Athena Swan in the College

The College of Life Sciences is committed to providing a good working environment for its staff and students. In April 2020 the College received a Silver Athena Swan award, followed by a Gold award in January 2026.

This national award is in recognition of the actions over many years across the Schools and Departments of our College, the impact they have had, and our work to support others to succeed in progressing gender equality.

This positive action in the form of good practice that arises from implementation of the Athena Swan ethos is of benefit to everyone in higher education, irrespective of gender.

Our College level award replaces previous individual school and department awards; 5 Silver and 2 Bronze at the time of our College Silver application. 

Contact the CLS Athena Swan team and learn more about Athena Swan at Leicester.

Read our Silver Athena Swan submission and action plan (PDF, 15.6 MB) 

About the Athena Swan Charter

The Athena Swan Charter recognises advancements in gender equality: representation, progression and success for all. The Charter was established in June 2005, to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and research. The Charter was expanded in May 2015 to recognise work undertaken in arts, humanities, social sciences, business and law, and in professional and support roles, and for transgender staff and students.

The importance of Athena Swan

The Charter examines the progression of students into academia, the journey through career milestones and how gender may affect these areas, and the working environment for all staff. We know that women are under-represented in science - the more senior the role, the greater the deficit. In some disciplines there is significant under-representation of women at all levels. Disciplines with under-representation run the risk of missing talented people it would otherwise gain and retain, and disciplines dominated by one gender are likely to have an unbalanced approach.

Find out more about Athena Swan on a national level.