Gender Equality Conference 2025

The University of Exeter’s gender equality action plan 2024-28 pledges to 'launch [an] annual Gender Equality Conference event to highlight progress, celebrate success and share best practice from across the institution and beyond, creating a forum for feedback, networking and insights.’

This page has more information, including events, resources and support, and is updated regularly.

How to get involved

Our first conference in May 2025 is mainly internally focused. We will look to invite people from other Higher Education institutions to network and share knowledge, learning and best practice in future years.

There are lots of ways University of Exeter staff and students can get involved:

Attend conference events (see listings below)
Showcase your gender equality focused research, projects, and/or networks online or at our events
Host/organise an event focusing on gender equality (please use our event tracker to let us know and we will list it here)
Suggest further events, resources, support or networks to promote on this page
Support the conference project team with admin, planning and other activities before and during the conference

If you have anything you would like to promote, or you want to organise or be part of supporting an event, please email EDI@exeter.ac.uk.

There may be some photography and/or filming at our events. Please let an event organiser know if you don't want to be photographed/filmed.

Monday 19 May

The following events are open to University of Exeter students and staff. Please email EDI@exeter.ac.uk for more information at any time. This list will be updated as more events are confirmed, so please look out for communications and check back.

Athena Swan: Drop-in for application support (online)

10-11am, MS Teams
Join on MS Teams or email EDI@exeter.ac.uk for an Outlook invite

Do you have questions about your department's Athena Swan application? Join the EDI team and colleagues working on Bronze, Silver and Gold Athena Swan applications to share information and ideas. This is an online drop-in event which means you can come for some or all of it. Please also feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Join our internal Athena Swan information and best practice MS Teams site

Effective professional practice in academia: The role of social capital and the lived experience of women in academia (hybrid)

11:30am-12:30pm, St Luke's Campus or MS Teams (followed by in-person networking lunch, 12:30-1:30pm)
Sign up on MS Forms

Join us for a seminar led by Professor Margaret C. Watson, author of Women in Academia: Achieving Our Potential, and Professor of Health Services Research and Pharmacy Practice, University Of Strathclyde. Professor Watson will discuss the evidence and experience presented in the book, including behaviour that individuals can engage in to enhance their effectiveness and social capital, despite the considerable gender asymmetry that exists in this sector. While the book focuses on women, the contents are relevant to people of any gender.

It takes a village: Supporting the life transition that is Matrescence (online)

12:45-2pm, join on MS Teams
Find out more on Eventbrite

Join us for a playful online session open to anyone interested in learning more about Matrescence - the transition of becoming a m/other. It takes a village to raise a child and so this is a space for collective thinking, support and creative exploration where all genders and lived experiences are welcome. This event is hosted by the University of Exeter's Arts and Culture team, in partnership with a cross-disciplinary team of academic colleagues, and Theatre Director Rosanna Elliott.

Post-event resources: Join the Arts and Culture mailing list, signposting and support information, and After the Ideal Exhibition text.

Discussion café: Gender equality and class (in-person)

1-3pm, Streatham Campus (The Greenhouse, Devonshire House)
Sign up on Fixr

Join the Students' Guild and Feminist Society for free pizza (including gluten free and vegan options) and to share your thoughts and experiences of gender (in)equality at the University of Exeter. This will be a relaxed and friendly session where you can come along and share as much or as little as you are comfortable with.

Pay gaps: Talk/Q&A on disability, ethnicity and gender pay gaps (online)

2-3pm, join on MS Teams
Find out more on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team to find out more about the University of Exeter's current disability, ethnicity and gender pay gaps and the work happening to reduce them. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Watch the recording online

Cornwall Carers Service: Talk/Q&A (online)

3:30-4:30pm, MS Teams
Join on MS Teams or email EDI@exeter.ac.uk for an Outlook invite

In the first half, Cornwall Carers Service will cover how to know if you’re a carer, what support and resources they offer, and more. The second half is your opportunity to ask Cornwall Carers Service and University of Exeter HR policy and EDI colleagues any questions. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Watch the recording and view the slides online. You can also watch an equivalent talk by Devon Carers online (March 2025).

Gender Equality Book Club: The Color Purple (in-person)

4-5pm, Streatham Campus (The Greenhouse, Devonshire House)
Sign up on Fixr

Join the Students’ Guild to discuss the intersectionality of gender, race and class in Alice Walker's book 'The Color Purple'. We will also watch Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED Talk on ‘The Urgency of Intersectionality’ to see how the issues raised in this fictional book can be seen in the real world.

Tuesday 20 May

Athena Swan: Workshop on Bronze applications (in-person)

10-11:30am, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team and colleagues with experience of successful Athena Swan applications (at all levels) to find out more about how to get started on applying for a Bronze award, and what the process involves. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Presentation slides

Athena Swan: Workshop on Bronze, Silver and Gold applications (in-person)

10am-12pm, Penryn Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team and colleagues with experience of successful Athena Swan applications to find out more about what's required for Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Presentation slides

Support group: Trans rights (in-person)

10am-12pm, Streatham Campus (Sarah Turvill Multifaith Centre)
Sign up on Fixr

Join the LGBTQ+ Society, and Dante, the Student Guild's Social Policy Lead, to discuss the impacts of recent events on the trans community. It will be a safe space for sharing emotions, experiences and questions. Dante specialises in trans policy and will be able to answer any questions you may have about the Supreme Court ruling and how it affects you. Please join us in creating a space of empowerment and conversation, keeping transphobia away from our campus.

Meet and Greet: Fika and gender equality showcase (Penryn Campus)

12-2pm, Penryn Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Come along at any time for a tea/coffee/cake break, to meet staff and students, and to learn more about gender equality projects, research and networks across the University of Exeter and beyond. This includes:

A student producing a zine on trans and gender diverse people's contributions to STEM
Representatives from the Inspiring Women Network and Transparent Presence CIC
Members of the Cornwall Wellbeing Network and EDI team

Meet and Greet: Fika and gender equality showcase (St Luke's Campus)

11:30am-12:30pm, St Luke's Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Come along at any time for a tea/coffee/cake break, to meet staff and students, and to learn more about gender equality projects, research and networks across the University of Exeter. This includes:

A project addressing gender inequality in student entrepreneurship
A talk on the intersection of sex and ethnicity on managing bowel cancer symptoms in primary care
Research on the history of women's work
Members of WISENet and the Menopause Network

Athena Swan: Workshop on Gold applications (in-person)

1-2:30pm, St Luke's Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team, and other colleagues preparing Gold applications, to find out more about what's required to achieve an Athena Swan Gold award. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Presentation slides

Women in Tech (in-person)

2-3pm, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join colleagues from the Digital Transformation Division leadership team to hear their stories of being women in tech. This includes how they got into tech roles, what their current roles and responsibilities are, and the skills they have developed to support their success.

Peri-/Menopause strength training class (in-person)

2:30-3:30pm, St Luke’s Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join Annaliese Mawdsley, a medical professional and bespoke female personal trainer, for a free, in-person strength training class for peri-/menopause. Annaliese will take you through exercises you can do at home/outside or in the gym, to help build strength around the menopause transition.

For those based at Penryn, the Sports Centre delivers a ‘Revive’ peri-/menopause fitness class every Tuesday 8:30-9:15am. This class is free for anyone with a gym membership (£4 for non-members). Please contact the Sports Centre on 01326 370770 or at fitnesscentre@fxplus.ac.uk for more information.

Body pump class (in-person)

2:30-3:15pm, Penryn Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join Tasha from the Cornwall Wellbeing Network for a free*, in-person, and beginner-friendly, strength-based fitness class. Tasha will help you learn the fundamentals of weightlifting while getting fit and having fun!

*Only those who are not currently a paying member of the campus gym are eligible for the free class.

Qigong and meditation (in-person)

4-5pm, Penryn Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Experience the Chinese healing art of Qigong in an experiential workshop led by local Qigong and meditation practitioner Kasia Murfet. Kasia will guide you through a gentle one-hour Qigong practice incorporating intentional movement, meditation, breathwork and visualisations, within the serene landscape of Tremough House gardens.

Wednesday 21 May

Keynote: Gender Equality at the University of Exeter (hybrid)

10:30am-12pm, Streatham Campus or MS Teams
Sign up on Eventbrite

Find out more about progress on gender equality, sexual orientation equality, and gender safety work at the University of Exeter. Our contributors are:

Alicia O'Grady (she/her), Executive Divisional Director of External Engagement and Global and Chair of the University's Gender Equality Group
Avery Kibble (they/them), Psychology student and Aro-Ace Representative for the University's LGBTQ+ Society
Lewis Nurton (he/him), Learning and Development Manager (EDI) and lead for the University's Active Bystander and Consent training
Peter Scargill (he/him), Director of Commercial, Residential and Campus Services and Chair of the University's Gender Safety Group

Post-event resources: Talk on disability, ethnicity and gender pay gaps (May 2025), gender equality (Athena Swan) action plan, and LGBTQ+ action plan.

Meet and Greet: Fika and gender equality showcase (Streatham Campus)

12-2pm, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Come along at any time for a tea/coffee/cake break, to meet staff and students, and to learn more about gender equality projects, research and networks across the University of Exeter. This includes:

Representatives from the 4M consortium
Colleagues working on a digital Menopausal Empowerment Navigational Tool
Students investigating body image and stigma in lesbian, heterosexual, bisexual, and asexual cisgender women (while controlling for ADHD symptomatology)
Research on the history of women's work
A project addressing gender inequality in student entrepreneurship
Members of WISENet, the Menopause Network, and more

External event: Summer fun made simple (online)

1:15-2pm, online

The University's Employee Assistance Programme, Spectrum Life, is hosting an event focused on balancing work, personal time, and family activities. It will 'provide practical time management tips to help you navigate responsibilities while making space for meaningful moments'. You can join online by signing in/up with your @exeter.ac.uk email address and our organisation code, UoEWell.

Self-defence taster class (option 1, in-person)

2-3pm, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join this free, in-person taster class to learn simple self-defence skills in a safe and friendly atmosphere. A fully qualified, professional instructor will show you easy to learn and effective solutions to real life situations. Beginners of all genders are welcome. This class is the same as the one listed on Thursday 22 May - please only sign up to one slot.

Thursday 22 May

Athena Swan: Talk/Q&A on data (online)

10-11am, MS Teams
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team, and colleagues with experience of successful Athena Swan applications, for an overview of what data is available at the University of Exeter, where to find it, and how best to use it in your department's application. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Watch the recording and view the presentation slides

Forum stall: Feminist Society (in-person)

10:30am-2:30pm, Streatham Campus (Forum Street)

Come along at any time between 10:30am and 2pm to meet Feminist Society members and learn more about the work they have done this year in advocating for gender equality.

Forum stall: Academics Against Assault (in-person)

11am-3pm, Streatham Campus (Forum Street)

Come along at any time between 11am and 3pm to meet Academics Against Assault representatives and learn more about the campaign and what they want to achieve on our campuses.

Gender and sexuality studies in PGR communities (hybrid)

11:30am-12:30pm, Streatham Campus or MS Teams
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join Chloë Edwards (she/her, PhD student, Art History and Visual Culture) and Charlie Foy Berry (he/they, PhD student, Education) as they reflect on their time as co-leaders of the interdisciplinary Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) Gender and Sexuality Research Network within the Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS).

Athena Swan: Workshop on Silver applications (in-person)

1-2:30pm, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Join the EDI team and colleagues with experience of successful Athena Swan applications to find out more about what's required to achieve a Silver award. Please feel free to send any questions to EDI@exeter.ac.uk before the event.

Post-event resources: Presentation slides

Self-defence taster class (option 2, in-person)

2:30-3:30pm, Streatham Campus
Sign up on Eventbrite

Friday 23 May

Discussion group: Why feminism is still relevant today (in-person)

3-4:30pm, Streatham Campus (The Greenhouse, Devonshire House)
Sign up on Fixr

Join the Feminist Society to discuss why feminism is still relevant, challenges still faced by women, the importance of intersectionality, and what we can do to make campus more equal.