Athena SWAN

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Can anyone tell me if Athena SWAN is concerned with gender or with biological sex? Does its analysis of "women" in academic subscribe to the TWAW mantra? Or does it depend on whether your institution records sex or gender identity?

As I understand it, it does subscribe to TWAW

www.ecu.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Athena-SWAN-trans-questions-research-institutes-expanded-criteria.pdf

As I suspected. I note that in the list of terminology on those slides, "sex" does not feature once.

It has been hinted at that I may wish to be the person in my Department responsible for Athena SWAN. It annoys me that (a) this is seen as a woman's job / issue (ie. a problem caused by male privilege has to be addressed by female colleagues rather than by the people who benefit from the problem), and that (b) from the outset, it denies that the issues women face in academia are not just a function of our invented gender caste system but of our actual biology.

On the plus side they support gender neutral third spaces.

My place of work (research institute) signed up for Athena Swan a few years ago. To take it forward, the overwhelmingly male-dominated management set up a committee of 6 people consisting 1 woman, 4 men and our first trans-gender person who had come out as a woman at work for exactly 2 weeks.

We've just had our staff satisfaction survey to provide data for AS sent round, and it asked us what gender we identified as, no mention of sex. Luckily there was a free text box, so I let them know what I thought about that.

Argh one of the most male dominated sexist places I worked ever had Athena swan. Only bronze or silver level but still. I was totally nonplussed how it was helping me. (As a non- brave and stunning type of woman with kids)

I'm glad this thread has been started as we had this announced at work last week and I also read through and wondered what Athena Swan's attitude would be to G C thinking. Does that come under diversity? Am worried because I'm expecting a new cohort that includes two vocal transcadvocates and whilst I respect their view I also respect mine and will defend it if necessary. Question is, will my Uni defend my right to hold it? (FWIW my view is that trans people should not be discriminated against but that their rights should not come at the expense of those of women and girls). And I hate the fact that I nc'd to post about this last week, chickened out and am genuinely worried about even posting on here, simply for being g c / exploring g c thinking.

We've just had our staff satisfaction survey to provide data for AS sent round, and it asked us what gender we identified as, no mention of sex. Luckily there was a free text box, so I let them know what I thought about that.

The staff survey at my university is the same. I did the same as you and complained to my manager as well.

Sex based discrimination in violation of the EA2010.

Thank you for reminding me of that thebewilderness, that actually hadn’t twigged with me. Since my university has fully implemented self-ID, this is very much the issue I will be raising if anyone attempts to task me with AS paperwork. In fact, it may be worth agreeing to do it so that I can kick up a fuss in the process.

Apologies for the resurrection- but been poking around various AS pages- and if anyone has an interest in 'genderisation' around this- take a wee look at St Andrews' pages. Beautifully done.

I thought the Bewilderness had returned to us!

Where, pray tell St Andrews, do the "underlying social and power structures" come from? Men's sexual entitlement and desire to control, coerce, and commandeer women's reproductive capabilities are the root of those social and power structures, in other words biology. The clue to this is how the sex pay gap kicks in big time when a woman has her first child.

Oh, crap. That's... terrible. This is really annoying, too, because the page I read earlier read in a very no nonsense GC sort of a way. A relief after reading several examples of wokeness. Now I'm going to have to try and find it- but am battling an insomniac toddler.... so this may take a while. (Maybe it was an older page that hadn't been archived properly?)

New AS criteria/guidelines are due out the end of the year - there is an expectation there will be a broadening of what is to be considered and included. Many AS committees are female dominated and struggle to get men involved, though it is a requirement of AS.

Retained sex and gender questions in our equality survey. Occasionally drop in that we are ‘actually looking at sex equality here’ when discussing things.

Good for you. :)

Sadly I am very much an underling so have to settle for quiet seething in my little corner.

Now I'm beginning to think I hallucinated the whole thing as I really can't find it now. And have to run.

Apologies for any falsely raised hopes... :(