Equality & Diversity

How the University achieved its Bronze Award (November 2012)

To support the Bronze Award Application, the University set up an Athena Swan Self Assessment Team in January 2012. This group included representation from across the University.

The Self Assessment Team first met in January 2012.  Minutes of these meetings can be found on the Gender Equality Group page. 

A draft application and action plan were produced with input from the Self Assessment Team.  

In October 2012, five open consultation meetings for staff were held.  Self Assessment Team members were in attendance at these meetings to explain and discuss the draft application and action plan and to hear views and comments direct from staff.  Staff who were unable to attend any of the scheduled meetings were able contribute to the consultation by emailing their comments directly to the Equality and Diversity Unit.

The finalised documents were approved by the Equality and Diversity Strategy Committee, HR Committee and the Senior Management Group before they were submitted for review by Athena SWAN. 

Athena SWAN University Bronze Award

Following a submission in November 2012, the University was awarded an Athena SWAN Institutional Bronze Award at an awards ceremony in April 2013.‌

At the awards ceremony at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Fiona McLachlan, Human Resources Manager in MVLS collected the Athena SWAN Bronze Award on behalf of the University.

The award was granted as the University had:

• evidenced that it is committed to advancing women in the STEMM disciplines,
• identified the actions required, and
• committed the resources necessary to eliminate gender bias and create an inclusive culture that values female staff.

Although Athena SWAN is focused on the STEMM disciplines, the Senior Management Group and the Equality and Diversity Strategy Committee believe that the Bronze Award will have a positive impact across the institution, on both male and female careers and across disciplines.  

Silver Award for The School of Physics & Astronomy

At the same awards ceremony the School of Physics & Astronomy was awarded a Silver ‘departmental’ (Athena SWAN terminology) award in recognition that the School already holds the Institute of Physics Juno Champion status.

History of Women at the University of Glasgow
Read about the long history of women at the University from the launch in 1883 of Queen Margaret College which provided the first higher education opportunity for women in Scotland through to our new post-graduate club being named in honour of one of our pioneers, Dr Marion Gilchrist, the first women medical graduate in Scotland and on to Professor Anne Anderson, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Social Sciences who is now also the University's Gender Equality Champion.