September 24th
Athena SWAN LONDON Workshop
Introduction - Jan Bogg
Successfully going for awards - Annie Young
View from a panellist - Liz Kay
Presenting data – Ailsa McGregor
Experiential group work on applications
Q&A with Speakers
Representatives from ECU Sarah Dickenson,
MSC Siobhan Fitzpatrick, DSC Emily Burn
Going for Silver - from Bronze
Annie Young;
Julia Smith
Professor of Nursing
Director of HR
Bronze First?
• Warwick Medical School (WMS) Strategic Decision –
discussed at length
• Against the better judgement of the University Athena SWAN ‘Steering Group’
• WMS were then (August 2011) new to embrace Athena SWAN principles
• Self assessment group (then Welfare and Communications Group) set up; WCG felt we could not demonstrate a significant record of activity and achievement or having identified challenges, implement activities and show impact
For Successful Bronze (and Silver)
• Had benefit of other successful departments
• Put one person to lead submission
• Examined existing policies and procedures; how they were implemented within WMS
• Explored where and how improvements could be made to these processes
• Aligned these findings to the WMS submission and Action Plan
Communication / Decision Making / Staff Engagement
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University of Warwick Athena Network Group
University of Warwick Athena Steering Group
Departmental – now Welfare Strategy Group
Departmental Intranet
Equality and Diversity training for all
Actions need to be:
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Monitored and Measured
Embedded into the culture of the department
Disseminated to the wider University community
Key pointers WMS found useful from AS guidance • “It is recognised that good practice benefits both men and women,
however SWAN recognition awards recognise what is being done to increase the representation for women at all levels and to support and encourage their career progression. So make sure the application and action plan are gender specific.”
• “At Bronze department level activities should be planned for the future”
• “At Silver Department level some activities should already be in place and applications should demonstrate the impact of these activities so far.”
Clarifying the population ‐ WMS
Staff categories (male / female):
• Academic staff at all grades (R&T, T and R)
• Clinical academic staff at all grades
• Non‐academic staff
• Technical staff
• Applicants for vacancies
• Fixed term and open‐ended contracts
N.B. Honorary staff were not included.
Student categories (male : female / offers : enrolled):
• Under‐graduate (FT and PT)
• Post‐graduate (FT and PT)
• Post‐graduate research (FT and PT)
Action Plan
• Categorised Actions within Plan:
• New actions to address recognised needs from Athena SWAN process
• Modifications to existing processes to address recognised needs
• Actions required to improve data
New Actions to Address Recognised Needs from AS process
• How best to promote female representation on WMS and University Committees
• Improved Communication of Promotion Process and Stringent Examination of Promotion Cases
• Retention of own students – Academic Career Development
• Post‐doctoral researcher involvement in WMS
• Explore support for women leaving for or returning from maternity, adoption and paternity leave
• Improve Publicity, Open Days and Outreach Work for Women in SET
• Increase Visibility of Women in WMS
• Support choice of career for Women Doctors – interviews and survey
Modifications to Existing Process to Support Recognised Needs
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Support/Extended Paternity Leave
Allocation of teaching / administration duties and Review of Workload Model
PULSE Staff Survey; Bullying and Harassment
Review of WMS induction process
Exit Interviews
Improve Equality and Diversity Awareness
Raising awareness of Early Career Development for female staff and students
Timing of Group Meetings
Actions to Improve Data
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Routine data entry and collection
Monitor data
Flexible working data
Clinical and non‐clinical posts go and meet central data analysts
Sourcing data ‐ WMS
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Refer to Athena SWAN guidance
3 years data requested. WMS sourced 5 years.
Sector comparisons, particularly for student data
Tabular and graphical
Male : female comparisons throughout
Time consuming – resource implications
WMS found it useful to consider the career progression life cycle.
Athena SWAN guidance on data
• Provide baseline data which are relevant under the appropriate headings
• Evidence of good practice within the department and baseline data for the past 3 years
• Important to show main trends emerging from the data
• Departments should focus their activities in areas where the female/male attrition rates are most strikingly different, and where they can make a difference
• Reflect on what the data indicate
• Highlight and explain positive trends
Data sourced ‐ WMS
•Applicants
•Starters and leavers
•Staff by type
•Pay
•Promotions
•Appraisals •Training
•Use of family friendly working practices
•Good practice
•Role models
•Exit
•Committee membership
•Applied : appointed
•FTC : OE, grade/job title, T&Cs
•???
•Recommended : successful
•No. carried out
•Career development courses, E&D
•Maternity/paternity/adoption/flexible working
•Processes and practices
•Speakers, individual case studies
•career destinations and reasons (voluntary : involuntary)
Action Plan Development
•Key component of bid •Do not leave to the end
•Timed, measurable actions stem from: •Actual Data (and data collection)
•Key Issues for Culture Change e.g. increase proportion of senior clinical academics, quiet room for breastfeeding with a fridge
•Good Practice for Future e.g. early career researcher programme
•Link text to Actions
Action Plan Implementation
•WMS experience:
•Leads for Each Action – WCG and non‐WCG members
•Regular monitoring and review
•Involvement of a wider group
•Communication
•Resource implications – be explicit
Document……
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Why were these categories chosen?
Who was responsible?
How were the timescales set?
Essential to have an Athena SWAN webpage
Submission must be in the public domain
Going for Silver •
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‘Go for it’
Get to know central data analysts
Had something to ‘hang our hat’ on
Started with Action Plan this time –
transferred into Excel – ‘neatened up’
New Actions
Completed Actions
In progress Actions
Actions ‘ditched’ ‐ PGR
New Actions: Example
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SA2. Cross‐linking staff data from the Research Excellence Framework (REF) to AS ‐ 18 months
Preliminary Results:
Gender balance in REF denominator is 40:60 f:m
Gender balance in the submission is 33:67.
This means that women are disproportionately likely to be excluded. 63% of eligible women are in our current modelling, and 87% of eligible men
Go for the ‘Biggies’ ‐ Culture
SA6. Low Number of Females in Senior Clinical Academic (Consultant), Senior Academic (in particular, Professorial) Posts
• ‐ “Implement strategic imperatives to achieve new professorial posts e.g. bringing in new departments, gaining MRC Doctoral Training Centre”
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Going for Silver – Case Studies
• Chose female and male case studies
• Member Welfare and Communications Group – male; new father; flexible working
• Non‐member – female; personal development – “invited to take up strategic roles within department”
Going for Silver:
Welfare Strategy Group
• Raised profile within WMS; now one of 5 strategy‐only groups
• Name change to reflect this
• Strengthened membership
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‐ Student (post‐grad), Early Career •
Researcher • Monthly meetings – ‘in‐between’ work matters most
What would I change?
• Employ a project person to help with submission and actions
• ‐ visit nursery, meet with car parking
• Example of work‐life balance TABLE 1
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too cheesy • More qualitative work
Benefits of Athena SWAN Process
to Warwick Medical School
• More engaged and informed staff?
• Sharing best practice to enable other departments to learn and improve their procedures
• Improvements for all staff not just women
• Good news encourages others
• Better links between academic departments and between central admin and academic departments
• Attracts prospective students and staff
Now……..
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Consolidate
Persevere; Don’t give up
Funding to support actions
Go for the changes that may take a decade
Think big; think gold
Professor E J Kay
Foundation Dean
Peninsula Dental School
ATHENA SWAN
Charter for Women in Science
“committed to the advancement of the careers of women in
SET/STEMM subjects.”
Volunteer panellist
Invited by ECU re MPC
Today
• Describe the panels and their
function
• Give you insights which I have
gained
Panels
Seven panellists
Three pools
- academic
- E & D in HE
- subject specialists
Moderator
Secretary
Being a panellist
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Significant work
Massive responsibility
Helpful for own institution
Hugely personally rewarding
Potential conflicts of interest
• Taken very seriously
• Do not preclude you
Founding principles
• Only submission content considered
• Decisions according to criteria
• Wherever possible consensus
Outcomes from panels
1. Award conferred or renewed
2. Award conferred or renewed at
lower level
3. No award conferred
4. Extra information requested
Extra information sought
when ….
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Nearly reached criteria
Need information or amendments to
confirm a ‘yes’
More data or reworked action plan
(usually)
Not more than two weeks effort
Discussions
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Focussed but comprehensive
Not about personal opinions
Recognition of culture shift
Chair, chairs but doesn’t steer
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ANY QUESTIONS?
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Personal Insights
Being a panellist is a heartwarming
and joyous experience!
It is much easier than you think to read
the true nature/culture behind the words.
Panellists can SMELL cynicism!
Enormously helpful for your home
organisation.
An extremely well run, committed, dedicated
organisation with a clear and positive mission,
plus a massive amount of integrity, highest
levels of probity, serious commitment to
fairness and equality.
Being an Athena SWAN panellist
is one of the best things I have
ever done!
Thank you Athena SWAN!
My contact details and Athena SWAN website address:
elizabeth.kay@pds.ac.uk
Tel: 01752 586800
http://www.athenaswan.org.uk/
Making Data Work For You
Ailsa McGregor
Overview
• Data Collection ‐ Our Approach • Additional Data Sets
• Real Benefits
• Preparing for the Future
Data Collection
• Duplication of work for all
• No analysis of common themes
• Frustrated SATs
• Lack of knowledge of what data was available
Data Collection ‐ Our Approach • Single contact point
• Single repository
• Minimises duplication of requests
• Informs the way we gather data • Timescales for data and updates
• Used by SATs and other groups
Additional Data Sets
Student Data
Open Day Feedback
Decliners Survey
Recruitment Data for PhDs
DELHI
Module Feedback
Training Register (PG)
Prizes and Awards
Alumni Database
Staff Data
Training Records
Media Profiling
Keynote Speakers
Applications, Awards & Success Rates
Building Audits
Honorary Graduates
Prizes and Awards
Line Managers
Public Engagement
Additional Data Sets
Student Data
Open Day Feedback
Decliners Survey
Recruitment Data for PhDs
DELHI
Module Feedback
Training Register (PG)
Prizes and Awards
Alumni Database
Why Collect It?
Curiosity ‐ why do female graduates not translate into a PhD? Why do our numbers of women drop‐off in some subject areas at PhD level?
Staff Data
Training Records
Media Profiling
Keynote Speakers
What Benefit Do We Get?
Applications, Awards & Success Rates
Review starting this term on the process of advertising, Building Audits
recruiting and selecting PhD students. Already identified Honorary Graduates
that the interview process for PhD students is not as robust as Prizes and Awards
for staff ‐ are there Line Managers
unintentional biases in the system?
Public Engagement
Additional Data Sets
Student Data
Staff Data
Open Day Feedback
Decliners Survey
Recruitment Data for PhDs
DELHI
Module Feedback
Training Register (PG)
Prizes and Awards
Alumni Database
Training Records
Why Collect It?
Identify if there was any difference in uptake from men and women
Media Profiling
Keynote Speakers
Applications, Awards & Success Rates
What Benefit Do We Get?
There was ‐ led to us reviewing Building Audits
how, where and when we advertise and deliver these Honorary Graduates
courses. We have changed the timings, deliver them in more Prizes and Awards
locations across our Exeter and Line Managers
Cornwall campuses and through proactive marketing to women have seen a significant increase Public Engagement
in numbers attending
Additional Data Sets
Student Data
Why Collect It?
Open Day Feedback
Perception this was predominately men, whether talking about a new academic Decliners Survey
initiative or achievement or facilitating an event.
Recruitment Data for PhDs
Staff Data
Training Records
Media Profiling
Keynote Speakers
What Benefit Do We Get?
Applications, Awards & Success Rates
Our RKT events team reviewed their DELHI
process for asking for speakers and Building Audits
facilitators and have built in gender Module Feedback
Honorary Graduates
checks. They provided information on the breakdown of speakers which brought the Training Register (PG)
Prizes and Awards
gender balance sharply into focus. Now they actively seek a gender balance ‐
Line Managers
Prizes and Awards
sharing out the opportunities to both male and female staff, thereby widening Public Engagement
Alumni Database
the pool of people to ask. More positive role models have built‐up the confidence levels of women who have taken part.
Additional Data Sets
Student Data
Staff Data
Open Day Feedback
Training Records
Why Collect It?
Decliners Survey
Media Profiling
Perception that men are more successful at gaining Recruitment Data for PhDs
grant income
DELHI
What Benefit Do We Get?
Statistics showing that women may put in fewer Module Feedback
grant applications but more get awarded as their success Training Register (PG)
rates are higher
•Challenging Perceptions
Prizes and Awards
•Building Confidence of Women
Alumni Database
•True Statistical Analysis vs Anecdotal Views
Keynote Speakers
Applications, Awards & Success Rates
Building Audits
Honorary Graduates
Prizes and Awards
Line Managers
Public Engagement
Real Benefits
‘Hidden Talent’
‘Inspecting the Pipeline’
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• Greater opportunities • Wider range of role models
• NHS academic staff more informed and involved
Inclusive Culture
• Professor Michelle Ryan and Thekla Morgenroth (PhD student)
http://lifesciences.exeter.ac.uk/ab
out/athenaswan/events/
Research Informed
Preparing for the Future
Other Areas
STEM/M
In Depth Analysis
Other Dimensions
HASS
Central
Summary
• Centralised Approach to Data Collection
• Using Additional Data Sets
• Approach & Data Provide Real Benefits
• Ready for What’s Next
Thank You for Listening
A.McGregor@ex.ac.uk
01392 723119
? Speaker question time to any of the
mornings speakers
FOLLOWED BY
Experiential mock panel work
and this continues after lunch