Participants in our reciprocal mentoring programme and our external trainer, pictured during reciprocal mentoring training as part of the British Council funded initiative.

The University of Sussex holds a Bronze institutional Athena Swan award and is aiming for all Schools to hold awards by 2025. Our Athena Swan action plan focuses on practical steps to improve gender equality across the University, including collaborating on actions related to promotions, leadership, workload and pay. Seven Schools currently hold awards, including one Gold, two Silver and four Bronze, and three more Schools (Law, Politics and Sociology; Media, Arts and Humanities; and Global Studies) are in the process of applying.

This work is supported by the Gender Equality Steering Group, chaired by Professor Sarah Guthrie. The group brings together staff from across roles and disciplines to reflect on barriers to progress, share good practice and help steer local and institutional action.

Female Professor Roundtable: understanding barriers to progression

In October 2024, a small group of key stakeholders came together for the first Female Professor Roundtable. Initiated by the Gender Equality Steering Group and attended by Professor Sarah Guthrie and David Ruebain, the session aimed to examine gender and racial disparities in academic career progression at Sussex. The group reviewed data and discussed where more focused action might be needed as part of the Athena Swan action plan.

Since then, the roundtable has evolved to reflect a wider range of staff experiences. While the original focus was on female professors, the conversation has expanded to include the perspectives of ethnic minority staff, Professional Services colleagues, staff at different grades and those with caring responsibilities. This shift recognises the range of factors that shape equitable access to progression.

The second roundtable, held in March 2025, focused on pay and promotion. Participants examined starting salaries and progression rates in more depth, using detailed data on salary distribution and headcounts to identify gaps. This work is helping to shape targeted actions to support fairer career development, particularly through structural change. Actions include reviewing salary differences by staff category, segmenting data by full time and part time contracts, and analysing outliers in professorial starting salaries. Work is also underway to develop a Positive Action Toolkit aligned with Section 159 of the Equality Act, explore targeted recruitment actions, and gather learning from other institutions to inform systemic improvements. Mentoring was a key theme in both sessions, with discussion around how to improve access to mentoring opportunities across all staff groups.

Mentoring and leadership development

Mentoring continues to be a priority in supporting career development. Alongside informal mentoring and line manager support, the University is working to expand identity-based and cross-disciplinary mentoring opportunities, in line with Athena Swan and Race Equality Charter goals.

The Sussex–Ghana reciprocal mentoring scheme, funded by the British Council, is now underway, involving 40 participants across both institutions. It brings together staff at different career stages and supports cross-cultural learning, leadership development and mutual exchange. Participants are receiving specialist training in inclusive mentoring approaches, and the scheme is already helping to inform broader mentoring work at Sussex.

The Gender Equality Steering Group will continue to support the development and evaluation of mentoring, with formal schemes currently under review and a target of 80 percent positive feedback from participants. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, you don’t need to be at a particular grade or have a set number of years of experience—everyone has valuable insights to offer. Likewise, if you are looking for a mentor to support your development, there are opportunities available. To find out more about becoming a mentor or finding a mentor, visit our mentoring webpages

Spotlight on the Parents and Carers Network

The March roundtable also included input from the Chair of the Parents and Carers Network, reflecting on how caring responsibilities can affect research time, progression and access to leadership roles.

The Parents and Carers Network is open to all staff with caring responsibilities, including for children, partners or other dependants. It offers peer support, a space to share challenges and practical input into university policy and planning. The network is currently contributing to work on research culture and flexibility and exploring ways to involve more men in conversations about caregiving.

To find out more, visit the carers webpages or contact the Chair of the Network, Dr Hannah Mason-Bish: h.mason-bish@sussex.ac.uk.

Useful links

Find out more about gender equality work and staff networks at Sussex:

• Athena Swan
  Learn about the Athena Swan Charter, our institutional award, action plan and School-level work.
• Staff networks
  Connect with staff networks including the Parents and Carers Network, the Ethnic Minority Staff Network and others.

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