Cutting Athena Swan link to R&D funding ‘may be a backward step’

Pro vice-chancellor warns of possible “reversal of progress” towards gender equality

It would be a “tragedy” if cutting the link between research funding and the Athena Swan Charter led to a reversal of progress on gender equality, a university leader has said.

At a Higher Education Policy Institute webinar on 21 April, Parveen Yaqoob, pro vice-chancellor for research and innovation at the University of Reading, said that removing the link between the Athena Swan Charter and research funding “might be a backward step for gender equality”.