Goal 5: Gender equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all.

Working in partnership both locally and globally, we are tackling each of the UN Sustainable Development Goals through our research and knowledge exchange, education and student experience, and through our operations. Discover how our unique commitments align with and support Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.

Research and impact

The University advances SDG 5 through interdisciplinary, evidence-led research that addresses structural inequalities and empowers women and girls worldwide. In 2025 we hosted the Women and Non-binary Doctoral Researchers in STEM (WoNDRS) conference, which brought together over 100 doctoral researchers from over 25 UK universities, fostering inclusive academic spaces and future research leadership (5.5, 5.6). The Feminist City Network continues to reimagine urban spaces through feminist research, contributing to the Liverpool City Region International Women’s Day Conference in 2025 to influence local policy (5.1, 5.6). Liverpool researchers are advancing global conversations on gender diversity in corporate boards, work-family decision-making, and the impact of social media on young masculinities. The Transnational Gender Equality Framework proposes new international standards for workplace inclusion, while the Good Writing, Gender and the Gap project, embedded in teacher CPD across the Liverpool City Region, challenges gender bias in education outcomes (5.1, 5.6).

Education and student experience

The University supports SDG 5 through inclusive education and curricular innovation that promote gender equality and empower learners. Gender is embedded across multiple programmes, with modules such as Gender and Feminist Politics: Core Concepts and Theories, Gender and the Welfare State, and Gender and Global Politics enabling students to critically examine intersectionality, feminist political thought, public policy impacts, and global challenges including conflict, migration, and reproductive rights (5.1, 5.4, 5.5). Beyond the classroom, students contribute to activism and peer education through societies such as the Feminist Society and Women’s Network, which host campaigns, events, and dialogues on gender justice (5.1). The University also supports gender-diverse inclusion through the Trans and Non-Binary Peer Support Network, which provides safe spaces and helps shape inclusive institutional policies (5.1, 5.6). Staff development is reinforced by the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, embedding Education for Sustainable Development themes such as inclusive pedagogy and gender-responsive teaching, complemented by the Inclusive Curriculum Tool, to help staff audit and enhance inclusivity in course design and delivery (5.5). In 2025, the Learning & Teaching Conference featured dedicated sessions on inclusive curriculum design and gender representation in academic leadership, underlining the University’s commitment to embedding SDG 5 across education and student experience (5.5).

Sustainable campus and operations

The University promotes an inclusive workplace through robust policies and long-term commitments. Our Diversity and Equality and Bullying and Harassment policies, alongside a confidential Report + Support tool, safeguard staff and students and ensure a respectful campus culture (5.1). The Equality Objectives Action Plan further embeds gender equality into institutional governance, setting measurable goals for recruitment, retention, leadership, and representation across all staff and student communities (5.5). We support diverse lived experiences through active networks including the Endometriosis Network, Trans and Non-Binary Peer Support Network, Menopause Network, and the Female Early Career Researcher Network (5.1, 5.6). Our leadership is recognised nationally: in 2025, both the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology and the Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences achieved Athena SWAN Gold Awards, complementing our institutional Silver Award (5.5). We continue to address structural inequalities, with the median gender pay gap narrowing to 15.28% and the mean gap declining to 19.60% in 2024, both improving year-on-year (5.5). Women are further supported through LivWiSE, Advance HE’s Aurora programme, and visible campus-wide celebrations during International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month.

Case studies

Addressing gender Inequalities in the North

In 2025, the University of Liverpool contributed to Woman of the North: Inequality, Health and Work, a landmark report produced with Health Equity North and over 70 academic and policy partners. The report provides the most comprehensive analysis to date of the systemic inequalities faced by women in the North of England, directly advancing SDG 5 (5.1, 5.2, 5.4, 5.c).

Findings reveal that women in the North live shorter, less healthy lives, earn significantly less than their counterparts in the South, and are more likely to experience domestic violence, mental illness, and imprisonment. Girls born in the North can expect up to six fewer years of healthy life, while women in the region lose out on £132 million in wages each week due to pay disparities. They also provide £10 billion annually in unpaid care, £2 billion more than if they performed the national average.

These stark inequalities are compounded by austerity, cost-of-living pressures, and unequal funding systems. The report sets out actionable recommendations for governments, health services, and local authorities to reverse deteriorating health outcomes, tackle domestic violence, and reduce economic insecurity.

Professor David Taylor-Robinson, lead contributor from the University of Liverpool, emphasised the urgent need for investment in preventative and support services to address these challenges.

By combining rigorous research with advocacy, the University of Liverpool is shaping national debate and catalysing policy reform to advance gender equality, health, and human rights for women across the UK.