Athena Swan at University of Galway

Athena Swan at University of Galway

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework that is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality in higher education and research. 

The Irish Athena Swan Framework is used as tool to drive systematic, long term change at multiple levels across the University. There is a collaborative synergy between the Athena Swan work carried out at School/Unit level and the activity driven at institutional level. Athena Swan action plans specific to the School/Unit context compliment and reinforce the Athena Swan actions taking place at a broader institutional level and vice versa. There is a clear line of communication from the individual staff member who expresses their views through local and institutional level consultation (surveys/focus groups etc.) all the way to the most senior levels of the organisation.

Two fundamental principles of the gender equality programme, and Athena Swan, are:

• That the real lived experiences and opinions of staff can and should have a direct impact on how this work is shaped.
• That all policies, procedures and changes made should be re-evaluated for their effectiveness on an ongoing basis.