Ninth Level Ireland

“When Trinity wrote in its still-unpublished strategic plan that it aimed to have achieved a silver Athena SWAN award by 2025 – two years too late for crucial research funding deadlines – eyebrows must have been raised among those casting eyes over the document. Ireland’s universities have for years underwhelmed on Athena SWAN …” (more)

[University Times, 2 March]

“Trinity is to push ahead with plans to submit an application for an Athena SWAN silver medal by 2022, according to the College’s top gender equality official, despite an admission at College Board level that attempts so far have yielded ‘disappointing’ results …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 25 February]

“Questions remain about the process by which College appointed its new associate vice-provost for equality, diversity and inclusion. At the beginning of the summer, this Editorial Board wrote in glowing terms about Provost Patrick Prendergast’s introspective address at the launch of the Systemic Action for Gender Equality (SAGE) charter …” (more)

[University Times, 10 November]

“Trinity rushed through the appointment of a top-ranking officer for gender equality, The University Times has learned, U-turning on an earlier decision not to create the position amid fears that its application for a new government equality initiative would be ‘seriously weakened’ without a senior equality advocate …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 5 November]

“The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) congratulates IT Carlow and CIT on the success of their submission for the Athena SWAN bronze award and congratulates the teams who worked on these …” (more)

[THEA, 6 May]

“A new EU Work-Life Balance Directive has recently been agreed. The ultimate aim of this Directive is to improve gender equality by easing access to work-life balance arrangements for parents and carers and to boost the participation of men in family-related leaves of absence or flexible working arrangements …” (more)

[IFUT, 30 April]

“Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) has been awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze Award in recognition of its commitment to advancing gender equality for women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and for bringing about organisational and cultural change within the Institute …” (more)

[THEA, 28 September]

“IT Carlow’s to make a formal application for an Athena SWAN Bronze Award. It would mean the third level facility would be the first in the technological sector to bid for the gender equality benchmark …” (more)

[Edwina Grace, KCLR96FM, 12 September]

“SIPTU Industrial Organiser Noel Maguire, said: ‘This is a very misleading development. SIPTU representatives are flabbergasted that Athena Swan gave this award when there are many outstanding discrimination cases in the university’. He added: ‘It is deeply concerning that this award gives NUIG disgraceful on discrimination record a new air of respectability. The narrow focus of these awards combined with the cosmetic lustre of a PR campaign provides window dressing that is in gross denial of worker’s experience on the ground …'” (more)

[SIPTU, 10 May]

“NUI Galway has avoided losing out on research funding after securing the first level of an international standard for gender equality. The university has been the subject of criticisms over the low level of promotions of female academics, and there are still cases pending against it in the High Court by four women who were overlooked in a previous promotions round in 2008 and 2009 …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 9 May]

“NUI Galway have been awarded the Athena SWAN Bronze award for gender equality. Future government research funding to Irish universities is dependent on universities receiving this award. NUI Galway was one of only two Irish universities who had not been awarded Bronze and the only Irish university whose application had been refused twice. We believe this was because of all the bad publicity NUI Galway had received through this campaign …” (more)

[Micheline’s Three Conditions, 7 May]

“NUI Galway, which was at the centre of a high-profile gender discrimination row, is to receive official recognition for its work to advance gender equality. The college, along with Maynooth University, has received the internationally-recognised Athena Swan bronze award, which demonstrates a solid foundation in eliminating gender bias …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 7 May]

“Athena SWAN was established in the UK in 2005 with the admirable aim of increasing the numbers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine at university. The scheme was widened in 2015 to include other subjects, and offers bronze, silver and gold awards to departments and institutions for the ‘advancement of gender equality’ with a view to providing ‘representation, progression and success for all’ …” (more)

[Rebecca Harrison, Times Higher Education, 3 May]

“Today is the third anniversary of Micheline’s historic win for gender equality. It was Nov 13, 2014, when the Equality Tribunal issued its landmark ruling concluding that Micheline was discriminated against because of her gender when she was not promoted at NUI Galway in 2009, citing the university’s ‘ramshackle approach to the process’ …” (more)

[Micheline’s Three Conditions, 13 November]

“Five of Ireland’s seven universities hold accreditation on the basis of gender equality, but none of the country’s 14 institutes of technology do. Trinity, University of Limerick, UCD, DCU and UCC have all won the Athena Swan Bronze Award, which looks set to become a condition of research funding by the end of 2019 …” (more)

[Dan Grennan and Nikki Murphy, Dublin Inquirer, 21 June]

“Despite laws aimed at improving gender equality being introduced 100 years ago, the pace of progress has been slow, and action is needed now, not words, a historian has said …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 31 October]

“Following the recent gender discrimination award to a lecturer in NUIG, Joan Donegan, deputy general secretary of the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) has called for co-ordinated action by all universities to ensure equality for women at senior lecturer and professorial level …” (more)

[Irish Federation of University Teachers, 18 December]

“Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party): To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures she will implement to bring a higher representation of women in senior positions in the universities and institutes of technology …” (more)

[Dáil written answers, 10 December]

“Siptu trade union members on NUI Galway’s academic staff may push for an independent ‘equality audit’ of university posts. About 230 academics who are members of the union will be asked to vote at an ’emergency’ meeting early January on a motion calling for a ‘comprehensive’ audit throughout the college …” (more)

[Lorna Siggins, Irish Times, 11 December]

“A Galway lecturer discriminated against by NUI Galway has launched a campaign for greater gender equality at the university. The Equality Tribunal last month ruled that botany lecturer Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington …” (more)

[Lorraine O’Hanlon, Galway Independent, 10 December]