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New Sussex equality data show progress

The University has recently published new statistics which provide a breakdown of the staff and student bodies based on sex, ethnicity, disability and age - showing progress against the previous year.

students in Holi celebrationChair of the Equality and Diversity Committee, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Shute said: “Our commitment to equality is unstinting. It is enshrined in our strategic plan, Making the Future, and our aim is to ensure that the University offers a supportive and welcoming environment to everyone. We have been working very hard to make sure our staff and students are able to enjoy a diverse University and have access to equal opportunities.

“There’s a lot going on across the institution, including our efforts to improve the representation of women in senior academic and management roles through initiatives such as the Athena SWAN scheme. These statistics provide a welcome sign that we’re moving in the right direction.”

The data give a snapshot of the University position on 1 December 2015 compared to 22 January 2015.

Some highlights from the staff statistics include:

  • the percentage of female professors has increased from 22% in 2012 to 29% in December 2015, ahead of a published target to increase the number of women in senior grades
  • the number of black staff, expressed as a full-time equivalent, has increased by more than a third (13.8 to 21.3)

  • the percentage of black and minority ethnic academic staff has increased from 19% to 22% over the one year period

Some highlights from the student statistics include:

  • new entrants from black and minority ethnic groups rose by nearly 40% (2,160 to 2,989)

  • a rise in most ethnic groups, specifically Chinese (3.2% rise), other Asian background (1.2%), Arab (0.6%), African (0.3%), Pakistani (0.1%)

  • the number of students with a disability has grown by more than 14% in line with overall student growth (1,547 to 1,771)

The University is currently undertaking a number of initiatives to ensure diversity and equality are part of the institution’s on-going priorities. These include:

  • Gender-neutral toilets
    Following an approach by the University of Sussex Students’ Union to Sussex Estates and Facilities, who manage the University’s campus buildings, 72 toilets that were either disabled toilets or single cubicle toilets have been relabelled as all-gender toilets. The all-gender toilets now account for about 10% of the total facilities.

  • Athena SWAN
    The University became a member of the Equality Challenge Unit’s Athena SWAN Charter in November 2011 and achieved an institutional bronze award in April 2013 for its work in support of the employment, promotion and retention of women in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine disciplines. It is currently in the process of reapplying for this accreditation. The School of Life Sciences, the School of Engineering and Informatics, the Physics department, the School of Law, Politics and Sociology, and the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) all hold bronze departmental awards. In November 2015, the School of Life Sciences and BSMS submitted their application for an Athena SWAN silver award.

  • Equal Pay Review
    The University has conducted two Equal Pay Reviews in 2007 and 2011. It established that the University is compliant with the Equality Act 2010 (formerly the Equal Pay Act 1970) and there was no systematic pattern of ‘pay gaps’ in favour of one gender. In 2011, detailed analysis revealed minor pay gaps among a small sample of staff at grade 9. The University investigated these instances and found justification for the gaps due to the distribution of men and women along the incremental scale in that grade e.g. more women than men being new starters at that time and therefore clustering towards the bottom of the incremental scale. No significant pay gaps were shown in any other grade. The University has committed to a further review in 2016 which will also be externally run.

  • The Equality and Diversity Forum
    The University’s staff and student Equality and Diversity Forum meets three times during the academic year and is an important consultative group for the University on equality and diversity issues. The Forum is chaired by Professor Clare Mackie, Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

An example of the University’s approach to equality and diversity amongst its student population includes:

  • Widening Participation and Outreach: Office for Fair Access
    Students from BAME backgrounds continue to be a priority group in order for us to meet the equality objective of increasing BAME home/EU entrants from 12% to 15%. The target of 15% by April 2015 was achieved in 2014/15 and stands at 18.4%.

  • Student Life Centre
    The Student Life Centre plays a key role in ensuring that Sussex is a supportive and empowering environment for students. It provides information, guidance, referrals and resources to enhance student transition to and progress through the University. The Centre’s key developments during the 2014/15 academic year include upgraded capability for mental health assistance and referral services; improved accessibility to hardship information; a new web page with specific information for student parents; personal development sessions for Widening Participation Ambassadors; development of an infographic outlining support for those dealing with challenges to identity and related confidence and marginalisation issues.

Future equality objectives for the University have recently been developed and will be published in May 2016.