Goal 5: Policies, processes and practices

The following page outlines specific policies, processes and practices in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5 Gender Equality.

Women’s application and graduation rates – data and policies

Measure and track women’s application rates

The University of Manchester systematically measures and tracks women’s application, offer and entry, continuation, completion (graduation rate) and degree success as part of our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. These data are collected annually, analysed by our Planning Office and are published in institutional Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) reports.

Our approach covers the full admissions lifecycle where we break down applications by gender and identify gaps, trends and interventions required to ensure gender parity in access and progression.

Our analysis shows that in 2024 women accounted for 55% of all undergraduate applicants compared to a male rate of 45%. These mask significant differences in the likelihood of there being women applications between subject areas. For example, in Engineering disciplines women make up just 23% of all applications compared to 67% of applications in Arts, Languages and Cultures. Women are also more likely to be made an offer of a place compared to men, with 47.8% of women receiving an offer of a place compared to 45.8% of men. These figures are tracked over time and benchmarked against national indicators.

In terms of continuation rates between registration and year 2, women had a higher rate than their male counterparts, with a 95.7% continuation rate compared to 95.5% for men in 2024. We have also tracked the cohorts of students beginning degrees over a five-year period for full completion of studies and this showed that in each of these years women were more likely to complete their studies – with the most recent figures showing a 96.8% likelihood of completion compared to 96.0 for men.

For degree success classification we track differences between men and women over a five year period. This shows that in each of the past five years women are more likely than men to achieve a “good degree outcome”, which is classed as either a first or upper-second degree classification. For example, in 2024 we found that 88.7% of women achieved a good degree classification compared to 85.6% for men.

Datasets are reported to the University’s EDI Committee and are used to inform targeted actions through our EDI plan and Athena Swan Awards, which include measurable objectives on women’s representation at all levels. 

Policy addressing women’s applications, acceptance and participation

The University of Manchester has a clear and publicly available policy framework addressing women’s application, offers and acceptance data, continuation, and degree outcomes data.  These commitments are embedded through our Access and Participation Plan, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Gender Equality Action Plans as part of our Athena Swan Awards for gender equality.

These policies commit the University to monitoring and improving equality of opportunity for women and men in all aspects of recruitment, admission, and student experience. They form part of our wider EDI strategy which prioritises equity in access to higher education.

The relative success of women compared to men across offers, continuation, completion and degree outcome classification highlighted in the data above indicate that it is not currently necessary to take direct policy action specifically on women’s offer, completion or success rates. However, our ongoing monitoring of the metrics allows us to provide targeted support and interventions with the intention of addressing core inequalities wherever they emerge. We also know that gender is not experienced separately from other protected characteristics and so a significant proportion of women at our University are receiving targeted support based on their financial circumstances, disability status and ethnicity.

Non-discrimination policies for women

The University of Manchester has a clear and comprehensive policy of non-discrimination against women, embedded within our institutional Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy updated in 2022 and associated governance framework. These policies apply to all staff, students and applicants and are overseen by the University’s EDI leadership group, which monitors progress against equality objectives. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy sets out our commitment to equality of opportunity and confirms that no person will be treated less favourably or subjected to unlawful discrimination on the grounds of sex or gender identity.

The Dignity at Work and Study policy reviewed in 2024 explicitly states that the University “will not tolerate any form of unlawful discrimination, harassment or bullying” based on a protected characteristic, including sex (which covers women). It emphasises that all members of our community have the right to work and study in an environment free from discrimination and victimisation. Governance of these policies sits with the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, chaired by senior executives, which oversees institutional policy, implementation and monitoring of progress.

Together, these public documents demonstrate the University’s institution-wide, formal policy of non-discrimination against women. They confirm that discrimination, direct or indirect, on the basis of sex, gender or gender identity is expressly prohibited across all employment, education and campus activities.

Non-discrimination policies for trans people

We have been England’s top University for transgender quality as measured by the national charity, Stonewall. We have a Trans inclusion policy (reviewed 2022) that protects our Trans staff and students from non-discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. This is a part of our high-level Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy that shows our commitment to ensure that our employees, students, and visitors are treated fairly and are not subjected to unlawful discrimination based on their protected characteristic.  

The University has specific guidance for supporting LGBT+ which includes a policy, guidance, FAQ’s and dress codes to support our Trans staff and students. People and OD have also produced a ‘how to’ Guide on Supporting a Member of Staff Undergoing Gender Reassignment. We provide trans specific training resources as well as undertaking outreach activities to raise awareness of trans issues (e.g Transgender Day of Remembrance) and to ensure that trans staff and students do not suffer discrimination, harassment or victimisation. 

Our interactive map shows a list of our universal/all gender toilet provisions on campus. 

Policies protecting those reporting discrimination

The University of Manchester has a clear and comprehensive policy framework to protect anyone who reports discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation, and specifically guards against educational or employment disadvantage for those who speak up.

Our  Dignity at Work and Study policy (reviewed 2024) covers staff, students and the wider University community, emphasising that anyone subjected to unacceptable behaviour (including discrimination) has the right to a safe, respectful environment, and that the University will support them in reporting concerns. The policy includes informal and formal procedures, confidential reporting mechanisms, via the Report & Support service, and clearly states that “victimisation” is unacceptable; the procedure ensures that complainants’ rights are protected and that they will not face detriment for reporting.

Further, Section 3.9 of our Grievance, Appeals and Complaints policy states that ‘Provided that a grievance is brought in good faith, a complainant should not suffer any victimisation or reprisals as a result of bringing the grievance if the grievance is not upheld’, (p2).

Maternity and paternity policies

We have extensive, sector-leading parental leave policies that support our staff’s participation in the workplace. Alongside maternity and paternity leave policies, we also offer policies to support adoption, career breaks, special leave, and offer staff networks for parents and carers to support one another across the University.  

Our strength in this area is further evidenced by our charter mark with the nationally accredited AthenaSwan. This has ensured our policies support parents to balance work and family life, provide flexibility during the first year following birth, and support women’s participation and return to the workplace. Our maternity support toolkit shows resources for before, during and after maternity leave that supports women’s participation in the workplace. 

Childcare facilities

We have accessible childcare facilities for students which allows recent mothers to attend university courses. We have two campus nurseries that offer subsidised accessible childcare facilities for students. These facilities and support allow recent mothers to attend university courses. Students who are parents can also apply for Nursery Subsidies advertised on the Student Support website, paid to the nursery by us, if they fulfil certain criteria or struggle to meet the fee due to low household income. We have certain childcare facilities around campus, and our Student’s Union website highlights these, along with providing advice and events to support student parents. 

Additionally the Future Families Project, under the Athena Swan Silver Action Plan, will review staff and student policies and campus provision for parents and carers, aligning where possible across staff and students. This will be a long-term project aiming to make our campus more inclusive in its physical sense and also providing supporting policies to remove barriers to access and participation (particularly for students).

We have childcare facilities for staff and faculty. We are a family-friendly university and try to support all parents who balance work and family responsibilities. To support our staff members, we have two campus nurseries that offer subsidised/tax-free accessible childcare facilities for all staff. The Workplace Nursery Scheme lets parents pay the full nursery costs directly from their gross income (pay before tax and NI) instead of part of their salary, so they only then pay tax and NI on their salary after the childcare vouchers/fees have been deducted – saving hundreds of pounds a year. The university’s StaffNet website provides support and guides parents to various government schemes for tax-free, or free hours of, childcare costs. 

Women’s access schemes 

We provide several women’s access and development schemes, including mentoring, leadership programmes, scholarships, and other targeted provisions. As part of our commitment to the Athena SWAN Gender Charter, we have developed initiatives such as Women into Leadership to address the under-representation of women in senior positions within the University.

Mentoring and leadership development opportunities include:

• Manchester Gold – a long-running, cross-University mentoring scheme open to all staff and widely used by women to find senior mentors and sponsors.
• Aurora (Advance HE) women’s leadership programme – the University funds annual cohorts of women (typically up to Senior Lecturer/Grade 7 equivalent) to build leadership capability through mentoring and a dedicated UoM community of practice..
• Student mentoring and communities – student-led groups such as Women in Engineering (WES) and WISE (Women in Science & Engineering) provide mentoring, networking, and outreach for female and non-binary students in male-dominated subject areas.

Scholarships targeted at women include:

• Women in STEM (British Council/Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) – UoM is a delivery partner offering fully funded master’s scholarships for women from South Asia and ASEAN (SAGE scheme) on eligible STEM courses.
• Beatrice Shilling Scholarship – an undergraduate award ring-fenced for women holding offers in Engineering and Computer Science (with a published list of eligible subjects for 2025 entry).

Policies and practical support underpinning women’s access and progression include:

• Parents and Carers support (staff) – flexible working from day one, special leave, career breaks, welfare rooms, breastfeeding guidance, and active networks for parents and carers.
• Carer Support Grant (BMH example, 2023/24) – provides up to £500 (and more in some cases) to cover additional care costs, enabling staff, particularly women who are disproportionately affected by caring responsibilities, to attend conferences or training.
• Athena Swan accreditation – the University holds an institutional Silver Award alongside multiple School-level awards. Published 2023–28 action plans across faculties, including FBMH, set out concrete, time-bound interventions to advance gender equality.

The University of Manchester actively encourages applications by women in subjects where they are under-represented, such as engineering, materials science, computer science and other STEM disciplines. This is delivered through targeted outreach, mentoring and scholarship programmes, and through collaborations with universities, government, professional bodies and community partners.

As a signatory to the Athena Swan Gender Charter, the University implements mentoring, outreach and awareness programmes that raise the profile of women in technical and under-represented fields. We’ve collaborated with British Council producing a programme and scholarships that aims to encourage more females in STEM. Our academics have set up Women in Environmental Science – a collaborative network that promotes and encourages access to lifelong learning for women who are returning to education, as well as using outreach and mentoring to initiate a new generation of informed environmental science advocates, activists and practitioners.

Women’s mentoring schemes

The University has many mentoring schemes in place for our students. Together as a proportion of all female students, these easily engage more than 10% of our female cohorts. Examples of our mentoring schemes include Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS), Peer Mentoring and Peer Support – which run across all undergraduate years and faculties. We also have many student-led societies and mentoring schemes, such as SU Buddy schemes as well as exclusive societies for women: Women in Business, Women in Science and Engineering, and Women in Medicine. Within these societies, many female students receive or provide tailored mentoring – depending on their academic year. The combination of all of our mentoring schemes, both exclusive to females and not, leads to at least 10% of our female students participating in mentoring either through receiving or providing mentoring support.