Section outline

    • History and Uptake of Athena Swan Page

      Uptake of Athena Swan has increased since its introduction, both locally and globally. Find out more...

    • The Athena Swan Charter Page

      Includes information on adoption of the equality charters including:

      • The Athena Swan Charter
        • it's main principles
        • a summaray of the process
    • Athena Swan video URL

      Dani Glazzard, Head of Athena Swan at Advance HE, shares insights on the Charter’s impact on senior women’s representation, what makes it effective, and why implementation, evaluation, and continuous learning matter.

    • Athena Swan Commitments Page

      When signing up to Athena Swan, an institution or department agrees to a set of commitments. These are listed below.

      All info based on content from Advance-HE.

  • Race Equality

    • The Equality Charters Page

      Information about the Athena Swan and Race Equality Charters from Advance-HE.

    • Video describing the Race Equality Charter URL

      Anne Mwangi, Head of the Race Equality Charter at Advance HE, reflects on 10 years of progress, highlighting the growth in membership, increased representation of racially minoritised academic staff, and the power of sector-wide commitment.

  • Advance HE

    • About Advance-HE Page

      Find out what other resources you can get from the Advance-HE website?

  • Athena Swan at NTU

  • The Next Steps

    Strengthening Gender Equality in Bangladeshi Higher Education - A Leadership-Focused Summary of the Accessible Academy Race and Equality Unit

    • 1. Why This Matters for University Leadership

      The Race and Equality unit on Accessible Academy has been developed to recognise and promote women’s achievements in higher education, while also supporting institutions to strengthen inclusive leadership, staff development, and academic quality.

      For Bangladeshi universities, this agenda is not an external or optional concern. It is directly linked to:

      • Institutional quality and reputation
      • Good governance and accountability
      • Staff retention, progression, and leadership development
      • Alignment with national priorities on gender equality and education

      While women now participate strongly as students, their representation declines sharply at senior academic and leadership levels. Addressing this gap is increasingly relevant for university governing bodies, vice-chancellors, and senior management.

    • 2. Key Challenges Facing Bangladeshi Universities

      From a leadership and governance perspective, three challenges are particularly relevant.

      a) Leadership and Career Progression

      • Women academics remain underrepresented in senior roles such as professor, Dean, and pro VC.
      • Career breaks, care responsibilities, and limited mentoring disproportionately affect women.
      • Leadership pipelines are often informal and lack transparency.

      b) Institutional Systems and Policy

      • Many universities do not yet have clear, operational gender equality policies.
      • Equality considerations are rarely embedded in:
        • promotion and appraisal processes,
        • workload allocation,
        • leadership selection.
      • Responsibility for gender equality is often unclear within governance structures.

      c) Evidence for Decision Making

      • Gender disaggregated data on staff recruitment, promotion, and leadership is limited.
      • Without reliable data, GCs and senior management cannot easily monitor progress or risk.

    • 3. Strategic Opportunities for Universities and Governing Councils

      The Accessible Academy unit offers a practical and flexible tool, rather than a prescriptive framework.

      a) Supporting Good Governance

      • The unit can help GCs fulfil their responsibility for:
        • fairness,
        • transparency,
        • long term institutional sustainability
      • Positions gender equality as a governance and quality issue, not activism.

      b) Building Leadership Capacity

      • Designed for academic leaders, department heads, and future leaders.
      • Encourages mentoring, sponsorship, and recognition of achievement.
      • Helps universities develop internal leadership talent, particularly among women.

      c) Practical and Scalable Approach

      • Online and modular: low cost and adaptable.
      • Can be integrated into:
        • staff development programmes,
        • leadership training,
        • probation and promotion preparation.
      • Suitable for both public and private universities.

    • 4. A Realistic Five Year Roadmap for Implementation

      Years 1–2: Awareness, Adaptation, and Early Adoption

      Leadership Focus

      • Introduce the unit to senior management and GC members.
      • Adapt examples to reflect Bangladeshi universities and women leaders.
      • Pilot the unit with:
        • department heads,
        • early career academics,
        • leadership programme participants.

      Outcome

      • Shared understanding among leaders.
      • Identification of priority gaps and risks.
      Years 3–4: Embedding into Institutional Practice

      Leadership Focus

      • Use insights from the unit to:
        • revise promotion and appraisal guidelines,
        • introduce mentoring/sponsorship schemes,
        • clarify accountability for equality at senior levels.
      • Begin systematic collection of gender disaggregated staff data.

      Outcome

      • Gender equality becomes part of routine institutional management.
      • Evidence available for GC oversight and planning.
      Year 5: Consolidation and Sustainability

      Leadership Focus

      • Review progress at GC and Academic Council level.
      • Embed the unit permanently into:
        • leadership development,
        • staff induction,
        • internal quality assurance.
      • Share good practice across the sector.

      Outcome

      • Tangible improvement in leadership pipelines.
      • Stronger institutional reputation and staff engagement.

    • 5. Key Message for Governing Councils and Senior Leaders

      This initiative does not require major structural reform or significant new resources. Instead, it offers:

      • A measured, institution led approach to improving gender equality
      • Better alignment between values, governance, and academic quality
      • A way to strengthen leadership capacity and retain talented staff

      The Accessible Academy Race and Equality unit provides a safe, structured starting point for universities to act strategically, gradually, and visibly on an issue that is increasingly central to effective higher education governance in Bangladesh.