The initial charter set out to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) institutions of higher education and research.
[3] In 2011, the UK Chief Medical Officer made it a requirement for academic departments applying for funding from the National Institute for Health Research to hold the Athena SWAN silver award.
[8] Members (universities) who sign up to the charter are expected to apply for an Athena SWAN award,[8] at Bronze, Silver or Gold level.
[14] Others have indicated an apparent failure to find any significant impact of Athena SWAN awards on changes in the proportion of women in senior leadership positions or professorial posts based on data held be the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) for consecutive years between 2012 and 2019.
[16][17] In November 2021, The Times reported concerns about the Athena SWAN programme; barrister Naomi Cunningham described it as "totalitarian and unlawful" while historian Selina Todd, in a letter to the editor, said it "promotes a controversial view of sex and gender".
[27] However, it is important to note that these improvements are not ubiquitous across all academic disciplines,[28] and Charter-induced interventions may take some time to produce tangible results, as the influence of diversity charters follows a trajectory of maturity.
Supported by Advance HE, Dimensions aims to draw on the Athena SWAN methodology to recognise institutions that are inclusive of underrepresented groups.