Accessibility statement

Supporting women in Computer Science

Computer Science is currently a discipline that is dominated by men.  The department is firmly committed to helping change that situation, our goal is to have a gender balanced student population and at least 30% women teaching staff by the end of the decade.

In October 2020 we received an Athena SWAN Bronze Award which sets out a comprehensive plan of actions to achieve that goal and to support women students and staff in the department.  We have also set up a system to carefully monitor our progress towards that goal and access what actions are most successful in supporting women.

Some highlights of our plans are:

  • Providing specific funding for women students to attend events;
  • Allocating women students to women personal tutors whenever possible;
  • Encouraging networking and support amongst women academics, including a women’s lunch and discussion group;
  • Providing additional support for women staff as they become eligible for promotion;
  • Ensuring women students and staff are fully informed of gender-specific support throughout their lifecycle within the department, from application through admission/appointment to graduation/leaving.

ACM-W York

ACM-W logo

ACM-W supports, celebrates, and advocates internationally for the full engagement of women in all aspects of the computing field, providing a wide range of programs and services to ACM members and working in the larger community to advance the contributions of technical women.

Working alongside the ACM York Student Chapter, ACM-W York focuses on promoting events with women in technology as well as empowering students to pursue a career in tech. ACM-W York often co-hosts events with the Student Chapter, including crashing each others socials.