Inclusive Sussex Framework
Find out more about our inclusive approach to culture, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and our areas of focus.
About Inclusive Sussex
As Sussex 2035 states, we aim to become a university in which every student and member of staff can feel that they are in the best place to realise their goals, where they can develop, be themselves and do their best work, and where we fully embrace diversity of background, identity, belief, thought, discipline and method.
The Inclusive Sussex Framework outlines our approach to culture, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) – the areas of EDI work on which the University will focus and the organisational structures that support and progress EDI work at Sussex. It also elaborates on our commitments to freedom of speech and academic freedom and how we will ensure that they are maintained, whilst also complementing our commitment to EDI.
Our Inclusive Sussex approach
The Inclusive Sussex Framework has three distinct principles that guide the University’s approach to culture, equality and inclusion.
Our work in this area will be structural and systemic, evidence-led, universalist and relational. These principles will help us achieve the vision set out in Sussex 2035 in relation to EDI and organisational culture.
Inclusive Sussex workstreams
While progress toward EDI, openness and accessibility should benefit everyone in our community, we nevertheless recognise that there are specific axes along which marginalisation and discrimination operate. At Sussex our EDI activities are organised through the following workstreams, but we understand the importance of identifying and addressing intersectional disadvantage.
In addition to those workstreams relating to protected characteristics, a broader Dignity, Respect and Inclusion workstream addresses a variety of issues related to harassment, bullying, victimisation and violence.
- Disability
The Equality Act definition of disability encompasses physical and mental impairments. Disabled people are a heterogeneous group who may face a wide variety of barriers and disadvantages. The University seeks to use the social model of disability: this recognises that people are generally rendered disabled by their environment (physical and digital), policies, practices and procedures, and social structures and attitudes, aside from any limitations arising from their impairments.
Disabled staff and students at Sussex may face physical barriers to participation in University life, such as wheelchair inaccessible areas on campus. They may also face barriers to communication and interaction through poor digital accessibility or other forms of inaccessible communication. Reasonable adjustments and workplace flexibility (both in the form of anticipatory action and response to individual needs) can help to mitigate and redress some of these challenges. There is also ongoing important work to be undertaken around attitudinal barriers facing disabled staff and students.
The University currently uses the government’s Disability Confident scheme to guide its work toward disability inclusion and is also in the process of applying for the University Mental Health Charter.
- Sex and gender
Sex is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, covering both women and men. This is encompassed by the gender equality workstream at Sussex. Sussex currently uses Advance HE’s Athena Swan charter as a tool for advancing gender equality. The University currently holds an institutional Athena Swan Bronze award and all Schools also hold individual awards.
Key issues for staff include gender pay gaps, unequal career progression into senior roles, lack of career support, and challenges faced by parents and carers in balancing workload with career development. Data show that these issues continue to affect women more than men, particularly academic mothers. They may furthermore be compounded or complicated for same-sex, trans and non-binary parents.
Men often experience stigma regarding taking parental leave or accessing wellbeing support, as well as more limited policy provision. This in turn, reinforces the perception that caring and wellbeing are primarily women’s issues, which anchors inequality in progression and pay. Key issues for students include lack of representation, as well as awarding and outcome gaps across disciplines. Women often achieve better degree outcomes but remain underrepresented in STEM subjects as students and staff.
An intersectional lens also highlights how multiple-marginalised identities can compound barriers to equity, not just in an additive way but by creating distinctive experiences. For example, Black women academics may experience distinct obstacles in progression and recognition, distinct from those faced by Black men or white women.
- LGBTQ+
The LGBTQ+ workstream broadly corresponds to two protected characteristics in the Equality Act: sexual orientation and gender reassignment. LGBTQ+ identities and experiences may extend beyond the bounds of these characteristics. The workstream encompasses minoritised sexualities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual and others) and trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming members of the University community, including those who may not be specifically protected by the Equality Act 2010.
LGBTQ+ people are at risk of homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic discrimination and harassment, stereotyping, assumptions and sometimes estrangement from family members. LGBTQ+ people may not be comfortable being out in the workplace or classroom, which can be stressful or upsetting. Trans and non-binary people may face specific issues such as time off for medical appointments relating to transitioning, uncertainty regarding facility use, being misgendered or deadnamed (having a former name be used for them, whether deliberately or inadvertently) and stress or anxiety about being perceived as their lived gender in the workplace or classroom.
Currently, Sussex uses Stonewall’s Proud Employers accreditation as a tool to benchmark and evaluate our work toward LGBTQ+ inclusion.
- Race
Race is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 and includes “colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins”. At Sussex, work in this area is currently coordinated through the Race Equality Charter (REC) and is grounded in our anti-racist pledge made around September 2021.
The University achieved a Bronze REC award in 2023, marking the first institutional recognition of our commitment to tackling racial inequalities. The REC process identified several priority issues. For staff, these include underrepresentation of racially-minoritised colleagues at senior levels, reliance on fixed-term contracts and ethnicity pay gaps (with Black women experiencing the highest gaps).
For students, challenges include awarding gaps, particularly affecting Black students and lower levels of a sense of “belonging” compared with White peers. REC Culture Survey findings in 2021 also pointed to experiences of racism on campus, alongside low trust that the University will act effectively on feedback or incidents reported.
Alongside REC, Sussex has developed single-focus initiatives that acknowledge and respond to structural disadvantage.
- Religion and belief
“Religion and belief” is a broad characteristic under the terms of the Equality Act. Everyone is protected on the basis of either having a religion or a philosophical belief or not having one. Some religions can face particularly high degrees of prejudice and hostility, which may intersect and overlap with forms of racism.
Antisemitism and Islamophobia/anti-Muslim discrimination emerge as particular concerns in this context and in the present moment. More generally, those who hold religious beliefs or practise a religion may face assumptions, stereotypes and a lack of understanding in an increasingly secular society. Practical concerns may also arise regarding accommodations such as time off for significant religious events or requirements to pray at certain times or places.
The question of protected philosophical beliefs has come to the fore in recent years, with beliefs on various contested issues being established as protected by case law if they meet the “Grainger criteria”. Veganism, gender-critical beliefs and anti-Zionist beliefs are examples that case law has established as meeting these criteria and there is a growing list of others as the courts consider specific cases.
- Dignity, respect and inclusion
The University wants all members of the community to feel that they belong at Sussex, to be treated fairly and with dignity and respect, and to have the opportunity to contribute and thrive, free from bullying, harassment, victimisation, violence, or discrimination. Incidences of harassment and bullying, discrimination, victimisation and violence are taken seriously and addressed through the appropriate procedures and support routes.
We know that these behaviours can affect members of our diverse community differently and that such behaviours can be particularly associated with individual identities and protected characteristics. We also know that some members of the community have low trust in the systems and processes in place to address these issues, resulting in underreporting and a consequent reduction in the University’s ability to effect meaningful change. Building understanding of our reporting mechanisms, including the use of Report+Support and improving our response to reports are priorities in this context.
Activity in this workstream focuses on policy, practice and training, reporting and support routes, and ongoing engagement with stakeholders to build trust. It also includes work to ensure compliance with the Office for Students E6 Condition of Registration relating to eliminating harassment and sexual misconduct.
- Open listening
The Open Listening Programme seeks to build the individual and collective capacity of staff and students for engaging with difficult conversations and ‘hot topics’ and to develop a culture of listening and understanding across different life experiences and identities. Open Listening is an experiential process that includes theory and practice.
In 2023, we developed and launched a pilot Open Listening Programme. The pilot aimed to foster inclusive listening approaches, helping colleagues learn how to work effectively with interpersonal conflict and build stronger relationships based on respecting differences. The results of the pilot were overwhelmingly positive and further experiential and practical workshops were provided in 2023 and 2024 to explore conflict theory and open listening spaces.
The Open Listening Programme includes introductory workshops, an applied programme of training, and thematic interventions on specific issues and topics in the University such as the Israel/Palestine conflict and questions of sex and gender.
View our Inclusive Sussex Framework in full
Find out more about how we will build an Inclusive Sussex [PDF 7.69MB].