Faculty of Arts and Humanities Achieves Athena Swan Bronze Award
The Athena Swan Charter is a global framework aimed at promoting gender equality in higher education and research. Initially launched in Ireland in 2015, the charter focused on advancing the careers of women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths, and Medicine) fields. Over time, its scope expanded to include the arts, humanities, social sciences, business, law (AHSSBL), as well as professional and support roles, and transgender staff and students.
Broader Commitment to Gender Equality
The Athena Swan framework now recognizes efforts addressing gender equality more broadly, not limited to overcoming barriers affecting women. In 2019, the Athena Swan Ireland Intersectionality Working Group was established to foster a cross-sectoral approach to data collection and actions supporting intersectionality within the Irish higher education sector.
The Athena Swan Awards
The Athena Swan awards—Bronze, Silver, and Gold—honor institutions and departments for their achievements in advancing gender equality. Participation spans all of Ireland’s universities, institutes of technology, and several colleges.
Our Faculty's Achievement
In 2021, Maynooth University’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities (formerly the Faculty of Arts, Celtic Studies and Philosophy) was awarded the Athena Swan Bronze Award. This recognition highlights the initial steps taken by the Faculty toward gender equality and diversity, while also committing to ongoing actions that aim to foster a more inclusive and equal community.
Since receiving the Bronze Award, the Faculty has been actively working to implement the Athena Swan principles and further progress its efforts toward gender equality.
You can read more about our Faculty's effort on the Faculty's EDI webpage.