Narratives of academic staff involvement in Athena SWAN and race equality charter marks in UK higher education institutions

ABSTRACT

In line with other national higher education systems, the UK has, since 2005, taken a formalised approach to improving gender equality in academia in the form of the Athena SWAN charter mark; in 2016, an additional charter mark focusing on race equality (the REC) was introduced. This article, based on data from a multi-site case study exploring the experiences of those in UK higher education who are working on the charter marks, looks at how academic staff become involved in this work. Using a narrative analysis based on the conceptual tools of policy enactment, the article sets out a typology of trajectories of academic involvement in charter mark work. This focus on how academic staff become involved in work on charter marks as policy translators is set alongside a chronological account of the development of the charter mark awards in the UK higher education sector. Through locating staff trajectories in their particular context, we are able to ask questions of how work that seeks to address serious and enduring inequalities in academia is currently allocated and implemented, and with what kinds of expertise.

KEYWORDS:

• Equality charter marks
• higher education
• policy enactment
• gender equality
• race equality

Disclosure statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest relating to the work included in this article.

Notes

1. Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine

2. The Research Excellence Framework is an assessment of research quality at universities, carried out nationally in the UK.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the British Academy [SG170184].

Notes on contributors

Holly Henderson

Holly Henderson joined Nottingham as an Assistant Professor in Education in 2019. She previously held positions at the University of Birmingham, following the completion of her ESRC-funded doctorate, and she began her career teaching in the Further Education sector. Her research and teaching focus broadly on sociological issues of inequality in education. In particular, she is interested in theorising access to and experiences of post-compulsory and higher education. 

Kalwant Bhopal

Kalwant Bhopal is Professor of Education and Social Justice and  Director of the Centre for Research in Race and Education (CRRE) in the School of Education, University of Birmingham. Kalwant’s research focuses on the achievements and experiences of minority ethnic groups in education. She has conducted research on exploring discourses of identity and intersectionality examining the lives of Black minority ethnic groups as well as examining the marginal position of Gypsies and Travellers. Her research specifically explores how processes of racism, exclusion and marginalisation operate in predominantly White spaces with a focus on social justice and inclusion. More recently she has conducted research focussing on the position of minority ethnic academics in higher education.