Gender
The University of Sunderland celebrates and values the diversity of all students and staff. We do not tolerate discriminatory behaviours of any kind. In line with our strategic aims, we work to continue to deliver a positive environment for the conduct of all our activities and to ensure that all students and staff feel welcome in our community.
The culture of an organisation can impact on the profile of the workforce. We are seeing that it is not easy for women to move into senior roles that in traditional organisations have been and are usually carried out by men but that conversely it is quite rare for men to cross over into roles that are usually carried out by women. Just as we seek to remove barriers to women entering the boardroom, so we should also seek to remove barriers to men entering traditionally female areas, if this is what it takes to achieve full flexibility in the workplace.
We are aware that the law makes a contribution in areas such as work-life balance requirements. At the University of Sunderland however we wish to go further, making an impact by encouraging a climate where all staff feel that they can maximise their potential in an environment of mutual respect and dignity and do not encounter barriers in their career aspirations with regard to their gender. We have a suite of constructive HR polices and practices, and take a transparent approach to areas such as equal pay and recruitment criteria in order to strengthen the confidence of all staff. For information on the Gender Duty and its application at the University please click here. The University has won a range of awards for its gender practices:
Having fair employment practices and good equal opportunities policies that are properly embedded can benefit the University in a number of ways. These include having a diverse workforce with a rich mix of skills; a well-trained workforce who return to contribute to the workplace after breaks in employment; a talented workforce recruited from the widest pool; and a public profile of ethical practices that is good for the organisation's image (Taylor, 1994). For information on the gender profile of the University please click here.
Return
Return is a national scheme, run by the UKRC, that offers qualified and experienced women theopportunity to return to a career in science, engineering, technology and the built environment.
Mentoring is just one of a range of free services tailored to support women returning to careers in SET.
The University has its own Mentoring Policy and Framework. An example of mentoring in action is a Media Producer working in an area traditionally under represented by women.
NELAWN
We are a member of the North East Local Academic Women's Network. NELAWN creates an awareness of networking and good practice support among academic and research women in the region, and links into the Athena project mentioned above.
For student information on women's issues please do not hesitate to contact the Equal Opportunities Representatives - Women's Officer on the following email: su.womens-officer@sunderland.ac.uk.
