Gender Equality Plan

The University of London continues to build on the founding ideals of equality, inclusivity, diversity to champion inclusive cultures, structures and journeys enabling our collective expertise and strengthen our connections nationally and worldwide. This speaks to part of our strategic direction which states that “we will confront UoL’s own past through the lens of diversity and work to tackle racism, homophobia, sexism, religious and all forms of discrimination and exclusion.”

The University of London is committed to delivering on the Race Equality Charter and Athena SWAN initiatives and supporting wider frameworks for inclusion across the University of London.  In 2022 the University of London was awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze Award cementing our foundation to advance gender equality.

We fulfil the below Horizon Europe Gender Equality Plan Mandatory requirements:

Public commitment to Gender Equality

The GEP must be a formal document published on the institution’s website, signed by the top management and actively communicated within the institution. It should demonstrate a commitment to gender equality, set clear goals and detailed actions and measures to achieve them.

The University of London is a member and Bronze award holder of the Athena Swan Charter and is sponsored by the Vice-Chancellor. This recognition highlights the University’s commitment to inclusion and the positive actions that it has taken to promote gender equality. The Athena SWAN work is are overseen by the Gender Equality Implementation Group (GEIG), co-chaired by Marie Ennis (Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Recruitment) and Emma Rees (Executive Director of Estates and Property Services). The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

More about our commitments under Athen SWAN Charter are available on this page: https://www.london.ac.uk/about/equality-diversity-inclusion

Team and dedicated resources to lead and implement actions

A GEP must have dedicated resources and expertise in gender equality to implement the plan. Organisations should consider what type and volume of resources are required to support an ongoing process of sustainable organisational change.

The Office for Equality and Inclusion sits within the Partnerships and Governance directorate at the University of London, providing strategic leadership, guidance, and support to advance the University’s commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and collaboration. The team offers strategic and expert advice on equality and inclusion matters, fostering thought leadership and best practices with our federation members and across the sector, and facilitating key initiatives such as Athena SWAN and the Race Equality Charter. 

In addition to the department responsible for overseeing the overarching equality and inclusion agendas, the Gender Equality Implementation Group (GEIG), is an institution-wide committee that plays a pivotal role in overseeing and monitoring progress on our gender equality action plan. The group meets five times per year and is committed to raising awareness of gender equality cultures and practices throughout the University of London community.

Data collection and monitoring

Organisations must collect sex/gender disaggregated data on personnel (and students, for the establishments concerned) with annual reporting based on indicators. Organisations should consider how to select the most relevant indicators, how to collect and analyse the data, including resources to do so, and should ensure that data is published and monitored on an annual basis. This data should inform the GEP’s objectives and targets, indicators, and ongoing evaluation of progress.

The University publishes equality and diversity data under ‘Our data’ on the following page: https://www.london.ac.uk/about/equality-diversity-inclusion - previous Annual Equality and Diversity Reports, and Gender Pay Gap Reports, can also be found on this page.

Equality and Inclusion Annual Report 2020–2021 | University of London

Gender Pay Gap Report - University of London 2023

Training

The GEP must also include awareness-raising and training actions on gender equality. These activities should engage the whole organisation and be an evidence-based, ongoing and long-term process. Activities should cover unconscious gender biases training aimed at staff and decision-makers and can also include communication activities and gender equality training that focuses on specific topics or addresses specific groups.

The Learning and Development (L&D) Team, in collaboration with the Office for Equality and Inclusion, offers equality-themed training courses, including the mandatory staff training course ‘Equality and Diversity Briefing,’ which covers the value of diversity and the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination and harassment. Staff members are required to retake the course every two years. Hiring managers and recruitment panel members must complete ‘Recruitment & Selection Training.’ This course aims to enhance learners’ understanding of fair recruitment processes and equality legislation. It also explores the impact of different types of bias, including gender bias, and the importance of structures to mitigate these effects.