Action areas 2020-2022
The work during 2020-2022 is conducted mainly within three prioritised areas (see below). The proposed activities aim at long-term and the development of ordinary processes.
- Form and contents of education
- Recruitment and skills supply
- Internal allocation of resources
Form and contents of education
The aim is to create an attractive, open and inclusive environment for study and work, the design and, where relevant, content of first-, second- and third-cycle (undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral) education must develop further to reflect equal opportunities and widening participation. Students at all levels must be able to play an active role in preparatory and decision-making bodies, and must be given opportunities to influence and develop their programmes and educational situation.
The content and design of education may involve applying a gender equality and equal opportunities perspective to syllabuses, examination formats, assessment criteria and grading, reading lists and teaching examples, choice of teachers, supervisors and external lecturers, doctoral student supervision, allocation of speaking time and acknowledgement in teaching situations, timetabling, course evaluations and distance education opportunities. It may also involve efforts to prevent and reduce the occurrence of harassment and discrimination in the study environment. Procedures, guidelines and policies that affect undergraduate, Master’s and doctoral students’ educational situation should e continuously analysed from a gender equality and equal opportunities perspective.
The work can advantageously be linked with evaluations and reviews of the systematic quality work in terms of education at different levels. It is important that the work is compatible with the core values of academic freedom, student influence and collegiality.
Recruitment and skills supply
As expressed in Uppsala University: Mission, Goals and Strategies, well-qualified teachers, researchers and other staff are crucial to achieving the overall goal of conducting education and research of the highest quality and relevance. The University must therefore continue to pursue strategic and long-term action regarding recruitment and working conditions for researchers and teachers from a gender equality and equal opportunities perspective.
General problem areas that are identified are an uneven distribution of legal gender and a lack of diversity in higher positions within the administration. The faculties' recruitment teams have received training on recruitment on equal terms as part of the introduction of the European Charter for researchers and guidelines for the recruitment of researchers Charter and Code. The work will continue and be integrated into the University's overall work with skills development and career support.
The majority of the departments work in different ways with gender equality and equal opportunities issues in relation to qualifications and recruitment. Central issues are reviews of employment profiles and advertisements.
Internal allocation of resources
A gender perspective on the internal allocation of resources means developing a system for identifying and analysing the allocation of direct government funding with reference to legal gender. A disproportionate and uneven outcome must be followed up to eliminate any bias in the preparatory processes leading to decisions on the distribution of funding.
Uppsala University has developed two new gender equality indicators that show the relative difference between the proportions of women’s and men’s working hours assigned to research. The Department of Information Technology has been allocated special funds to investigate whether and how the new indicators can be used and developed as tools to support the institutions' gender equality work. Read more about the project in their application: Using gender equality indicators to support gender mainstreaming work at the Department of Information Technology.
Faculties and departments work in different ways with issues related to allocation of resources. For example, by nominating an equal number of well-qualified men and women for funding (such as the Wallenberg Foundations and other prestigious externally funded grants) and examining how different assignments are appointed.
An identified development area is the continuous analysis of and collegial discussions about different distribution processes, distribution outcomes and distribution principles from a gender equality perspective. Another area is the language issue and the integration of international employees in the assignment organisation.