Women in Philosophy

UCD School of Philosophy has very close ties with the (opens in a new window)Society for Women in Philosophy Ireland (SWIPI). The Irish branch of SWIP was launched in 2010 at a meeting of the UK Society for Women in Philosophy during the Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and Mind Association in UCD. Since then, the Society has held regular conferences, workshops and mentoring events. Members of the SWIP committee, have been active in efforts to adopt the BPA/SWIP Good Practice guidelines in Ireland.

The School has also adopted the (opens in a new window)BPA/SWIP Good Practice Scheme, which implements ways to avoid gender bias and other biases and encourages a supportive culture within the philosophical activities of the School for women and minority groups.   It is the only department in Ireland to have done so.

Adopting the Good Practice Scheme involves commitments in the following areas:

• Gender Bias
• Conferences and seminar series
• Sexual Harassment
• Caregivers
• Staff-student relationships
• Research Projects

The School runs occasional workshops which identify and highlight particular issues facing women in philosophy, as well as exploring the possibility of implicit biases and how to manage them.  It is concerned to ensure that female philosophers are visible in promotional material, pictures on the walls, reading lists, conference panels and seminars.  Our implementation plan [BPA/SWIP Guidelines UCD Policy] for adopting the Good Practice Scheme is incorporated into all the new handbooks that are being produced by the School, and is monitored by a standing committee for women in philosophy in the School.