Athena SWAN Workshop in Queen’s University Belfast

19 Nov 2018

The UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Athena Swan Committee Chair (Dr Aine Horgan) and Members (Drs Mohamad Saab, Angela Flynn, Vera McCarthy, and Noeleen Brady) attended a full-day workshop entitled: “The Dichotomy of Athena SWAN in Nursing and Midwifery.”

This workshop took place on September 28, 2018 in Malone Lodge, Belfast and was organised by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University Belfast (Athena SWAN Silver Awardee).

The workshop was very well attended by delegates from Ireland and the UK and covered three main topics:

The morning session addressed a number of challenges influencing gender equality in nursing, such as the under-representation of men in nursing academia and practice; the impact of motherhood and maternal leave on nurses’ career opportunities and advancement; and gender stereotyping within the academic and non-academic spheres.

Following the coffee break, the Athena SWAN Equality Charter Adviser went over the core criteria and requirements for the award application. After which, presenters from two universities shared their experiences of applying for the Athena SWAN Bronze and Silver Awards. 

The final session took place after a complementary lunch. This session included examples of innovative actions taken by two universities in order to advance from Bronze to Silver and Gold Awards.

Each of the three sessions was followed by thought-provoking discussions and a series of questions and answers.

This workshop was of great benefit to the delegates from the UCC School of Nursing and Midwifery Athena Swan Committee, who are currently working on the application for the Departmental Bronze Award, which will be submitted in November 2019.

Dr Mohamad Saab, School of Nursing and Midwifery, UCC