The School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics was awarded an Athena Swan Silver Award in May 2026, building on the Bronze Award received in 2021.
The Silver Award recognises the progress the School has made in advancing gender equality, as well as our commitment to continuing this work through sustained self-assessment, consultation and targeted action. Our application was informed by extensive quantitative and qualitative analysis, including staff and student culture surveys, focus groups, reviews of policies and working practices, and evaluation of progress against our previous action plan.
The Athena Swan assessment panel described the application as “strong and well-evidenced” and commended the School’s mature and reflective approach to gender equality. The panel particularly welcomed:
- the integration of equality, diversity and inclusion within the School’s leadership and governance structures
- the representative and inclusive Self-Assessment Team
- the thoughtful use of data and consultation
- the clear, measurable and impact-focused nature of the new Action Plan.
Our Self-Assessment Team
The application was led by Dr Sam Rawlings, then School Diversity and Inclusion Lead, and was developed by a Self-Assessment Team bringing together colleagues from all three departments, Professional Services, and the undergraduate and postgraduate research student communities.
The Academic staff and Professional Services members of the team were: Dr Sam Rawlings, Dr Rufaida Al Hashmi, Dr Luke Elson, Dr Jumbly Grindrod, Dr Neha Hui, Dr Adam Humphreys, Professor Sarah Jewell, Dr Anwesha Mukhurjee, Dr Jade Siu, Rachel Tregidgo, Professor Sarah von Billerbeck, and Professor Shixuan Wang.
The Self-Assessment Team also benefited from the contributions of undergraduate and postgraduate student representatives, including Sayantani Ghosh and Elsie Cooke among others. We are grateful to all the students who contributed their time and perspectives to the application.
We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the application, including those who completed surveys, participated in focus groups, provided data and evidence, or commented on the emerging priorities and Action Plan.
Our priorities for 2026–2031
Our new five-year Athena Swan Action Plan builds on the progress made under the Bronze Award while addressing areas where inequalities remain or further work is needed. Its five priorities are:
- Belonging and inclusive culture: Strengthening staff and student communities, inclusive learning environments, peer networks and awareness of available support.
- Supporting postgraduate research progression and academic career development: Improving professional development, community and career support for postgraduate research students, and addressing barriers to timely progression and completion.
- Enhancing staff career development, mentoring and recognition: Providing more targeted mentoring and career support, improving support for research funding applications, and ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion contributions are appropriately recognised.
- Embedding inclusive ways of working, wellbeing and accountability: Strengthening support for flexible working and caring responsibilities, understanding gendered experiences of workload and wellbeing, improving awareness of reporting and support routes, and ensuring robust monitoring of progress.
- Strengthening student pipelines: Addressing gender imbalances in undergraduate conversion and postgraduate research recruitment, particularly in disciplines where women remain under-represented.
The Silver Award is an important milestone rather than an end point. Responsibility for delivering and monitoring the Action Plan is embedded within the School's existing governance structures, with oversight from the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and regular reporting to the School Management Board.
