By Dr Cathie Draycott, Associate Professor
What was the key change/highlight within your department to receive the award?
We recently received a Silver Award from the Athena SWAN Charter. Our Bronze Award Action Plan had a number of goals toward balancing the visibility of women in our department, through roles and visual media, and supporting career development for all, so it is difficult to pinpoint one key change.
Since our Bronze Award in 2017 the proportion of female professorial level staff increased 33%, and we saw a decrease in attrition of female students from UG through to PGR level, as well decrease in attrition of females entering postdoctoral level roles.
We have ensured our workload is gender balanced and ensured equitable sharing of key management roles, with our departmental committees, including department management group, selection committees and the departmental promotion and progression panel all gender balanced. AdvanceHE commended the systemic cross-referencing of the EDI Committee and all other departmental committees, and systemic embedding of data monitoring and regular reporting, from exam performance to seminar speakers.
Overall, the departmental culture has significantly changed to accommodate those with families and caring responsibilities, becoming a more caring, listening and supportive community.
Department of Archaeology IWD 2023. (photo credit Alexander Jansen)
Why does your department feel this is an important agenda to contribute to?
We feel it is essential to ensure that a diverse community can participate in the project of reconstructing and understanding the human past. As archaeologists, we are keenly aware of how reconstructions are affected by unconscious biases, which we all have, and that our field needs multiple voices to effectively calibrate the histories we write. The Athena Swan framework allowsus to identify any potential structural disadvantages and put measures in place to ensure we continually and consistently reflect on equality, diversity and inclusivity in our Department and Archaeological community more broadly.
How does/has this benefitted your staff?
We conduct biennial surveys which have shown an increase in staff satisfaction in the distribution of work and the gender representation in leadership of the department. Members of all genders, both PS and Academic staff, staff increasingly feel the department stresses a better work-life balance and a greater sense of community, this is, for example, reflected in the confidence and the progression of women to senior roles in the department, and in our Archaeological Services professional unit.
Publicity banners for the department, balancing representation of genders and ethnic backgrounds.
How does this positively impact current/prospective students and staff?
The changes we have seen in our department create a better prospect for those entering it. There is greater visibility of women, as well as BAME people and people with caring responsibilities, in leadership positions, as well as specific attention given to providing stepping-stones for career development. This goes for students as well; we have initiated mentoring schemes, career-enhancing workshops, placement schemes and PGR funds to boost CV-enriching activities.
Pride flags on display in the Archaeology Department’s main hall – a permanent feature.
How does your department plan to build on this for future?
Our Athena SWAN Silver Award Action Plan includes 30 new measures including working towards a representative balance in the gender of students at UG and PGT level. We will be continuing to enhance our mentoring schemes and career-development programme of staff and students to ensure we maintain a diverse community and equal access to career progression. We have also instituted new systems of recording and reviewing our progress and aim to work with other departments in the university toward a common goal of best-practices in both data collection and employment culture spheres. We are just about to launch our fourth biennial staff and student culture surveys!
Find out more:
/prod01/prodbucket01/media/durham-university/professional-services/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/86245-1-2999X718.jpg)