Equality Objectives
The public sector Equality Duty requires public sector bodies to have due regard to the need to:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act;
- advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it; and
- foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it.
In order to support these three aims, the University is required to prepare and publish one or more specific and measurable equality objectives.
The University has analysed its equality information published in January 2012, and identified the following equality objectives for the period 6 April 2012 to 5 April 2016:
(i) To achieve the Athena Swan University bronze award and one departmental silver award.
(ii) To increase the percentage of female professors from 22% to 26% and the percentage of female professional services staff at Grade 10 from 29% to 33%. To help achieve this, the University plans to develop and implement initiatives aimed at supporting and advancing the careers of senior female staff, for example, mentoring, facilitated groups, coaching.
(iii) To increase the percentage of BME home and EU student entrants from 12% to 15%.
(iv) To undertake a further equal pay review across all of the University’s grades with the aim of maintaining the University’s current position, as confirmed in the equal pay review conducted in June 2011, in which there were no pay differentials between males and females that could not be objectively justified.