Each year, the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women throughout society are celebrated during Women's History Month and, on March 8, International Women's Day – which is also a time to reflect on the work that still needs to be done to achieve gender parity.
Throughout the month, the University will be sharing inspirational stories and achievements of women from across the institution. We will also be featuring events being held by the University and the Union of Kingston Students, themed around gender equality.
*Artwork in banner image by Kingston School of Art Fine Art MFA graduate Clara Lang-Ezekiel.
The theme for International Women's Day this year is #BreakTheBias, with people being encouraged to share photographs of themselves on social media crossing arms to demonstrate a commitment to calling out inequality, alongside the campaign hashtag.
As part of this year's theme, we are inviting our University community to share its own commitment to calling out bias, discrimination and stereotyping, and to help forge an inclusive world.
Short online forms have been created to allow our students, staff and alumni to let us know what they will #BreakTheBias. We will be sharing these commitments throughout March across our social media platforms.
No ifs or buts.
Let's break the bias now.
Professor Jean-Christophe Nebel, School of Computer Science and Mathematics
Sharing our commitment to #BreakTheBias.
Celebrating its second year since launching, Kingston University's Women in Enterprise Network (KUWEN) is hosting a seminar in celebration of International Women's Day. Hear from inspiring women entrepreneurs Jackie Groundsell, owner of 1230 The Women's Company and Shikta Das, Genetic Epidemiologist and Data Scientist.
KUWEN is a vibrant community of business women, brought together to connect with and support each other, share business ideas and explore best practice.
From celebrating the achievements of our talented students, staff and researchers to encouraging more women to take up careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Kingston University is committed to supporting and championing our women in STEM.
"You feel you need to prove yourself above and beyond if you're the only woman in the room, or the only woman of a younger age in the room – you feel that perhaps there could be a sense of people assuming you're not of the same level of experience as them for whatever reason."
Caroline Harries, Kingston University's Chief Financial Officer, and Mandy Ure, Dean of Kingston School of Art, met during Women's History Month to discuss some of the challenges they have faced throughout their careers. As senior figures at the University, and part of the Senior Leadership Team, they offer advice to the next generation of female leaders and share inspirational role models throughout their working life. Their discussion also explores the importance of support networks and the role of allies in helping support women to achieve their full potential.