LUMS Careers hosted the International Women’s Day 2022 Celebration, the first of its kind, which brought together Lancaster University students, staff, and faculty, as well as external LUMS partners for a panel presentation and networking, focused on the International Women’s Day 2022 campaign theme, “Break the Bias.” The event was held on Tuesday, 8^th March 2022 in the Lancaster University Management School.

Kathy New, Programme Manager for the Lancaster University Athena SWAN initiatives, opened the event with an overview of Athena SWAN and the University’s 2019-2023 six-point action plan to address gender equality. The areas the action plan cover include:

1. EDI culture
2. Gender pay gap
3. Academic career pipeline and transition points
4. Academic fixed-term and casual staff
5. Maternity, family leave, support for caring responsibilities, childcare provision and flexible working
6. Professional services career progression

The panel presentations consisted of four speakers, comprised of LUMS students and University staff, sharing their experiences on various topics highlighting areas for needed progress in creating a gender-equal world. Speakers included Yvonne Zhang, who spoke on key issues of equality in the Chinese working environment; Lucy Atkinson, who spoke on the research findings of the penalties that mothers faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and the disparities in work-life balance; Bethan Jones, who spoke on the rise of women not being about the fall of men; and Amy Zhang, who spoke on gender equity and inequity in Asian/Chinese culture & gaining an international vision to better oneself. The panel presentations were followed by a Q&A with the in-person and online audience, moderated by Noeleen Hammond Jones, International Careers Manager for LUMS Careers.

When asked during the panel session what one thing Lancaster University could be doing that it isn’t currently that would help to drive forward gender equality that would make a difference, Bethan Jones stated, “Events like these are so empowering, especially for women today. It would be great to have as many events as we possibly can for every community, not just women.” Lucy Atkinson added, “It’s really helpful because just having those role models that you can see and hear about their story and their perceptions of how they broke the bias and got to where they wanted to be. It’s so inspiring just having that person to see ‘if they can do it, I can do it too’.”

The event concluded with a networking session among the attendees while engaging in the “Wall of Appreciation,” a trifold posted throughout the day where anyone was invited to write a message of appreciation to someone who impacted their education, career, or overall life. The Wall of Appreciation was posted for two weeks and had nearly 100 messages written to family members, friends, colleagues, professors, and others.

Noeleen Hammond Jones, LUMS International Careers Manager and host for the event, said "I was privileged to be able to facilitate the panel event at the Lancaster University Management School's inaugural International Women's Day Celebration event. The event and inspirational panellists demonstrated true diversity in the Lancaster University community with a wealth of knowledge and clearly motivated our audience to make change through the insightful questioning and sharing of their own experiences and how we can improve the future of the world of work for women."

If you are interested in viewing a recording of the panel presentations, click here.