Equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Brighton is committed to developing and nurturing a diverse community, supporting inclusion in the university and through the impact of our activities at a local, national and international level. We champion and nurture inclusivity, diversity and equality to the highest levels, recognising the value it has to the future of our staff, students, partners and community.

We continue to create a culture and environment in which staff and students are treated fairly irrespective of race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital/civil partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, age or parental, pregnancy or marital status.

Find out more information on the Equalities Act here.

Download our equality, diversity and inclusion policy (pdf)

Follow UoB_Equality on Twitter

If you have any questions please email equality@brighton.ac.uk.

The university is a Disability Confident employer

After many years as a “Two Ticks” employer, the university has moved to adopt Disability Confident, a new government scheme to support equality and diversity in our staff recruitment practices. This move enables our on-going commitment to employing people with disabilities and health conditions, as well as ensuring every possible opportunity to progress at the university.

Disability Confident is a voluntary scheme, which has been developed in partnership with disabled people’s representatives. It is a Jobcentre Plus initiative for employers who are taking action to meet commitments regarding the employment, retention, training and career development of employees with disabilities. These commitments are integral to the university’s strategy promise: enabling our staff and liberating talent.

As a Disability Confident employer we:

undertake the Disability Confident self-assessment
take all of the core actions to be a Disability Confident employer
offer at least one activity to get the right people for our business and at least one activity to keep and develop our people.

What do we mean by disability?

Under the Equality Act 2010, disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.

As under the “Two Ticks” scheme, we offer our assurance that, should applicants with disabilities meet the minimum criteria for a post, they will be shortlisted for the post and given an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at interview.

The university is a member of the Equality Challenge Unit

As a member of the Equality Challenge Unit we are committed to addressing the university’s specific equality needs and are part of a supported community of good practice across the higher education sector.

The Athena SWAN Charter

Athena SWAN recognises commitment to addressing unequal gender representation across academic disciplines, professional and support functions and removing obstacles faced by women.

The University of Brighton has held an institutional Athena SWAN Bronze Award since 2013 and this year became one of only a handful on higher education institutional nationally to achieve an institutional award under the new expanded charter, which recognises success in advancing gender equality across all academic disciplines.

The Race Equality Charter Mark

The university has joined the Race Equality Charter Mark. By doing so we are committing to improving the representation, progression and success of black and minority ethnic staff and students at our institution.

Our work in this area will involve undertaking a comprehensive self-assessment of race equality across the institution and developing solutions to the issues identified aimed at achieving long-term institutional culture change.

Stonewall Diversity Champion and in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers

The university is a proud Stonewall Diversity Champion and joined Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list in the 2019 Workplace Equality Index. The index is the leading best-practice employers' forum for sexual orientation and gender identity equality, diversity and inclusion. Our position recognises us as one of the top employers for LGBT people in the UK, from over 450 private, public and charitable organisations that applied.

The Stonewall Diversity Champion programme supports and promotes fair practice in relation to the employment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender staff, and our role as a champion is integral to our commitment to equality for LGBT+ staff and students.

Staff Equality Network Groups

The university currently has five Staff Equality Network Groups, which are open to all staff members to join. These are:

Disability
Gender
LGBT+
Parents and Carers
Race and Faith.

These groups are run by staff for staff and feed into the university’s Equality and Diversity Committee. Attendance at Equality Network Group meetings and events is recognised as university business.