Aarhus University-AU is a leading European research university with education and research activities in all scientific and scholarly disciplines. AU is one of the most rapidly advancing institutions with more than 40,000 students and 11,000 employees.
Gender inequality is a relevant problem at all levels among the scientific personnel at AU, in fact, women only represent 14.5% of all full professors and 32% of associate professors. In addressing this issue, in 2008 AU appointed a Task Force on Gender Equality (TFGE) to draw up the new gender equality policy for the University. The Task Force included diverse managerial positions, as well as frAU (female researchers at AU, a bottom-up organisation of women) representatives. The University is committed to draft a gender equality action plan and determine a number of target figures. Initiatives have been taken to meet these targets, such as a mentoring programme, training courses for staff, improved work-life balance, etc. However, a more systemic action plan is needed to achieve more comprehensive results and long-term effects, namely a structural change.
At the moment, AU is in the process of restructuring its entire organisation, which could prove to be an excellent opportunity to implement also gender-related structural changes. As part of the restructuring process, the University decided to appoint a permanent committee, the Diversity Committee (which replaced the provisional Task Force on Gender Equality in 2012) to handle the gender equality issue. The Action Plan of the University includes a set of integrated activities, targeting all the faculties, geared at extending and at making permanent the results of the last two years.
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STRATEGIC AREA |
OBJECTIVES |
ACTIONS |
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Women-friendly environment |
Actions promoting change in organisational culture and formal/ informal behaviours |
- Documenting developments in gender equality - Communicating strategies to promote the visibility of female role-models - Organising 4 University-wide workshops - Periodical training modules on gender diversity management |
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Actions promoting work-life balance |
- Establishing and managing home offices for staff - Introducing flexible working hours - Rules for time reimbursement for PhD coordinators/assistant professors/post-doc supervisors - Organising and managing dinner services to bring home |
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Actions supporting early-stage career-development |
- Mentoring programme for young female researchers - Career advice and training for early-career women researchers - Setting up mechanisms to support temporary staff |
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Gender-aware science |
Actions challenging gender stereotypes and consequent horizontal segregation |
- Organising 4 Faculty-level initiatives on stereotypes - Collection of data on horizontal segregation at Faculty level |
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Women’s leadership of science |
Actions promoting women’s leadership in the practice of research |
- Establishing praxis for women’s presence in evaluation committees - Establishing new rules for the evaluation of productivity - Disseminating information about available opportunities |
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Actions promoting women’s leadership in the management of research |
- Supervision of young female researchers on research management skills - Direct support to access decision-making boards |
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Actions promoting women’s leadership in scientific communication |
- Communication of women’s scientific excellence |