MU Athena SWAN 'culture' survey
Maynooth University's Athena SWAN self-assessment team invites academic staff to participate in a ‘culture’ survey that will inform a Gender Equality Action Plan as part of the university's application for a Bronze Instititutional Award to Athena Swan. This application will be submitted to the Equality Challenge Unit on the 30th of November 2017.
We estimate that it will take about 15 to 20 minutes of your time to complete the questionnaire. Risks to participants are considered minimal. Your participation in this survey is voluntary. You may decline to answer any question and you have the right to withdraw your participation in it, at any time.
Aim of the Survey
The aim of this survey is to identify concrete actions to enhance gender equality policies and practices in the University. The findings will help the University understand how female and male staff experience their working environment. The survey will also identify actions to develop equality of opportunity in key areas. It is designed for academic staff at all stages of their career. A series of focus groups will be held in September with broader categories of staff.
Annual reporting from the University to the HEA already includes the collection of general statistical information about all staff in the University (such as aggregate data on pay, promotions, grades etc. according to gender), which will be used to inform the Athena Swan application. This survey focuses on gathering additional data and information, in the following key areas:
a) Staff Diversity
b) Employment
c) Institutional Culture
d) Equality Practices and Policies
e) Maternity/Adoption Leave
f) Childcare
g) Leave/flexible Working Practices
h) Career Progression and Development
i) Workloads/Work-life Balance
j) Advancing Gender Equality at Maynooth University
In each section, please answer as many questions as possible on the survey, based on your experience. There are also open ended boxes if you wish to type in any additional comments you have in each section.
Note: optional questions in relation to staff diversity are asked in section (a) in order to identify potential gender equality actions in relation to intersectional categories (such as, disability, sexualities, race, ethnicity, age and gender), which is a requirement of the Athena Swan Institutional Bronze Award application form (see www.ecu.ac.uk for further details).
Confidentiality
All responses returned are anonymous and findings will just be used to inform the Athena SWAN Action Plan.
Data protection and confidentiality statement: All responses to this questionnaire will remain anonymous. In any feedback to Management and/or staff and students, we will not attribute any responses to any individual. Please do not name individuals in any of the comments in the survey - any such replies will be excluded.
A limited number of one research team member will have access to the questionnaires downloaded during data collection and a confidentiality guarantee has been signed. All individual questionnaires will be stripped from the final dataset and deleted when data is collected.
We have taken all reasonable measures to protect your identity and responses. The questions in this survey do not ask you to reveal your identity, the data are SSL encrypted and stored in a password protected database held by one researcher, and IP addresses are not collected. However, it is also suggested that you clear the computer’s cache and browser history to protect your privacy after completing the survey.
Further Queries
If you have any questions about the survey, please send an email to athenaswan@mu.ie or call the MU Athena SWAN Self-Assessement Team Chair, Professor Linda Connolly on (01) 708 3350 or the Athena SWAN Project Officer Claire McGing on (01) 708 6602. You may also request a hard copy of the survey.
Completing the Survey
Please return all completed surveys by 5pm on Friday the 30th of June.
IN ORDER TO PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE SURVEY, CLICK HERE: https://maynoothuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/maynooth-university-athena-swan-culture-survey-3