Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion commitment
Celebrating diversity, championing equality and creating a sense of belonging for everyone
Our increasingly diverse community of staff and students is part of what makes our University so special. Valuing the different contributions that each of us brings and respecting each other sits at the heart of our commitment to the talented people who visit, work and study with us.
We're fully committed to promoting equality and eliminating discrimination for our staff and students, applicants and visitors. This means that as an integral part of the way we work, we seek to ensure that people are treated equitably.
Gender equality
Tackling gender inequality
Gender equity and the underrepresentation of all genders across different disciplines is an ongoing challenge in higher education. As long-standing members of the Athena Swan charter, the University of Plymouth is committed to tackling this inequality, wherever it occurs.
Below, we outline our approaches and the actions we are taking to address gender disparity in Higher Education as well as giving you the tools and information to support us in our fight to tackle gender inequality.
Athena Swan
The Athena Swan Charter is a national initiative that recognises commitment to advancing women's representation and tackling gender inequality in higher education and research. Originally designed to target improvement for women within science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) subjects and senior positions, it has now been extended to include arts, humanities, social science, business and law (AHSSBL), as well as professional and support roles, and for trans staff and students.
Universities and institutions that can prove they are committed to the advancement and promotion of women in these areas can apply for membership.
As an institution, we have been a member of the Athena Swan charter mark since 2009 and in 2023, reached the milestone of holding an Athena Swan award for every school in the University.
In March 2024, we achieved an institutional-level Silver award for the first time.
Athena Swan Silver
Athena Swan Bronze
LGBT+ inclusion
We’re committed to creating an inclusive and supportive environment for LGBT+ staff and students.
LGBT+ is a University of Plymouth society dedicated to not only supporting and representing students who are part of the LGBT+ community, but to empower them to be themselves, and to be proud.
The University of Plymouth LBGT+ Staff Network is a place to meet peers, make friends and have fun! We are here to provide a safe place where you can be yourself and spend time with colleagues who understand your experiences.
If you're passionate about supporting LGBT+ colleagues and students, consider joining the University of Plymouth's LGBT+ Allies Network. Allies receive a rainbow lanyard, take part in training to better understand and support LGBT+ people, and are invited to social events, seminars and development opportunities throughout the year.
Disability support
Promoting a positive work and study environment
We are committed to promoting a positive work and study environment, free from unlawful discrimination for our employees and students on the grounds of disability.
Disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities and can mean different things to different people. The University of Plymouth has a range of initiatives and policies to support you in working or studying here; our campuses and services should be available to everyone regardless of disability status.
Your rights
We offer a range of guidance and support and ensure that we consult with employees or students to determine and make reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010 where a person has:
- a physical or mental impairment, and
- the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. (Equality Act 2010, Section 6).
We also monitor information and statistics to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of what we do.
The information that you require may vary depending on whether it is general, or specifically related to being a student or a staff member.
Information on how to collect a sunflower lanyard and discreetly indicate that you have a hidden disability.
Race and Racism
The University of Plymouth is a diverse, international university and we want all students and staff to feel welcomed and supported.
We are committed to being anti-racist in our practices and policies, and we want to create an inclusive culture where individuals are able to thrive, irrespective of their race or ethnicity.
Mentoring, career development and bursaries
We recognise that in order to address attainment and employability gaps across Higher Education, we need to put in extra initiatives to ensure equality of opportunity for all our graduates. The University has a wide range of mentoring, career development and bursaries available to our BAME/BIPOC students.
Decolonisation and challenging Eurocentrism
Our curriculum should reflect the diversity of lived experiences and not rely on white or Eurocentric ideas and philosophy. As part of the University’s work to address the ethnicity attainment gap we are working on curriculum decolonisation across the University through our dedicated Educational Development Team.
Speak Up
Report abuse, harm or hate
The University of Plymouth is proud to be a safe, welcoming and diverse community – our staff, students and anyone interacting with us should feel comfortable being who they are. By reporting an incident, you are helping us to maintain our friendly and safe university culture, where everyone can study, work and live free from any form of harassment.
