Gender Equality and Positive Action: Evidence from UK Universities

37 Pages Posted: 21 May 2019

See all articles by Danula Daksith Kankanam Gamage

Danula Daksith Kankanam Gamage

Queen Mary University of London

Almudena Sevilla

Queen Mary, University of London

Date Written: March 2019

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the Athena Scientific Women's Academic Network (SWAN) Charter on the wages and employment trajectories of female faculty. The Athena SWAN Charter is a gender equality initiative that formally recognises good practice towards the representation and career progression of women in Science, Technology, Engineer, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) through an accreditation process. We find that the gender wage gap closes after Athena SWAN accreditation. However, female faculty at the non-professorial level are not more likely to being promoted to professor after accreditation, or to move to an Athena SWAN accredited university. Taken together these results suggest that the higher wage growth experienced by female non-professorial faculty after Athena SWAN accreditation is likely to come from pay rises within a particular rank.

Keywords: gender equality, positive action, gender pay gap, Athena SWAN

JEL Classification: I23, J16, J31, J44

Suggested Citation

Gamage, Danula Daksith Kankanam and Sevilla, Almudena, Gender Equality and Positive Action: Evidence from UK Universities (March 2019). IZA Discussion Paper No. 12211, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3390198 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3390198

Danula Daksith Kankanam Gamage

Queen Mary University of London ( email )

Mile End Road
London, London E1 4NS
United Kingdom

Almudena Sevilla (Contact Author)

Queen Mary, University of London ( email )

Mile End Road
London, E1 4NS
United Kingdom

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