitment to make at least 30% of external speaker invitations to women

• Increase fraction of female speakers

• Provide female role models in the working environment

• Create environment of gender equality

• Record of seminar invitations (at least 30% to women)

ICG seminar organisers October 2016

4.3. Athena SWAN Conference

4.3.1. ICG staff and students encouraged to attend annual University wide Athena SWAN Conference

4.3.2. Attendance of ICG members to be recorded

• Raise awareness about challenges for women in STEM and other male dominated subject areas

• Record of attendance at Athena SWAN conference

• Attendance target: 30% of ICG members

ICG directors

AS lead March 2016

34


Action plan

Athena SWAN Institutional Action Plan for the Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation 20152018 Objective 5: To encourage girls into STEM subjects via outreach and to present positive rolemodels to the public Actions/Activities Planned Impact Success Measures and



5.1. Special events

5.1.1. ICG to participate in the Pilot year of the “Physics it’s for Me” programme (part of the SEPnet Outreach strategy).

5.1.2. Incorporate our mentoring group for local female Alevel physics students, with plans to involve them in innovative outreach to younger girls.

• Increased recruitment of girls into Alevel physics and degree courses in physics

• Events run (and evaluated) under the SEPnet “Physics It’s for Me” theme

Outreach Coordinator October 2017

5.2. Training

5.2.1. All regular outreach volunteers to be trained in unconscious bias

• Equitable delivery of outreach activities allowing for diversity

• Enrolment and completion of unconscious bias training for all regular outreach volutneers

Outreach Coordinator

Athena SWAN

lead

October 2016

5.3. Role models

5.3.1. Involve female role models in outreach events

5.3.2. Involve more female undergraduates in outreach events

5.3.3. Ensure that School Physicist of the Year awards always involves at least one female member of academic or research staff

• Unbiased perception of STEM subject areas

• Increased recruitment of girls into Alevel physics and degree courses in physics.

• Participation in outreach events recorded

• Female undergraduates involved

• At least one female academic or research staff member present at School Physicist of the Year awards


Outreach officer

March 2017

35

5.4. Monitoring of gender balance

5.4.1. Track the gender balance of children and young people attending ICG outreach events

5.4.2. Track gender balance of outreach volunteers and discuss in annual ICG outreach report

5.4.3. Outreach and public engagement activity included in workload model

• Achieve gender balance in participants at ICG outreach events

• Understanding of gender balance of young attendees

• Fair allocation of outreach workload

• Gender data in annual outreach report

• Workload model includes outreach activity


Outreach officer

October 2016

36


Action plan - summary

RecruitmentE&D + unconscious bias training Aim for gender balance on panel Approach 2 female candidates Shortlist one woman Produce report about process

Career development‘Enforce’ PDR and mentoring (once a year) Mentor training Exit interviews

ManagementTransparency Gender balance on committees Family friendly meeting slots (9-4) Flexible working (local guidelines)

Culture

Anti-harassment&bullying training 30% female invitations to seminar Participation in Athena SWAN conference (30% target)

OutreachGender balance in activities Women as role models

AS SATReports through MC and directly Annular presentation and newsletters Staff culture surveys


Future roadmap @ ICG

Bring action plan into action

Re-organise Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team

Work for Silver application in November 2018

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Which path leads to Silver?

Documents

Athena SWAN @ ICG · Daniel Thomas - ICG - January 2017 Athena SWAN @ ICG What is Athena SWAN? The Athena Project was a national Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine