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A study from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine has found that the Athena SWAN scheme tackles multiple factors more comprehensively than other initiatives.

Circular diagram showing Athena Swan domains

Established in the UK in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine, Athena SWAN is now widely adopted in the UK and has spread globally. Despite the widespread adoption of Athena SWAN, there is a paucity of research on the design and implementation of Athena SWAN action plans.

So, a team of researchers from Aarhus University, RDM, and the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre analysed the design and implementation of 16 departmental Athena SWAN Silver action plans in the Medical Sciences Division of the University of Oxford.

The study showed that Athena SWAN is the single most comprehensive gender equality scheme in Europe. RDM’s Pavel Ovseiko explained: “Given that the complex mix of factors produces barriers for women in science, an equally complex intervention is required to address them. Athena SWAN does this more comprehensively than any other single scheme in Europe by focusing systemic interventions on all genders, career stages, and categories of staff. Yet, Athena SWAN can be further strengthened based on Europe’s best practice of Responsible Research and Innovation in promoting the integration of sex and gender analysis in research and education”.

The study interpreted these empirical findings using complexity theory and showed that Athena SWAN Silver action plans conform to the key considerations of complexity such as having multiple actions and areas of intervention, focusing on the local dynamics, the non-linearity of interventions, and the constantly emerging conditions.

Read the full story on the Radcliffe Department of Medicine website

Find out more about Athena SWAN in the Medical Sciences Division