Aston University and Aston Villa Women Celebrate Athena Swan Gold Success

Aston University celebrated its recent success in achieving an Athena Swan institutional Gold award, only one of two Universities in England to have achieved the award, for its commitment to gender equality by welcoming over 100 women from the region to the Aston Villa Women’s match against Arsenal at Villa Park on Sunday 24 March.

The Athena Swan charter is a framework which supports and transforms gender equality within higher education and research.

It was originally set up in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM), but has since been extended to address gender equality more broadly.

Athena Swan is administered by AdvanceHE, a member-led charity which works to improve higher education.

Professor Zoe Radnor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences and inclusion executive sponsor at Aston University, said:

“As an official partner of Aston Villa Women’s Football Club, Aston University was delighted to be able to welcome so many inspiring women to join us to watch the Aston Villa Women’s match and to celebrate our success in achieving the Athena Swan Gold award.

“The award reflects our commitment to be a truly inclusive university and to embedding inclusion across the institution in line with our Aston 2030 strategy.”