Mental Health, Women Academics and Higher Education Institutions
A Flexible Fund project looking at the experiences of women academics with mental health conditions in academia and higher education institutions in the UK.
Published : 18/03/2026
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EDICa funded a Flexible Fund project led by Dr Hadar Elraz of Swansea University with co-investigator Dr Armineh Soorenian of the University of Sheffield.
They carried out research on the experiences of women academics with mental health conditions. They found that they are faced with increasing workloads, admin and pastoral responsibilities which compromise their health and hinder their career prospects.
You can find an Easy Read version of the findings here.
You can find a 10-page illustrated brief here.
And you can find a collection of black and white illustrations for your use here.
An illustrated 10-page briefing of the research
Graphic Illustrations For Use
Illustrations depicting mental health challenges have been created by the artist Amy Jackson. These are available for use.
An Easy Read version of the research findings
Other resources
EDICa hosts a regular blog and seminars, as well as collecting a library of resources of equality, diversity & inclusion practices in research & innovation.

Women and Mental Health Issues in STEM Research & Innovation
Date: 8th August 2025 –
Outputs from EDICa Flexible Fund project on women and mental health issues in STEM Research & Innovation roles in academia & industry.

Seminar on Mental health in the research & innovation ecosystem: understanding the lived experiences of women – Recording
Recorded on 19 February 2025, watch the recording of two projects sharing findings on mental health and the lived experiences of women.

Do deaf women feel safe on campus? A qualitative case study of one UK university
Date: January 2021
An article reporting on 5 interviews of deaf women working or studying on a UK campus about their feelings of safety.