Athena Swan Charter

Athena Swan Silver Award

The University of Stirling is proud to hold an institutional Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our commitment to advancing gender equality across the university.

Our Silver Award

The Athena Swan Charter is used globally to support and transform gender equality within higher education and research.

The University of Stirling was awarded an institutional Athena Swan Silver award in 2024, validating our ongoing work and commitment to gender equality and inclusion. This award recognises that the university has:

  • Made significant progress on gender equality since our institutional Bronze award in 2017
  • Demonstrated the impact of our Athena Swan action plans
  • Taken an intersectional approach to our work on equality
  • Embedded Athena Swan principles in our policies, practices, and culture

About Athena Swan

The Athena Swan Charter provides a comprehensive approach for institutions to assess their gender equality practices, identify areas for improvement, and implement positive changes. Higher education institutions that participate in the Athena Swan Charter can apply for awards at both the institutional and departmental levels, acknowledging their commitment and progress towards creating more inclusive academic environments.

The University of Stirling has been a charter member since 2011. In 2024, we were awarded an institutional Athena Silver Award, building on our work in 2017 when we were awarded the institutional Athena Swan Bronze Award.

Principal wearing a black suit and smiling in a hallway.
Professor Sir Gerry McCormac FRSE, FSA, FRSA, FHEA
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
We are delighted to be recognised by Athena Swan for the important steps we have taken towards gender equality and inclusion. I would like to thank all who helped achieve this. We are committed to continuing work in this area. Our Strategic Plan outlines our ambition to make a positive impact and be a force for good in the world – with inclusion and equality high on our agenda.

Key Achievements

Some highlights from our most recent institutional submission include:

  • Investment in our academic staff has increased by 5% since 2022 and representation of women has also increased, growing our pool of female academic leaders by 5.2% between 2018-2024.
  • 44% of our Professors are now female compared to the sector benchmark of 30%, 60% of our senior management team are women
  • Our gender pay gap has narrowed by 4.8% since 2021
  • Implementation of the Agile Working Framework, which has demonstrably progressed our inclusive working culture
  • Sector-leading approach to tackling gender-based violence
  • Dedicated academic promotions training focused on underrepresented demographics

Several of our faculties and departments also hold Athena Swan awards:

If you want to find out more about our application, please contact us at equality@stir.ac.uk.