The Perceived Limitations of the Athena SWAN Gender Equality Charter in Improving the Lives of Early- and Mid-Career Women Academics: A Case Study of an Athena SWAN Gold-Awarded Department

To address the career challenges faced by women in Science, Engineering, and Technology (SET) within UK higher education institutions, the Athena Swan Charter was established in 2005 and later expanded to include a broader range of academic groups in 2015. Athena Swan literature presents a complex picture, while some studies suggest that participation in the Athena Swan Charter leads to measurable improvements in structural and cultural conditions, others question these claims, pointing to the persistent challenges women face in academia. This study adopts a grounded theory approach to explore the lived experiences of women academics in a science department that holds a Gold Athena Swan award. It used a case study design and employed semi-structured interviews as the data collection tool to collect data from women in early and mid-career positions. The findings reveal a performative dimension of Athena Swan, as participants described feeling “invisible,” “voiceless,” and “excluded” due to their socio-symbolic status — yet simultaneously “hyper visible” through their representation in websites and Athena Swan case studies. The study argues that the performativity embedded in the Athena Swan application process itself may lead women to question the legitimacy and effectiveness of such gender equality initiatives.