GENDER ADVANCEMENT FOR TRANSFORMING INSTITUTIONS (GATI)
University of the West of Scotland is part of an international project to encourage more women into senior roles in higher education.
Funded by the British Council, UWS is part of the Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project, which sees the University work with higher education institutions in India to address the gender gap and encourage diversity and inclusion.
Dr Lucy Meredith, Interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor, who is leading the project at UWS, said: “UWS is committed to gender-balance across the institution, demonstrated by the range of initiatives we lead and participate in. Initial exploratory interviews conducted with female academics in HE in India helped us understand that a gender gap at a senior level is present, and some don’t have a career plan or vision. It was therefore unsurprising to see over-representation of women at the lower end of academic hierarchy. Our project aims to address this, and equip women with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to excel in their professions.”
The partnership has seen UWS deliver eight workshops to institutions in India to guide and support them through their Equality Charters, as well as involving them in existing UWS initiatives and women-focused programmes. These workshops have included the importance of mentoring in gender advancement and leadership in a gender balance culture.
The University will also enrol a female academic from each partner institution in India to UWS’s pioneering Women’s Leadership Development programme. Through this initiative, UWS will introduce continuous professional development opportunities for participants, and mentorship programmes to transformation.
The GATI model draws inspiration from the Athena SWAN Gender Equality Charter and accreditation framework, which was developed and operated by Advance HE.
Dr Lucy Meredith added: “At UWS, we have a number of activities that are designed to allow for personal reflection on career journeys and also training in equality, diversity and inclusion, including our Athena SWAN Bronze award. Through this initiative, we look forward continuing to strengthen the deep relations that exist between India and the UK in the field of education, and to engage, mentor, partner and support these institutions as they work towards reaching best practice in gender equality.”
Last updated: 26/08/2022