Queen Mary meets its commitments to gender equality and the requirements of Horizon Europe’s Gender Equality Plan through our Silver Athena Swan Award and associated Gender Impact Plan (2022-2027).
Queen Mary became a signatory to the Athena SWAN Charter in 2005 and obtained its first Bronze award in 2008. In 2017, the University became one of only a handful of institutions to be recognised with a Silver award, an achievement of which we are extremely proud. In 2022 we successfully renewed our Institutional Silver Award. Across our schools and faculties, as well as the institution as a whole, we continue the work of embedding gender equality into all our activities and for all our staff and students.
Horizon Europe Mandatory Process-Related Requirements
Horizon Europe has four mandatory process-related requirements. The sections below outline our alignment with these.
The GEP should be a formal document signed by the top management, and disseminated within the institution. It should demonstrate a commitment to gender equality, set clear goals and detailed actions and measures to achieve them
Our Athena Swan application and Gender Impact Plan (2022-2027) are available online. Our Institutional application opens with a two page signed letter from our President and Principal, Professor Colin Bailey. The document also includes our Gender Impact Plan 2022-2027 which demonstrates a commitment to gender equality and set out clear goals and SMART action points, which include specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound actions. The Gender Impact Plan will be overseen by the Gender Equality Action Group (GEAG).
Have dedicated resources: Resources for the design, implementation, and monitoring of GEPs may include funding for specific positions such as Equality Officers or Gender Equality Teams as well as earmarked working time for academic, management and administrative staff
The University has a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team based in HR including an EDI Manager with gender as a portfolio and two Faculty facing EDI officers supporting localised EDI work included gender equality and Athena Swan submissions. Significant investment has enabled the growth of the EDI team (from 2022) with greater capacity to support schools and directorates in applying for awards and allows for greater opportunities for intersectional approaches.
Resource is also embedded across the institution via GEAG and Faculty and School EDI or Athena Swan committees.
Include arrangements for data collection and monitoring: GEPs must be evidence-based and founded on sex or gender-disaggregated baseline data collected across all staff categories. This data should inform the GEP’s objectives and targets, indicators, and ongoing evaluation of progress
In April 2021, we published an internal Staff Profile Dashboard, which details four years of workforce data to help inform trends (e.g. gender, ethnicity, seniority/job profile splits, school/institute/directorate, etc.).
Since its publication it has become the fifth most popular dashboard across the University and has allowed schools/institutes and PS directorates to develop local actions to achieve our targets of 50% (+/- 5%) for gender and 40% (+/- 5%) for BME at middle and senior levels.
Be supported by training and capacity-building: Actions may include developing gender competence and tackling unconscious gender bias among staff, leaders and decision-makers, establishing working groups dedicated to specific topics, and raising awareness through workshops and communication activities
In January 2021 a new mandatory ‘Introducing Inclusion’ interactive EDI e-learning course was launched. All staff in decision making positions are required to complete by April 2021 and now Heads of Schools/Institutes and Directorates are updated on completion rates, including the gender breakdown, and supported to take targeted action to ensure take-up at a local level. We also offer active bystander training focused on challenge unacceptable behaviours at work and around campus.
This is covered in the Athena Swan application under 5.5 Flexible Working and Managing Career Breaks and under 5.6 Organisation and Culture.
Horizon Europe Five Recommended content-related (thematic) areas
Our recent Athena Swan Silver application and related Gender Impact Plan addresses each of the five recommended thematic areas of Horizon Europe. References are indicated below.
Our full Gender Equality Plan Toolkit outlining our alignment with Horizon Europe requirements can be accessed here: Gender Equality Plan Toolkit [PDF 484KB]
Our approach to this thematic area is covered in our Athena Swan Silver renewal application under: