Our recent renewal of the Athena Swan Bronze Award shows that IER has progressed on all gender equality indicators since its last award. This progress is just one of the positive results from the renewal. Progress is especially seen in the area of staff work-life balance, which was a key issue in the previous application. Nearly all staff now respond favourably to their work-life balance situation now compared with only one in three in 2018.

Recognition of its efforts to promote gender equality, progression and representation through the renewal of its Athena Swan Bronze award is a significant achievement for IER. It is a success for all IER staff and a testament to all the hard work from everyone involved in making the submission, not least Dr Jamelia Harris, Professor Trine P. Larsen and Catherine Vassallo, IER’s Administrator, who led the submission with support from the Self-Assessment Team.

Director of IER, Chris Warhurst, said:

“I’m delighted that we’ve been successful again in securing the Athena Swan Bronze Award. We strive to make IER a good place to work where everyone feels valued. There’s always more to do and I look forward to the next phase of work within the Institute to further promote gender equality.”

The Athena Swan panel commented:

"… an Institute that really cares about its staff and student communities and is invested in gender equality work regardless of awards.”

In the coming years, IER will build on its successful gender equality efforts and continue to improve gender equality in policies and procedures through shared ownership. This commitment is evident in the Institute’s new Athena Swan Action Plan and the dedicated team of staff that will implement it. Over the next few years, we will focus on addressing and increasing the visibility of “hidden” work, which is often cited as an important factor contributing to gender inequalities, and strengthen the existing sense of community within the Institute.