Athena SWAN 10th Anniversary Workshop
Athena SWAN workshop - Intersectionality
Intersectionality is a framework for thinking about how various forms of inequalities are
interconnected for minority women and other under-represented groups. This includes issues of
sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism (thinking of the world solely from the
perspective of able-bodied experiences), class discrimination, amongst others.
Inclusion in the application
The 10th principle of the post-May 2015 Athena SWAN Charter is:
“All individuals have identities shaped by several different factors. We commit to
considering the intersection of gender and other factors wherever possible.”
At bronze and silver level, institutions are expected to consider the role of the intersection
of gender with ethnicity for both academic and professional and support staff. At Bronze
level, if it is not possible for the institution to cover this within the application (e.g. because
of lack of data), the panel will expect to see that appropriate actions have been put in place
(e.g. actions to improve collection of data). At Silver level, an explanation of any actions
implemented and their impact should be provided. ECU encourages consideration of the
intersection of gender with other variables too, but recognises that it is not feasible to ask
for significant detail within the context of an Athena SWAN application and therefore asks
no specific questions in the Athena SWAN forms. The following scenarios aim to give a
flavour of the depth of thought required, and ask you to consider how you might address
issues of intersectionality in your action plan. You should consider what challenges your
institution faces.
CASE STUDY 1: Diane is a Black, UK-born woman of Caribbean background in the final six
months of her three-year postdoc contract. She identifies as queer and has been a member
of several LGBT+ and anti-racism activist groups at her university. Diane has been applying
for several teaching and research positions in the UK as well as overseas but has not yet
secured her next contract. She is worried that her current supervisor may be giving her poor
references given that her most recent performance review stated she is passionate but
confrontational, but did not praise her multiple publications and her leadership of the
working group on theoretical chemistry for the International Association of BME Chemists.
Diane’s colleagues think she is “too PC.” She feels them rolling their eyes when she talks
about homophobia and racism in STEM. “Let’s focus on the science,” they say. Diane has
become disillusioned about her career prospects. She has been thinking about her former
Honours supervisor who discouraged her from pursuing a PhD, saying she would never
make it in academia. She is worried she may prove him right. Diane is considering leaving
research but is unsure about her other options.
Discuss: How would your action plan consider intersectionality measures to address the
multiple disadvantages that are forcing Diane to consider leaving academia?
Athena SWAN 10th Anniversary Workshop
CASE STUDY 2: Tobi is an associate professor in computer science. She is of mixed-ethnic
background, with an English mother and Chinese father. Tobi has recently approached her
department head about switching to part-time work. It took a lot of courage to initiate the
conversation as Tobi has always felt pressure to work twice as hard as her male colleagues.
Tobi was devastated when her department head told her to reconsider how part-time work
might affect her tenure-track position. Tobi feels uncomfortable telling her department
head that she was recently diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. She feels
overburdened by her various committee roles that leave her little time for research. To
make matters worse, Tobi’s colleagues often make sexist and homophobic “jokes.” These
remarks act as “micro-aggressions” (casual comments that “add up” over time and serve as
reminder that someone is an “outsider”). Tobi’s colleagues do not know she identifies as
bisexual; they presume she is heterosexual because she is married to a man. Tobi is worried
about being stigmatised for having a disability when she is already managing multiple
stereotypes. She is wary of reaching out to the university disability community, which is run
by White staff, as she’s had bad experiences with LGBT+ groups that alienated her because
of her Asian heritage and bisexual status.
Discuss: How would institutional policies ensure that someone in Tobi’s position could
successfully continue her career progression in a supportive workplace environment?