Navigating unChartered waters: anchoring Athena SWAN into Irish HEIs

ABSTRACT

The UK Athena SWAN (AS) Charter was extended to Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 2015 to provide a catalyst for change towards gender equality and to transform institutional cultures, through AS Gender Action Plans. This paper charts: the journey of Athena SWAN to Ireland; its rate of adoption by Irish HEIs; and its impact on the sector. Drawing upon the perspective and contribution of Trinity College Dublin, as an institutional case study accelerator, the paper examines some prevailing critiques of the Athena SWAN Charter and demonstrates how some of these shortfalls have been overcome in the Irish HEI sector, most notably through linking Athena SWAN awards to sectoral and research funding.

KEYWORDS:

• Athena SWAN
• gender action plans
• Irish HEIs

Introduction

The Athena SWAN (AS) Charter¹ is a flagship accreditation scheme that recognizes the need for action to address gender equality within higher education institutions (HEIs). Hitherto restricted to UK institutions, the year 2015 marked the entry of Athena SWAN to Irish HEIs. This paper charts the journey of Athena SWAN into Ireland, dating back to 2012, through a series of critical events, supported by EU sponsored structural change projects in three Irish universities.² It involved negotiations with the Equality Challenge Unit (now Advance HE) by a national group of Athena SWAN advocates from Irish HEIs, along with key stakeholders. This paper provides a case study of the engagement by Trinity College Dublin, in alliance with other Irish HEIs and stakeholders, in bringing Athena SWAN into Ireland, from inception to adoption. It demonstrates the importance of the three concurrent EU Projects: INTEGER (TCD), FESTA (UL) and GENOVATE (UCC), taking place between 2011 and 2016, that paved the way for Athena SWAN take-up in Irish HEIs.

Following the endorsement and sponsorship, by the Irish Higher Education Authority (HEA), of the Athena SWAN Charter and accreditation scheme, its adoption, initially by Irish universities (followed by other Irish HEIs), commenced in 2014. Other parallel developments, most notably the Senior Academic Leadership Initiative³ (SALI) and EU Systemic Action for Gender Equality⁴ (SAGE) Project have extended the objectives of Athena SWAN to encompass quotas for female professors (SALI) and the strengthening of the gender dimension in research (SAGE) (Drew & Bencivenga, 2017).

The paper concludes by assessing the impact on the sector of the Athena SWAN Charter, which has provided an essential impetus for institutions to address the issue of gender inequality in Ireland. The AS Charter now underpins and accelerates the achievement of gender equality in Irish HEIs through linking Athena SWAN awards to HEI and research funding in Ireland.

The Athena SWAN Charter – UK

The UK Athena SWAN (AS) Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognize commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research. In May 2015, the Charter was expanded to: recognize work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL) and include staff in professional and support roles and transgender staff/students. The AS Charter now recognizes work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, not just barriers to women’s progression, through monitoring the representation and progression of students into academia, the journey of staff through career milestones and the working environment for all staff.

The Athena Swan Charter is based on ten key principles and participating institutions commit to progressing the Charter and adopting these principles within their policies, practices, action plans and cultures. The award helps institutions achieve their gender equality objectives using a targeted self-assessment framework to support applicants in identifying areas for positive action as well as recognizing and sharing good practice. It also promotes inclusive working practices that can contribute to the retention of valued academic, professional and support staff, by demonstrating an institutional commitment to an equitable working environment.

To support HEIs in applying for awards, Advance HE produced a downloadable Athena SWAN Actions and Analysis Workbook. This resource is designed to support self-assessment teams in their analysis and the development of actions to: identify gender issues; generate actions and produce an action plan, in accordance with SMART⁵principles, that will drive success. Through the Athena SWAN framework and by conducting a thorough self-assessment, applicants are empowered to identify the barriers and norms unique to their institution, department or discipline, and introduce a series of targeted SMART actions to address them (Advance HE Gender Equality 2020).

Athena SWAN applications are peer-reviewed by academics, including subject experts and practitioners drawn from human resources, equality and diversity, from other AS member institutions who make recommendations on the level of award. According to Schmidt, Ovseiko, Henderson, and Kiparoglou (2020, p. 2):

a Bronze award requires an assessment of gender equality and the related challenges as well as a 4-year action plan to address these challenges; a Silver award recognises the successful implementation of the proposed action plan and its measurable impact; and a Gold award recognises beacons of achievement in gender equality and champions in promoting good practice in the wider community.

The Athena SWAN Bronze, Silver and Gold awards testify to the degree of success, by institutions and departments, in advancing these goals. This entails: working towards increasing the proportion of women employed in higher education institutions; improving the representation of women on committees; enhancing the transition from postdoctoral researcher to first academic post; improving working practices to support career progression and supporting women’s networking across higher education institutions.

Table 1 lists the top ten UK universities (based on QS rankings), their Athena SWAN award status and whether they belong to the League of European Research Universities (LERU) and Russell Group of UK universities.

Table 1. Top 10 UK Universities in QS Rankings, Athena SWAN award holders and Membership of LERU and Russell Group 2020

University	QS Rank centre	AS Status	LERU	Russell Group
Oxford	5	Bronze	Yes	Yes
Cambridge	7	Silver	Yes	Yes
Imperial	8	Silver	Yes	Yes
UCL	10	Silver	Yes	Yes
Edinburgh	20	Silver	Yes	Yes
Manchester	27	Bronze		Yes
Kings College	31	Bronze		Yes
LSE	49	Bronze		Yes
Bristol	58	Bronze		Yes
Warwick	62	Silver		Yes

Sources: Advance HE (2021), QS Rankings (2020), LERU Universities (2021) and Russell Group (2021)

According to Advance HE, by April 2020, there were over 160 Athena Swan member institutions around the world, holding over 800 awards between them.

The Athena SWAN Journey into Irish HEIs

Back in 2006, the Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER) was established in Trinity College Dublin, with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) funding, to develop sustainable mechanisms and practices to ensure that women could compete in research on an equal basis, using their scientific expertise, knowledge and potential. WiSER (now TCGEL) raised awareness of the different career obstacles faced by male and female researchers, at all stages of their careers. Through its engagement in the EU 7^th Framework Project INTEGER 2011–2015, WiSER identified the need for a legacy, of internationally recognized value, to continue INTEGER’s work beyond the lifespan of the project. The UK Athena SWAN Charter was identified as the only appropriate accreditation scheme that could work in Ireland. Initial exploration of this option occurred in a haphazard yet targeted way through: reviews of the Athena SWAN website; preliminary discussions with AS award holders and Equality Challenge Unit personnel and at conferences (including the 2^nd Gender Summit, Brussels in 2012); a formal meeting with Sarah Dickinson, Equality Challenge Unit, London (2013); and subsequent email contact with Gary Loke (Equality Challenge Unit) outlining an ECU proposal to seek funding for an extension of AS into the Irish HEI sector.

As Director of WiSER, the author received two speaker invitations at Vitae⁶ conference events: Vitae International Researcher Development Conference in Manchester, 3–4 September 2012 (with a presentation by Chemistry Professor Lesley Yellowlees on the Athena SWAN award in Edinburgh University) and Vitae Research Staff Conference in Edinburgh, 8 November 2012. After the latter conference, a meeting with Dr Caroline Wallace, Athena SWAN Project Support Officer Edinburgh University, provided vital information on the university’s engagement with, and experience of, the Athena SWAN award. Among the topics discussed were the need to: (a) appoint Departmental/School AS Champions and (b) ensure diversity within the self-assessment team members, to include senior/junior, academic/professional staff and gender/age diversity. INTEGER project self-assessment teams (SATs) were formed in Trinity College Dublin: one was institutional, along with those for two STEMM Schools. These three teams were formed in accordance with the Athena SWAN SATs in Edinburgh University.

In order to explore the possible future extension of the Athena SWAN Charter to Irish HEIs, the author sought a meeting with Sarah Dickinson, Equality Challenge Unit, London (responsible for the UK Athena SWAN Charter), on 10 June 2013. Both she and Gary Loke emphasized that if the Athena SWAN Charter was to be introduced, it must involve all Irish HEIs. To explore this requirement and gauge support for AS in Irish HEIs, the author convened a meeting in WiSER, Trinity College Dublin, on 29 October 2013, with invited representatives from Irish universities and the Equality Challenge Unit (now Advance HE). All Irish Universities were contacted, along with representatives from three funding bodies: the Higher Education Authority (HEA); Irish Research Council (IRC); Science Foundation Ireland (SFI); as well as two umbrella bodies: Irish Universities Association (IUA) and Institutes of Technology Ireland (IoTI).

Fifteen people attended the meeting on 29 October 2013, from the following institutions: University College Dublin (2), Dublin City University, National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin (2), University of Limerick, University College Cork, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) (2), Higher Education Authority (HEA), Irish Research Council (IRC), Irish Universities Association (IUA), Institutes of Technology Ireland (IoTI) and Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). The outcome of this meeting was to accelerate the unanimous call for the Athena SWAN extension to Ireland, leading to the ECU’s proposal for an Athena SWAN expansion into Irish HEIs. The ECU document was discussed at a second meeting of the Irish consortium on 29 November 2013. Consensus endorsement of a revised proposal was underpinned through a funding commitment announced by the Higher Education Authority to roll out Athena SWAN in Ireland for all Irish HEIs.

In a major national initiative, financially supported by the HEA, the Athena SWAN Charter was launched in Ireland in 2014 when, across Irish universities, only 24% of professors were women. In Institutes of Technology, women make up 44% of academic staff but just 29% of senior lecturer academic staff (Higher Education Authority [HEA] 2016). The extension of the Athena SWAN Charter to Ireland was made possible through the grant from the HEA to cover the cost of applications to the Charter from Irish HEIs for three pilot years 2015–18.

Impact of Athena SWAN on Irish HEIs

In April 2015, the first Irish submission date for Irish Athena SWAN applications, two Irish universities applied successfully for institutional AS awards. In addition, the Schools of Chemistry, Natural Sciences and Physics in Trinity College received Bronze AS awards. In 2016, University College Cork (UCC) also gained an institutional Bronze award – a requirement for Departments and Schools in any institution to apply for their own Athena SWAN awards. It is far from coincidental that these three universities were partners in EU FP7 Projects: INTEGER (TCD), FESTA (UL) and GENOVATE (UCC). In November 2017, two further universities had gained institutional awards (UCD and DCU).

By 2021, seven universities, eight Institutes of Technology and a College of Education and Liberal Arts had gained institutional bronze awards, a total of 19 of the 25 eligible HEIs. The Technological University of Dublin (formerly DIT) holds a Legacy award⁷ (Table 2).

Table 2. Institutional Athena SWAN Bronze award holders (19) 2021

Institution	Award
Cork IT	Bronze
Dublin City University	Bronze
IT Carlow	Bronze
Limerick IT	Bronze
Mary Immaculate College	Bronze
Maynooth University	Bronze
National College of Ireland	Bronze
NUI Galway	Bronze
Royal College of Surgeons	Bronze
Trinity College Dublin	Bronze
TU Dublin	Legacy
University College Cork	Bronze
University College Dublin	Bronze
University of Limerick	Bronze

There are currently 71 Bronze award holders in the Irish HEI sector (19 institutions and 52 School/Departmental AS awards) (Table 3).

Table 3. Departmental Bronze Award Holders (52) 2021

Institution	Number of Bronze Awards
Maynooth University	5
NUI Galway	4
Royal College of Surgeons	3
Trinity College Dublin	10
University College Cork	9
University College Dublin	9
University of Limerick	12
TOTAL	52

The Irish adoption of the Athena SWAN Charter in 2015 marked a turning point in the formalization of progress towards addressing gender imbalance. Institutions that sign up to the Athena Swan Charter are required to carry out a self-assessment, analysing gender imbalances across a range of areas. These include an examination of gender-related policies, such as availability and take-up of flexible working arrangements, recruitment and promotion procedures, as well as outcomes, and staffing levels according to gender. Each institution’s self-assessment document has to be accompanied by a Gender Action Plan (GAP), to address any areas of concern, arising from the self-assessment. HEIs have to hold an Athena SWAN award before their individual departments or schools can apply for AS awards.

In June 2015, the CEO of Higher Education Authority Ireland, Dr Tom Boland, announced the establishment of an Expert Group to review gender equality in Irish higher level education, chaired by the former EU Commissioner for Research and Innovation, Maire Geogeghan-Quinn:

Focusing on staff in Irish higher education, the Review has supported an in-depth analysis of the gender-balance of academic and non-academic staff across all grades of employment as well as institutions’ management teams, academic councils and governing boards. Taking as its starting point the progress to date in advancing gender equality across the sector, and examining the reasons for continuing gender inequality, the Review has been forward-looking, adopting a ‘quality enhancement’ approach to building on the sector’s achievements to date and on international ‘best practice’ to shape future policy and practice in Ireland (HEA 2016, p. 1).

In the same year, the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG) published its Final Report of the Gender Equality Task Force that stated its support for ‘the introduction of a link between HEA funding of higher education institutions in Ireland and their progress in eliminating gender inequality’ (NUIG 2016, p. 20). The timely publication of this report influenced the HEA Review Expert Group which saw that a major reason for the high uptake and success of the AS Charter in the UK was because of its link to research funding. Gibney (2017, p. 144) noted that in ‘2011 the UK government’s chief medical officer, Sally Davies, made holding a silver award a requirement for receiving grants from a £816-million (US$1.1-billion) pot of government biomedical funding’. The effect of this measure was to extend well beyond funding in the biomedical sector: ‘Major funders such as the UK Research Councils recommend that institutions seek accreditation, but have not made it a requirement’ (Gibney, 2017, p. 144).

Taking this on board, the HEA Review noted:

Through the Athena SWAN Charter, the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) aims to effect cultural and systemic change. It has provided a catalyst for affirmative action in respect of gender equality at institutional level in the UK by conferring awards on institutions to certify institutional commitment to addressing gender inequalities ….As the recent independent evaluation of the implementation of the Athena SWAN Charter in the UK demonstrated, there is considerable evidence that …. the scheme has had a positive impact on the career development and satisfaction of women working in STEMM (HEA 2016, p. 17).

To mainstream gender equality across all aspects of the work of Irish HEIs, the HEA stated that: ‘HEIs will apply for and achieve an Athena SWAN institutional award within three years (2019)’ (HEA 2016, p. 76). To be eligible for funding, by the end of 2020, HEIs will also need to hold an Athena SWAN Bronze award, with a requirement to have attained a Silver Award within seven years (HEA 2016, p. 291).

Furthermore, progress towards gender equality is required as a pre-requisite for HEI research funding:

Within three years, research funding, as part of the Strategic Dialogue process, Higher Education Institutions will be at risk of funding being withheld if they are not addressing gender inequality sufficiently (HEA, 2016, p. 91).

In 2017, a Gender Equality Taskforce was set up by the Minister for Higher Education to identify significant measures that could accelerate progress in achieving gender equality in Irish HEIs. The Taskforce published a three-year action plan to identify good practice and address areas that needed improvement. The Gender Action Plan 2018–2020 states that: ‘All HEIs shall submit their institutional gender action plan to the HEA and provide annual progress updates’ (Higher Education Authority [HEA] 2018, p. 21). Irish HEIs are required to set and review targets annually with the HEA, through a system of follow-up evaluation and performance monitoring. In reviewing institutional performance, funding could be withheld if HEIs fail to meet the agreed KPIs and targets (HEA 2018).

Of immense significance was the further underpinning of the HEA’s endorsement of AS with the policy linking AS to funding of HEIs and research:

The current policy frameworks for using funding as a sanction-led initiative in the battle for gender equality have been in place since Athena Swan was instigated in 2015. Subsequent reports and policy documents have outlined the expectation placed on higher education to improve its performance in relation to gender equality, particularly in women’s representation in research and senior academic posts. Annual performance reviews are, in theory, linked to funding. Mechanisms exist for the withholding of funding where satisfactory progress against targets has not been met (Doona, 2020, p. 164).

Institutional Impact of Athena SWAN in Trinity College Dublin

While the journey towards Athena SWAN Ireland provides an interesting national case study, it is important to examine the institutional perspective, in Trinity College Dublin, to gain insights into the interaction between Athena SWAN and EU Projects running in parallel: INTEGER (2011–2015), GENDER-NET (2013–2018) and SAGE (2016–2019). Contextualizing Athena SWAN in a broader framework of EU-driven Gender Equality Plans allowed Irish HEIs to learn from experience abroad (including Australia and USA/Canada) and pave the way for a uniquely Irish response to implementing gender equality in HEIs. In particular, the INTEGER Project, in TCD, established self-assessment teams modelled on Athena SWAN practice, for the university and two Schools of Chemistry and Natural Sciences, thereby making the transition to applying for Athena SWAN awards much easier.

A number of critical success factors were noted in serving to extend the Athena SWAN Charter to Ireland (which subsequently led to its adoption throughout all universities in Australia and on a pilot basis to a limited number of institutions in Canada⁸ and the USA). The importance of communications with the Equality Challenge Unit (now Advance HE) in London from 2012 onwards cannot be over-emphasized. On both sides, there was an enthusiasm to extend the Charter beyond the UK. Ireland provided an ideal starting point since it is English-speaking with a shared university grade structure (then: Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor/Reader and Chair Professor).

The ECU’s insistence that the adoption of the AS Charter be agreed and implemented at sectoral level, rather than piecemeal by individual universities, required a level of collaboration and consensus that built upon existing links (for example, three universities with EU FP7 projects) and paved the way for the same ethos to permeate throughout the sector. The rate of adoption, initially slow, has accelerated rapidly, most notably since the publication of the HEA Gender Equality Review (2016) and HEA Taskforce Report (2018). Mutual support and learning, between award holders and aspiring recipients has facilitated benchmarking and vetting of draft applications between individual Irish universities.

Site visits by WiSER staff, TCD, to UK AS Silver Institutional award holders were conducted between 2012 and 2015 to the University of Edinburgh, Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB); and Imperial College, London. These institutions offered to act as ‘critical friends’⁹ to whom AS applications could be sent prior to submission. In addition, guest speakers from a range of UK AS Award holder institutions were invited to events hosted by WiSER in Trinity College Dublin, coming from the universities of: York, Cardiff, QUB, Edinburgh, Imperial and UCL.

The formation of an Athena SWAN Ireland National Steering Committee in 2013 was crucial in instigating and accelerating the extension of Athena SWAN into Ireland. Above all, the inclusion of key stakeholders (funding agencies: HEA, SFI and IRC and umbrella groups: IUA and IoTI – now THEA) provided the opportunity to discuss funding options. Advancing the proposal document, from a united front, helped in securing HEA backing and, ultimately, the provision of funding for Athena SWAN Ireland. The HEA would only provide funding of Athena SWAN, as a pilot scheme, on condition that it encompassed all HEIs. They also insisted that the umbrella consortium group (now the Athena SWAN Ireland Committee) should have representatives from universities in Northern Ireland (QUB and UU).

Financial support from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) was probably the most critical development on the journey to Athena SWAN in Ireland. Other factors that helped along the way were through opportunities to attend/participate in AS panels as observers or panellists for Athena SWAN applications since 2013.

For the first time in the history of Trinity College Dublin (founded in 1592) gender found a platform in the University’s Strategic Plan 2014–2019 which made reference to gender equality and diversity as elements to strive for and to facilitate the overarching goal of achieving excellence ‘in everything we do’:

acting as a national leader to promote the introduction of the Athena SWAN Charter to Ireland and pursuing institutional and school-level Athena SWAN Awards, thereby providing a proven framework through which our position on gender equality can be measured and improved

At the subsequent Trinity College launch of the EU Diversity Charter promoting Equality and Inclusivity, in July 2015, it was announced:

Recognising diversity and promoting equality is vital in order to strengthen the competitiveness of European research. For example, in relation to gender, a greater involvement of women in STEMM research will contribute not only to an increased number of skilled researchers in our institutions, but will also add a different perspective to STEMM research, promote diversity and lead to enhanced creativity and innovation. It is on this basis that Trinity College has been instrumental in the launch of the Athena SWAN Charter in Ireland (TCD News 2015).

This commitment to Athena SWAN was further reinforced in the University’s 2020–2025 Strategic Plan: Community and Connection, which also endorsed the SAGE Charter, through commitments to:

• Achieve an Athena SWAN Silver award by 2025.

• Integrate the SAGE Charter for gender equality into our policies and practices by 2021 (Trinity College Dublin [TCD] 2020, p. 35).

As with any strategically important change, leadership support was vital to progressing Athena SWAN in Trinity College. The Provost, as head of the university, attended and spoke at the INTEGER Project meeting in March 2013 where he addressed the attendees from CNRS, Siauliai University, GESIS and guests from MIT and NSF ADVANCE. He stated:

Universities should lead the way when it comes to gender representation in the workplace. Historically, higher education has been a trailblazer ….It’s now time for the sector to trail-blaze again, to find ways of appointing more women professors ….INTEGER sprang from the realisation that the situation for women in universities, while it has improved, needs targeted action. It is not a situation which will just right itself - there has to be organisational change across the university sector.

More generally, future efforts will be strengthened by the new sense of momentum and national collaboration that has been engendered through the Athena SWAN National Committee Ireland. This has created a capacity for peer-institutional support and a collective approach to gender equality issues. At the same time, there are already indications whereby, as one institution makes progress towards an Athena SWAN award, others will want to keep pace and not be left behind, thus creating a further incentive to deliver institutional transformation.

Critiques of Athena SWAN

No certification or accreditation scheme can purport to be perfect and Athena SWAN has not been devoid of criticism, particularly in the UK where the AS Award emerged. Responses to AS range from the considerable amount of work required in obtaining an award, to criteria that are currently absent from the application form/process (such as sexual misconduct) and over-reliance on gender parity, at the expense of non-binary identities. These, and other, criticisms are discussed in this section.

One of the first and universal challenges that are voiced by participating HEIs is of the sheer number of hours of effort involved in producing an application, in accordance with Advance HE criteria and conforming to word count constraints. Contributors to a Conference on Athena SWAN, at Warwick University (Pearce, 2017) spoke of ‘submission fatigue’ and pointed to variable ‘success rates’ (for example, 56–73% in contemporary rounds). These rates may vary by country (UK versus Irish HEIs), type of institution (research institute versus university/college) and discipline (for example, physics with JUNO experience versus other STEMM/nonSTEMM).

Allied to this has been the requirement to incorporate gender disaggregated data that had never been collected by HEIs before in Athena SWAN applications, for example on students numbers by year/course and uptake of parenting leave and flexible work arrangements by staff. It became evident that existing IT systems, and standardized coding, were not geared to producing the data in a format (over a four-year time span) that could be utilized in applications. Hence, HEIs had to resort to manual data extraction and the transition towards full data capture is still under way.

The additional, often monumental, demand for application data inputs occurred at a time when all higher education institutions were under-resourced. This was often exacerbated by an uneven distribution of workload within Self Assessment Teams, at institutional and unit levels. Such inequity was noted by Caffrey et al. (2016) in the medical field, within a UK AS holder HEI. The authors also flagged that engagement in AS could be to the detriment of the careers of young female academics. The example cited is of such women spending their ‘research time’ on an AS application (data gathering, analysis, writing the application) alongside their male colleagues whose research time was spent on research, publications/conferences, all of which are career-enhancing.

This unevenness in AS work allocation through the overuse of (often female) more junior academic and research staff is often exacerbated by a lack of institutional resources (time/money) and a lack of acknowledgement of their contributions to AS, for example, as a key criteria in the promotion process. In turn, the AS Charter has been criticized for not achieving a higher representation of women in senior roles nor fundamental institutional and cultural change (Graves, Rowell, & Hunsicker, 2019).

Alongside the perceived administrative burdens, at unit and institutional levels of AS applications, Schmidt et al. (2020) pointed to the perception, by some men, that it was about positive discrimination in favour of women. However, according to Graves et al. (2019), male academics whom they surveyed held more positive views about AS than their female colleagues.

In addition, the authors flagged the following negative responses to Athena SWAN initiatives in UK HEIs:

belief that achieving the award could become an end in itself; limited ability to address longstanding tenure, power and pay imbalances in a short period of time; and “competing inequalities”, whereby gender takes prevalence over race and white middle class women become the main beneficiaries of the Athena SWAN Charter (Schmidt et al., 2020, p. 2).

Whilst AS has evolved from its initial objective of enhancing the career prospects of women research and academic staff in STEMM to the achievement of gender equality in careers (including professional/support staff) in STEMM and non-STEMM disciplines, there are still criticisms (Pearce, 2017) that intersectionality is not adequately addressed, with examples cited of tokenism through minority BME representation on SATs. The way data are sought and presented in AS applications makes it difficult to accommodate diversity in, for example, sexual orientation/sexual identity. Word-count limits, access to sensitive data and anonymity/GDPR requirements further impede this need to fully encompass what Gupta called ‘diversity as fully integrated and structural’ (Pearce, 2017, p. 19). One proposal to address some of these criticisms was that there be a merger of the current three Charters relating to gender, race and dis/ability into one Charter for the UK. As yet, only the AS Gender Charter is operable in Ireland.

An important criticism of Athena SWAN is that a successful award does not in itself bring about gender equality, particularly in relation to addressing academic cultures (at Department, School or institutional levels). Peterson and Jordansson (2017) believe that AS is still grounded in ‘fixing the women’ and fails to address gendered processes and practices. However, for institutions that have undergone the process of application to award granted, it should be stressed that the award is more of a ‘starting point’ than a finishing one. At Bronze entry level, the application process relates to outlining the disparities/issues and shortfalls that need to be addressed through a detailed AS Gender Action Plan.According to Ovseiko et al., (2020, 3) Athena SWAN “requires time to affect the numbers of female scientists because it seeks structural and cultural changes for all faculty and staff” and while it may be “effective in challenging discrimination and bias, improving women’s visibility and leadership skills, and initiating structural and cultural changes, it has limitations in tackling longstanding tenure, power, and pay imbalances in the short term”.

Taking into account these criticisms, there are many benefits attached to the award: it is administered independently and impartially; applications are vetted by a stringent peer-review process; supports are available to unsuccessful (as well as successful) applicants; and there is a degree of consensus among critics that achievement of an AS award is not an easy or pre-destined outcome. As noted by Rosser, Barnard, Carnes, and Munir (2019, p. 606), ‘Obtaining good-quality gender-disaggregated data is essential for measuring institutional change … to provide evidence of gender inequalities used to inform and persuade key actors to support and provide budgets for actions’. Progressing Athena SWAN also requires tha t self-assessment teams address the institutional (university or unit) cultures, through gender actions that include gender-inclusive events/celebrations. Examples of these were noted in the SAGE Change Management for Gender Equality Model (Drew & Bailey, 2020).

Another major strength of the AS application process is that it is graduated, allowing for progression that requires demonstration of impact achieved through actions taken/acted upon. Hence, the distinction between Bronze and Silver/Gold awards, whereby impact is increasingly important.

Schmidt et al. (2020, p. 2) outlined other potential benefits:

participation in the Athena SWAN Charter is associated with increased awareness of gender inequity and broader diversity issues; challenges to discrimination and bias; improvements in women’s visibility, self-confidence and leadership skills; an enhanced work environment and institutional support for women’s careers; increased appreciation of a work–life balance and caring responsibilities; new mentoring and professional development opportunities for all staff; and, overall, the creation of a more supportive and inclusive university culture.

Under the provisions of the UK Equality Act 2010, Athena SWAN award holders are precluded from creating female-only chaired professorships and/or funding since such interventions would be deemed to be unlawful. However, the Irish Government’s Equality Taskforce (HEA 2018) brought about a Senior Academic Leadership Initiative (SALI) to fund 45 women-only senior (professorial) posts in Irish HEIs. This initiative was introduced in response to statistics ‘demonstrating that if the current pace of change in promoting women into senior posts continued, the imbalance would persist for another two to three decades’ (Doona, 2020, p. 155). The SALI initiative has led to the granting of the first 20 posts, 15 to universities, two for technological universities and three to institutes of technology, announced in January 2020, following a competitive application process and assessment of the applications by an international panel of experts in the field of gender equality in higher education. SALI supports the stated aim of the government to have 40% of chair professors posts held by women by 2024 (Higher Education Authority Expert Group [HEA] 2019).

In the UK, there has been no Athena SWAN promotion of the sex and gender dimension into research and the curriculum (Schmidt et al., 2020). However, Irish experience illustrates that Athena SWAN is not incompatible with the incorporation of sex and gender into the domain of knowledge. The Horizon 2020 Project Systemic Action for Gender Equality (SAGE), coordinated by the Trinity Centre for Gender Equality and Leadership (TCGEL), led to the design and distribution of an online module for universities or research institutions seeking tools to promote gender equality can access the SAGE resources. The online course: Creating A Gender Sensitive Institution includes three sessions that address: Change Management for Gender Equality, Unconscious Bias and The Gender Dimension in Research (TCGEL, 2020).

The omission of sexual misconduct and/or harassment and violence in the Athena SWAN assessment has not prevented an Irish sector-wide policy response, involving all Irish HEIs. Independently of Athena SWAN, the Irish Minister of State for Higher Education published a Framework policy document as a mechanism of recourse for those affected: Safe, Respectful, Supportive and Positive – Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions, in April 2019. This was followed up, in 2020, by the Irish Universities Association’s publication of: Guidance for Universities: How to Respond to Alleged Staff or Student or University Related Sexual Misconduct (Irish Universities Association [IUA] 2020). Produced in consultation with all Irish HEIs, this will provide a critical framework for dealing with all aspects of sexual misconduct.

Finally, as noted by Tzanakou and Pearce (2019), while operating within neoliberal institutions, Athena SWAN represents a ‘hybrid’ strategy and incentive for driving institutional gender equality through feminism.

Conclusions

Having chronicled the spread and adoption of Athena SWAN globally, including its linkage to funding incentives in UK and Ireland, Ovseiko et al., (2019, 186) sought the global development, implementation and evaluation of gender equality plans and their impact, similar to Athena SWAN: ‘The success of UK and Irish funding bodies in introducing funding incentives linked to Athena SWAN could serve as an inspiration to other research funders globally’.

The entry of the Athena SWAN Charter to Ireland in 2015 marked a turning point in the formalization of progress towards addressing gender imbalance within Irish HEIs. It demonstrates that the Charter’s Principles are applicable in a wider geographical area and that it is a robust enough accreditation system to work in the UK, Ireland and Australian HEI sector as well as beyond. In Ireland, following the recommendations of the Expert Group (HEA, 2016), all major funding bodies made achieving an AS award by HEIs, within specified time limits, a condition for submitting individual applications for research funding. O’Connor remarked: ‘Furthermore, AS in Ireland is located in the Higher Educational Authority which allocates resources to the Higher Educational sector. It is possible that this structural embeddedness may affect its impact – but it is too soon to assess that’ (O’Connor, 2020). Kalpazidou Schmidt and Ovseiko (2020) urged that, to avoid box-ticking, policymakers should link Horizon Europe funding to requirements for tangible progress in gender equality, built on the Athena SWAN model.

While not specific to Athena SWAN, the recent announcement by Jean-Eric Paquet, Director-General, DG Research and Innovation, that all public institutions will be required to design and implement a Gender Equality Plan in order to be eligible for Horizon Europe funding¹⁰ sends a firm signal that gender equality remains a serious concern and requires tougher measures to implement throughout EU HEIs. Athena SWAN has also provided Irish HEIs with a platform to allow them to benchmark against institutions in Ireland and UK, access examples of better practice and to form alliances for mutual support, as and when required.

Lessons from the entry of AS into Ireland bear testimony to the alliance of Irish HEIs with funding organizations and umbrella NGOs (Irish University Association IUA and the Technological Higher Education Association THEA) in providing the platform through which Athena SWAN could be established and thrive. The accelerated pace of AS adoption in Ireland reflects the major supporting impact of EU structural change FP7 projects: INTEGER, FESTA, GENOVATE, GENDER-NET; and Horizon 2020 project: SAGE.

While critics of the AS process have pointed to uneven workloads/contributions, evidence from Athena SWAN surveys (e.g. in TCD and DIT) illustrate that this is no new phenomenon – rather the survey findings signal the need to incorporate such imbalances into AS gender actions to address uneven allocations and their gendered outcomes (Drew & Marshall, 2020; Kinahan, Dunne, & Cahill, 2020).

The challenges facing the promotion of gender equality in a post-COVID environment cannot be overestimated. Responses need to acknowledge continuing barriers and be oriented to broader structural and cultural interventions:

To enact effective sustainable structural and cultural change for gender equality, it is necessary to acknowledge and operationalise complexity as a frame of reference. Athena SWAN is the single most comprehensive and systemic gender equality scheme in Europe. It can be further strengthened by promoting the integration of sex and gender analysis in research and education. Gender equality policies in the wider European Research Area can benefit from exploring Athena SWAN’s contextually embedded systemic approach to dynamic action planning and inclusive focus on all genders and categories of staff and students (Schmidt et al., 2020, p. 1).

The findings of this paper endorse the view expressed by O’Connor and Irvine (2020, 16) that ‘leveraging change arises when measures to promote gender equality are driven at the state (macro); the HEI (meso); and the situational (micro) level simultaneously’. By embracing AS, individual Irish HEIs have embarked upon structural and cultural change as institutions; in Schools/Departments within them; with the encouragement and tied funding requirement to fulfill the HEA’s gender equality edict.

Finally, this paper lends support for the extension of Athena SWAN into a wider European arena in which cultural and structural differences between institutions and countries prevail and are underpinned by a highly competitive environment in which gender equality is in jeopardy. Through its demonstrated ability to adapt to conditions outside the UK, Athena SWAN embraces core educational values and promotes a constructive route towards gender equality and gender sensitivity in third-level institutions.

Note

This paper was submitted to the Journal of Gender Studies for a special issue on Gender Equality in Higher Education and Research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the European Commission [710534].

Notes on contributors

Eileen Drew

Professor Eileen Drew is Director of the Trinity Centre for Gender Equality and Leadership (https://www.tcd.ie/tcgel/) at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland where she has taught in the School of Computer Science and Statistics and Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies. Her research interests are: gender and the labour market, equality and diversity, work/life balance, family leave policies and gender in entrepreneurship and academic leadership.

During her academic career, Professor Drew has been involved in research for the Council of Europe, European Commission, EIGE and the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA). She was engaged in consultancy for numerous EU projects for: Social Security Reform Cooperation Project in China (EUCSS); EUROFOUND; European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE); and as a Gender Equality Expert to the EU Network of Women in Decision-making in Politics and the Economy.

Professor Drew was engaged in driving the Athena SWAN initiative in Trinity College, following the successful completion of the INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality (INTEGER) Project in June 2015. She coordinated the Systemic Action for Gender Equality (SAGE) Horizon 2020 Project, 2016–2019. She represents Trinity College Dublin on the League of European Research Universities (LERU) Gender Thematic Group.

Notes

1. https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/athena-swan-charter

2. Institutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (INTEGER) Trinity College Dublin (TCD), https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/266638/reportingFemale Empowerment in Science and Technology Academia (FESTA), University of Limerick (UL) https://www.festa-europa.eu/Transforming Organizational Culture for Gender Equality in Research and Innovation (GENOVATE), University College Cork (UCC) http://www.genovate.eu/

3. https://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2019-press-releases/PR19-06-21.html

4. https://www.sage-growingequality.eu/

5. SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) actions

6. Vitae is the global leader in supporting the professional development of researchers, experienced in working with institutions as they strive for research excellence, innovation and impact see: https://www.vitae.ac.uk/events

7. In November 2018, the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) received an Athena SWAN Bronze institutional award. In the light of its establishment as the Technological University (TU) of Dublin, it is a requirement for the newly established University to submit another application. Hence TU Dublin’s status as a Legacy award holder.

8. See: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/NSERC-CRSNG/EDI-EDI/Athena-SWAN_eng.asp

9. A critical friend is defined as someone who is encouraging and supportive, but who also provides honest and often candid feedback that may be uncomfortable or difficult to hear.

10. https://www.superaproject.eu/workshop-on-gender-equality-plans-and-structural-change-in-horizon-europe/