Equality charters and benchmarking

Athena Swan 

The Athena Swan Charter recognises commitment to addressing unequal gender representation across academic disciplines and professional and support functions. Its aim is towards the advancement of gender equality, representation, progression and success for all.

The expanded Athena Swan Charter

Athena Swan is the longest running of Advance HE’s equality charters and was established to encourage advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research. In 2015 the charter was expanded to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law (AHSSBL), in professional and support roles and for trans staff and students. Also to recognise work undertaken to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women. In 2021 the charter was further enhanced to support greater inclusivity for people in all roles, of all gender identities, and those facing intersectional inequalities.

Athena Swan covers women, and men where appropriate, in:

• academic roles in STEMM and AHSSBL
• professional, technical and operational roles
• trans staff and students.

It addresses:

• representation
• progression of students into academia
• journey through career milestones
• working environment for all staff.

Our progress 

The university joined the Athena Swan charter in 2012, achieving its bronze institutional award in 2013, reaccredited in 2016. In 2021 the university proudly achieved institutional silver, demonstrating progress and impact in embedded gender equality across the institution.

As well as our institutional award, the following award are held within the schools:

School of Applied Sciences:

• School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences – Silver
• School of Environment and Technology – Silver

School of Architecture, Technology and Engineering:

• School of Computing, Engineering and Maths – Bronze
• School of Environment and Technology – Silver

School of Art and Media:

• School of Media – Bronze
• School of Art – Bronze
• School of Sport and Service Management – Bronze

School of Business and Law – Bronze

School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences

• School of Education – Bronze
• School of Health Sciences – Bronze
• School of Sport and Service Management – Bronze
• School of Applied Social Science – Bronze

School of Humanities and Social Science:

• School of Applied Social Science – Bronze

Brighton and Sussex Medical School – Sliver

Our ambition

Addressing unequal gender representation and the working environment for all staff is a key priority for the university and is integral to the university strategy: Practical Wisdom. As a necessary step in achieving gender equality, the university is committed to all schools achieving Bronze Awards.

For more information regarding gender equality at the university, and the actions and initiatives we are undertaking to advance this, please see our latest Athena Swan institutional submission and action plan (pdf).

Disability Confident 

The university is a Disability Confident employer; a government scheme replacing the 'Two Ticks' initiative to support disability equality in staff recruitment and retention practices. This move enables our on-going commitment to employing people with disabilities and health conditions, as well as ensuring every possible opportunity to progress at the university.

Disability Confident is a voluntary scheme that has been developed in partnership with disabled people’s representatives. It is a Jobcentre Plus initiative for employers who are taking action to meet commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of employees with disabilities. These commitments are integral to the university’s strategy promise to enable our staff and liberate talent.

As a Disability Confident Employer we are committed to:

• undertaking the Disability Confident self-assessment
• taking all of the core actions to be a Disability Confident Employer
• offering at least one activity to get the right people for our business and at least one activity to keep and develop our people.

Our progress

The university is a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, which recognises our demonstrable action to ensure disabled people have a fair chance to work for and progress at the university. The university has a higher representation of staff with declared disabilities (9.5%) than the UK Higher Education sector average (5.3%) and disabled applicants to the university have good success rates (2019–20 Annual Staff Monitoring Report).

The university’s Disability and Carers Equality Champion is Matt Kitson, Director of Estates and Facilities Management, who represents concerns relating to equality for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions and those with caring responsibilities at the University Executive Board.

A working group represented by the Disability and Carer’s Staff Network, guides progress on Disability Confident, which is reported to the Equality and Diversity Committee.

Our ambition

The university signed the Time to Change Employer Pledge in 2017, in order to change how we think and act about mental health in the workplace and make sure that employees who are facing these problems feel supported.

The actions from the Time to Change Pledge reviewed by the working group in 2020 aim to accelerate progress particularly in relation to mental health support during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Race Equality Charter Mark 

The Race Equality Charter is aimed at improving the representation, progression and success of minority ethnic staff and students within higher education. It provides a framework through which institutions work to identify and self-reflect on institutional and cultural barriers standing in the way of minority ethnic staff and students. It covers:

• professional and support staff
• academic staff
• student progression and attainment
• diversity of the curriculum

The Race Equality Charter was developed in 2014 following the impact Athena Swan has had in gender equality. The University of Brighton participated in the trial framework with 21 other volunteer institutions, resulting in eight institutions receiving a Bronze Award. Following participation in 2015, the university increased capacity and resources to fully meet the expectations of the scheme.

A Bronze award recognises that a university has a foundation for eliminating racial inequalities and developing an inclusive culture that values all staff and students. This is underpinned by core principles: that racial inequalities are a significant issue within Higher Education, and exist in the context of racism in UK society which manifests itself in everyday situations, processes and behaviours.

The principles identify that individuals from all ethnic backgrounds must be enabled to benefit equally from the opportunities that Higher Education affords, recognising differing intersecting identities and experiences amongst Minority Ethnic staff and students. Importantly the principles require the solutions to racial inequalities to be aimed at achieving long-term institutional culture change and avoiding a deficit model where solutions are aimed at changing the individual.

Our progress 

The university was successful in achieving a Bronze Award for the application submitted in July 2019. The award is valid for five years until 2024. This application was the culmination of a two year project undertaking a comprehensive self-assessment of race equality across the institution, including analysis of staff and student data, staff and student consultation in the 2018 Race Equality Surveys and focus groups, and developing a robust action plan aimed at achieving long-term institutional culture change.

The university’s involvement and advancement in regards to the Race Equality Charter is guided by the REC Steering Group, which is chaired by the university’s Race and Faith Equality Champion, Professor Andrew Lloyd, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Operations), and has representation from academic, professional and support staff from across our university and colleagues from the Staff Race and Faith Staff Network, our Trade Unions and Brighton Students' Union.

Our ambition 

Addressing unequal representation and progression for Minority Ethnic staff and students is a key priority for the university, and integral to the University Strategy 2019-2025: Practical Wisdom.

The Race Equality Steering Group will monitor implementation of the Action Plan which will be formally reported to the Equality and Diversity Committee chaired by the Vice-Chancellor on a quarterly basis.

Stonewall 

Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT+) rights charity in Europe.

Stonewall Diversity Champion programme

The university is a proud Stonewall Diversity Champion. The programme supports and promotes fair practice in relation to the employment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff, and our role as a Stonewall Diversity Champion is integral to our commitment to equality for LGBTQ+ staff and students.

Like Stonewall, we know that people perform better when they can be themselves. By being a Stonewall Diversity Champion, we are taking action as part of Britain’s leading employers' programme for LGBTQ+ people, to ensure that all lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff are accepted without exception in the workplace.

Workplace Equality Index

The Workplace Equality Index (WEI) is the leading best-practice employers' forum for sexual orientation and gender identity equality, diversity and inclusion, and a benchmarking tool used by employers to help ensure all LGBTQ+ employees can be themselves in the workplace. The WEI receives applications from private, public and charitable organisations annually and employers demonstrate their work in ten areas of employment policy and practice, from training to community engagement. This is used alongside the results of an anonymous staff survey to determine ranking. The university has committed to applying to the index every five years, in line with other equality submissions to Advance HE’s Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter. In 2024 we became a Gold award holder after placing at number 14 in the list of top 100 employers. Previously to this, in 2019 we placed at number 72.

Our progress

The university’s LGBTQ+ Equality Champion is Julie Fryatt, Director of People, who represents concerns relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality at the University Executive Board.

Following the 2024 results of the Workplace Equality Index where the university ranked at 14 out the top 100 employers, the university will be using feedback from Stonewall to inform a new LGBTQ+ action plan, which will build on and enhance work which is currently being done to support LGBTQ+ inclusion across the university.

Our ambition

Ensuring equality for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff is a key priority for the university, and integral to the university strategy 2019–2025: Practical Wisdom. Our commitment is high profile and we actively support a number of campaigns across the city as part of this work. As part of our commitment to achieving LGBTQ+ equality, the university aimed to rank within the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index Top 100 by 2020–21 and exceeded this goal by being placed 72nd in the 2019 WEI and reaching 14 in 2024. 

The LGBTQ+ Action Plan Group will continue to oversee our LGBTQ+ equality work and our institutional action plan will be updated to reflect feedback from Stonewall on areas where progress is needed to achieve best practice. Action plans for our Stonewall WEI and LGBTQ+ equality work will be published here as they become available.