Women in academic medicine face many practical difficulties when they have children.
The British Medical Journal have published findings based on a maternity survey carried out at Imperial College London. The aim of the survey was to assess the impact of maternity leave and being a mother on academic career progression.
Please find the link here: http://careers.bmj.com/careers/advice/view-article.html?id=20011322
‘Opportunity Now’ has partnered with The Times to publish a ‘Top 50 Employers for Women’ list.
All organisations within the Top 50 “demonstrate that gender equality is an integral part of their business strategy, with consistent commitment to progressing women in the workplace that covers their entire organisation, not just isolated areas,” explained Opportunity Now.
Entries were marked against a framework of best practice and assessed anonymously by a team of gender diversity experts.
The alphabetical list features UK employers from a wide range of sectors, such as Ernst & Young, Google, HM Revenue & Customs, Marks & Spencer and Unilever.
Ernst & Young was recognised for its commitment to developing a female talent pipeline, and this year set a target that at least 30 per cent of all new UK partners are female. Liz Bingham, Ernst & Young’s managing partner for people in the UK and Ireland said: “Diversity is a business imperative. As well as being the right thing to do, we believe that by attracting and retaining the best talent and developing our people, we will ultimately deliver a better service to our clients.”
Read more about Opportunity Now here: http://opportunitynow.bitc.org.uk/node/59265.
BBC’s The Last Night of The Proms is to be led by a female conductor for the first time in its 118 year history.
American Marin Alsop said she was “thrilled” to conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra and violinist Nigel Kennedy.
The festival, which begins on 12 July, includes 92 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and four across the UK.
More … http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22188201
New Zealand’s parliament has legalised same-sex marriage, the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.
Lawmakers approved the bill, amending the 1955 marriage act, despite opposition from Christian lobby groups.
The bill was passed with a wide majority, with 77 votes in favour and 44 against.
Hundreds of jubilant gay-rights advocates celebrated outside parliament after the bill was passed, calling it a milestone for equality.
April is Autism Awareness month and with this in mind we have chosen Luke Jackson as our Inspirational Diversity Champion.
Luke Christopher Jackson is a British author who rose to fame at the age of 13, when he wrote a book from first-hand experience about his life with Asperger syndrome. In the book, entitled ‘Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence’, Luke writes about his younger autistic and ADHD brothers, providing amusing insights into the antics of his younger years and advice for parents, carers and teachers of children with Asperger’s.
Luke’s main reason for writing was because “so many books are written about us, but none are written directly to adolescents with Asperger Syndrome. I thought I would write one in the hope that we could all learn together”. The book created a sensation and greatly increased general awareness of the condition.
Luke left school at the age of 14 “after completely having had enough”. He has since been singing and playing in a band, has written two further books and has appeared in documentaries about Autism.
Matt Gilbert is a professional rugby player. What makes him different is that he is deaf. He is the only british deaf professional rugby player and he currently plays for Bath.
Find out more about Matt and deaf rugby here:
http://www.englanddeafrugby.com/home/
Williams development driver Susie Wolff is targeting a spot in the next young driver test as she continues her bid to secure a Formula 1 race seat.
The Scot drove an F1 car for the first time last October and was the first person to test this year’s Williams.
“I’m on a fantastic path but I don’t look too far ahead,” Wolff, 30, told BBC Sport. “I look at each small step.
“Now it’s about doing the young drivers days and proving I’m quick enough – and then getting a super licence.”
More … http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22080278
A short survey was opened to gauge interest in setting up a staff network group aimed towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans staff, and those interested in promoting LGBT equality at Greenwich.
We were delighted that 87% of respondents said they would like to see an LGBT Staff Network at Greenwich. We are now in the process of meeting up with respondents to discuss setting up the network; how they foresee it working and what sort of involvement they would like.
If you are interested in getting involved in the Network, please contact Karen Weaver, Equality and Diversity Champion k.weaver@gre.ac.uk, with any questions you may have. The survey is still open, so do go online and share your views.
Greenwich Association of Disabled People are looking to recruit local disabled people for their trustee board.
This could be a good opportunity for volunteers with professional experience, such as business planning, marketing or finance, to maintain their experience, or for students to gain experience relevant to their degree. There may be others who can contribute their perspective as disabled people, helping the organisation ensure its services remain true to its core principles.
GAD has a long history in the local area since 1975, with a reputation that extends nationally. GAD is highly committed to remaining an organisation run by and for disabled people. As well as providing advice, information and advocacy services, GAD runs a Personal Assistants agency, providing close support for 60 local people, and supports users to become involved in the organisation at different levels, including representing the organisation externally. See www.gad.org.uk for further information.
GAD is based in Greenwich, near the University’s maritime campus, based at The Forum@Greenwich on Trafalgar Road.
If you are interested, please contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator:
Telephone: 020 8305 2221
Email: volunteers@gad.org.uk
ECU is currently running two surveys exploring how institutions can support staff and students experiencing mental health difficulties.
Respondents need to have experienced mental health issues personally, and be a member of staff or a student within higher education. The links to the two surveys can be found here: