Maynooth University awarded Athena SWAN Bronze Award for work to advance gender equality

Monday, May 7, 2018 - 12:15

Irish Version

Maynooth University has achieved the internationally recognised Athena SWAN Bronze Award for gender equality in higher education institutions.

Athena SWAN accreditation is awarded by the Equality Charter Unit (ECU, recently reconstituted as Advance HE), which works to support equality and diversity for staff and students in higher education institutions across Ireland and the UK.

The original Athena SWAN Charter was established in 2005 to encourage and recognise institutional commitment to advancing the careers of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine (STEMM) in both higher education and research. In 2015, the Charter was expanded to recognise work done in Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and Law; in professional and support roles; in work that considers intersectionality; and efforts to support transgender and gender diverse staff and student populations.

Maynooth University is the first and only institution in Ireland to date to apply for and achieve the Athena SWAN Bronze award under the expanded version of the charter that includes Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences disciplines as well as STEMM. The University is also the first Irish institution to incorporate intersectionality as part of its Athena SWAN application, taking into account the numerous factors than can overlap in discussions of inequality, including the intersections between gender, race and ethnicity.

President of Maynooth University, Professor Philip Nolan, commented: “The Athena SWAN Bronze Institution Award is a welcome recognition of Maynooth University’s collective institutional commitment to advancing gender equality and represents a key milestone for us at an important stage in the University’s development.” 

Professor Linda Connolly, Director of the Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute and Chair of the Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team that prepared the application, stated: “A comprehensive action plan and organisational analysis developed in the last year will now be fully implemented and will produce a range of progressive actions in the University, in the next three years.”

The cornerstone of Maynooth University’s Athena SWAN application is its comprehensive Gender Action Plan for 2018-2021, which is underpinned by the University’s recently renewed Equality and Diversity Policy.

The 57 actions in the plan include the appointment of a Vice-President for Equality, Diversity and Interculturalism, the launch of a Gender Identity and Expression Policy for transgender and gender diverse staff and students, an internal equality data analysis system and gender equality dashboard, and a strategy to address the under-representation of women in different disciplines and grades within the University.  

The Athena SWAN submission indicates that Maynooth University has a higher than average percentage of female Professors, with 42% female Professors in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and close to 31% in the University as a whole (the national average was 19% in 2016). The University commits to take further action to increase the percentage of women promoted to all senior grades, with a specific strategy for the recruitment and promotion of women in the Faculty of Science and Engineering.

Professor Nolan added: “The Gender Equality Action Plan highlights and strengthens Maynooth University’s commitment to progressing gender and intersectional equality. Under the action plan, we will proactively improve the position of women and other underrepresented groups at every level of our institution, including some initiatives which we hope will serve as models of best practice.”
 

Gradam Cré Umha Athena SWAN bronnta ar Ollscoil Mhá Nuad ar son a cuid oibre chun comhionannas inscne a chur a chur ar aghaidh

Tá Gradam Cré Umha Athena SWAN do chomhionannas inscne in institiúidí ardoideachais, bainte amach ag Ollscoil Mhá Nuad. Is gradam é atá aitheanta go hidirnáisiúnta.

Bronntar creidiúniú Athena SWAN ag Aonad na Cairte Comhionannais (ECU, a athbhunaíodh le déanaí mar Advance HE), eagraíocht a oibríonn chun tacú le comhionannas a bhaint amach do bhaill foirne agus do mhic léinn in institiúidí ardoideachais ar fud na hÉireann agus na Ríochta Aontaithe.

Bunaíodh bunchairt Athena SWAN sa bhliain 2005 le spreagadh agus le haitheantas a thabhairt do thiomantas institiúide chun gairmeacha na mban san ardoideachas agus i gcúrsaí taighde i réimsí na hEolaíochta, na Teicneolaíochta, na hInnealtóireachta, na Matamaitice agus an Leighis (STEMM) a chur chun cinn. Sa bhliain 2015, leathnaíodh an chairt le haitheantas a thabhairt  don obair a dhéantar sna hEalaíona, sna Daonnachtaí, sna hEolaíochtaí Sóisialta, sa Ghnó agus sa Dlí; i róil ghairmiúla agus tacaíochta; in obair a chuireann trasnachas san áireamh; agus sna hiarrachtaí a thacaíonn leis na baill foirne agus leis na mic léinn atá trasinscneach agus atá éagsúil ó thaobh inscne de.

Is í Ollscoil Mhá Nuad an chéad agus an t-aon institiúid in Éirinn go dtí seo a bhfuil iarratas déanta aici ar Ghradam Cré Umha Athena SWAN faoin leagan leathnaithe den chairt, cairt a chuireann disciplíní na nEalaíon, na nDaonnachtaí agus na nEolaíochtaí Sóisialta san áireamh chomh maith leis na disciplíní STEMM. Is í an Ollscoil seo an chéad institiúid in Éirinn a bhfuil trasnachas curtha san áireamh aici san iarratas ar Athena SWAN, agus a chuireann tosca éagsúla san áireamh, tosca a chomhtharlaíonn sa phlé ar an neamhionannas, lena n-áirítear an trasnachas idir inscne, cine agus eitneacht.

Bhí an méid seo le rá ag an Ollamh Pilib Ó Nualláin, Uachtarán Ollscoil Mhá Nuad: “Cuirimid fáilte roimh an aitheantas atá tugtha ag gradam Cré Umha Athena Swan do thiomantas comhchoiteann Ollscoil Mhá Nuad i dtaca le comhionannas inscne. Is sprioc chinniúnach í seo dúinne ag tréimhse thábhachtach i bhforbairt na hOllscoile.”

Dúirt an tOllamh Linda Connolly, Stiúrthóir ar Institiúid Eolaíochtaí Sóisialta Ollscoil Mhá Nuad (MUSSI) agus cathaoirleach ar Fhoireann Féinmheasúnaithe Athena SWAN, foireann a d’ullmhaigh an t-iarratas féin: “Cuirfear plean gníomhaíochta cuimsitheach agus anailís eagraíochta a forbraíodh le bliain anuas i bhfeidhm anois agus déanfar réimse de ghníomhartha forchéimnitheacha san Ollscoil sa trí bliana atá romhainn.”

Tá Plean Gníomhaíochta um Inscne 2018 – 2021, de chuid Ollscoil Mhá Nuad lárnach don iarratas ar Ghradam Athena SWAN. Is plean é atá bunaithe ar Pholasaí Comhionannais agus Éagsúlachta na hOllscoile agus a ndearnadh athnuachan air le déanaí.

Tá seacht ngníomh agus caoga sa phlean lena n-áirítear ceapachán Leas-Uachtaráin um Chomhionannas, Éagsúlacht agus Idirchultúrachas, seoladh Pholasaí maidir le Féiniúlacht agus Léiriú Inscne do bhaill foirne agus do mhic léinn atá trasinscneach agus atá éagsúil ó thaobh inscne de  chomh maith le córas inmheánach anailíse sonraí, clár um chomhionannas inscne, agus straitéis  chun dul i ngleic le gannionadaíocht na mban i ndisciplíní agus i ngráid éagsúla laistigh den Ollscoil.

Léiríonn aighneacht Athena SWAN go bhfuil céatadán na nOllúna ar mná iad os cionn an mheáin in Ollscoil Mhá Nuad. Is mná iad 42 faoin gcéad de na hOllúna sna hEalaíona, sna Daonnachtaí agus sna hEolaíochtaí Sóisialta. Is mná iad beagnach 31 faoin gcéad de na hOllúna san Ollscoil ar an iomlán (ba é 19 faoin gcéad an meán náisiúnta sa bhliain 2016.) Tá an Ollscoil  dírithe ar bhreis gníomhartha le céatadán na mban a fhaigheann ardú céime chuig na gráid sinsearacha go léir a ardú, le straitéis ar leith a bheith ann chun mná a earcú i nDámh na hEolaíochta agus na hInnealtóireachta, agus ardú céime a thabhairt dóibh. 

Chuir an tOllamh Ó Nualláin leis an méid sin: “Cuireann an Plean Gníomhaíochta um Chomhionannas Inscne béim ar an tiomantas atá ag Ollscoil Mhá Nuad comhionannas inscne agus trasnach a chur chun cinn, agus láidríonn sé an tiomantas sin. Faoin bplean gníomhaíochta seo, cuirfidh muid feabhas go réamhghníomhach ar staid na mban agus staid na ngrúpaí eile atá faoi ghannionadaíocht ag gach leibhéal san institiúid seo againne. Déanfar é seo trí roinnt tionscadal a bheidh ina samplaí den dea-chleachtas, tá súil againn.”