Royal Holloway, University of London has achieved an institutional Silver Athena Swan award, recognising the University’s commitment to challenging practices of exclusion and discrimination.
The award also recognises that Royal Holloway is striving to ensure all students and staff, regardless of gender, feel included and supported to thrive.
Athena Swan provides universities with a framework that can be used to carry out an honest and comprehensive self-appraisal process with a view to understanding the context of gender equality, assessing progress, and identifying where Royal Holloway needs to focus its efforts to improve its systems and culture.
During the process, Royal Holloway underwent a thorough examination of a range of data, including recruitment, progression, and student representation across subjects.
By identifying where Royal Holloway has made progress and impact so far, it allowed the University to pinpoint areas that require focus in the future. This led to the development of a new five-year gender equality action plan, which identifies evidence-based priorities, including action to address intersectional inequalities.
Professor Julie Sanders, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Royal Holloway said: “Earning a Silver Award is a huge achievement, but also a huge responsibility. I am very proud of all the hard work students and staff have carried out across the University to create an increasingly equitable and inclusive environment for everyone.”
Professor Laura Sjoberg, Director of the Gender Institute at Royal Holloway, added: “It is a great time to celebrate our accomplishments and get ambitious about our future work to improve inclusivity at Royal Holloway.”
