Athena Swan

Charter addressing gender challenges and ensuring that practices and policies present no disadvantage to any member of staff or student.

Athena Swan at GMIT

 

GMIT is delighted to announce that we have achieved the Athena SWAN Bronze Award. This award recognises a solid foundation for eliminating gender bias and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff. The Athena SWAN ethos depends on assuming collective responsibility for gender equality.

To conduct the work required for the Athena SWAN application, GMIT established a Self-Assessment Team and agreed on terms of reference for this group.

The Self-Assessment Team undertook a thorough analysis of gender equality within the organisation and developed a four-year action plan which addresses the issues raised in this assessment. The plan can be downloaded below.

Athena Swan Charter

The Athena SWAN Charter was launched in Ireland in early 2015. The Charter is a tool for addressing gender challenges and ensuring that practices and policies present no disadvantage to any member of staff or student. 

By being part of Athena SWAN, institutions are committing to a progressive charter, adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and culture.

The charter supports cultural and behavioural change, not just around gender equality but around equality and diversity in all its forms.

Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology has adopted these principles and seeks to embed them in all our activities. Adopting the Charter commits the Institute to removing the barriers that contribute to under-representation. 

Gender Inequality in the Higher Education Sector 

Figures published by the Higher Education Authority (2016) highlight gender inequality as an issue for the higher education sector.

The Gender Action Plan (2018) developed by the Gender Equality Taskforce includes a set of actions which are intended to effect significant change. These documents can be viewed below.