Goal 5 - Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls
Research
The Centre for Gender Studies
The Centre for Gender Studies at Lancaster University is unique. It is one of the largest centres in the UK for feminist research, and gender studies, and it is the only centre of its kind in the North West of England. Over 30 years old, CGS has a long and proud history, counting many world-leading leading feminist academics amongst its former directors and/or alumni.
The Academy for Gender, Work and Leadership
The Academy for Gender, Work and Leadership is a dynamic research hub within Lancaster University Management School, focused on exploring relationships between gender, work and leadership and their impact on individuals, organisations and society. One of their recent projects looks at gender equality within business and management schools and how this is culturally constructed.
Reproductive justice
Researchers from Lancaster have found that food insecurity is closely tied to financial strain, and can place people in the difficult decision of having to decide whether to spend their income on food or on accessing reproductive healthcare. It can increase the risk of intimate partner violence, and make it more difficult to leave violent situations. The research hopes to highlight interconnections and lead to social change.
Teaching
Gender equality
Gender equality is embedded across the curriculum at Lancaster University. For example, our Film and Creative Writing degree has a module on Women Film Makers, that explores the work of some of the most historically important female film-makers from the 1890s through to the present, considering films from around the globe. Our Sociology degree has a module on Gender Studies, which explores the gendering of identities, relations and institutions and the links between gender and power.
University Operations
Athena Swan
The Athena Swan Charter is a higher education programme for the advancement of gender equality. We have been members of the Athena Swan Charter since 2008, achieving awards at university, faculty and departmental level. Lancaster University has held an institutional level Bronze award since 2008, with renewals in 2012, 2014 and 2019. The Physics department and Faculty of Health and Medicine, currently hold Silver awards.
Lancaster University Women’s Network
The Lancaster University Women’s Network was established in 2018 to support Women at Lancaster University by providing a forum for empowerment, discussion and individual development as well as a platform for debate, awareness raising and to facilitate action for change. They offer targeted development activities and events for women including training, mentoring and support.