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Negotiating Gender Equality Policies in IST-ICT Research Institutions: Reflections from the Participatory Audit to Design of Gender Equality Plans in the EQUAL-IST Project
Abstract
Gender structural changes processes in research institutions have been
promoted by the EC in the last 2 decades through specific work programmes and
supported by dedicated studies; one of the critical issues highlighted by the
existing literature on the issue is related to the tensions and negotiations
between the transformative goal of gender equality policies and the multiple
ways they can be re-assumed and incorporated into existing policies and
institutional goals contributing to small steps changes by exploiting existing
discursive opportunities, or being overtly resisted and seen as destabilizing
elements of the status quo and its power structures (Lombardo, Meier & Verloo,
2009; Kreissl, Striedinger, Sauer, & Hofbauer, 2015; Van den Brink & Benschop,
2012; Bacchi & Eveline, 2010). The H2020 EQUAL-IST (Gender Equality Plans for
Information Sciences and Technology Research Institutions) project supports 7
Universities across Europe starting from their Informatics and/or Information
Systems Departments to initiate the design and implementation of gender
equality plans from a field such as ICT/IST featured by extremely low
representation of female researchers and full professors. The paper analyzes the
assessment and the preliminary steps of the initiated design process: based on a
mixed methodology and a participatory approach to design of gender equality
policies, quantitative data collection has gone hand in hand with a qualitative element from Participatory Gender Audit: staff members and students discussed
the main challenges related to gender inequalities and an idea generation process
was kicked off. Analysing the emerging challenges and proposed solutions we’ll
highlight some discrepancies between ‘diagnostic’ assessment of problems and
‘prognostic’ ideas for measures that lead to interesting insights as far as the afore-
mentioned tensions are concerned.
Gender balance in research organizations is considered as a key step for ensuring research excellence and quality and inclusive-sustainable innovation. Still, in spite of an increasing number of HE and research institutions committed to make science more equal and some positive trends in figures on Gender equality in STEM research, it still appears to be difficult to prioritize gender equality. This is particularly true for disciplines such as ICT/IST where female representation at all levels is among the lowest ones among STEM topics and where a gender sensitive approach to ICT design and programming is far from being understood in its implications among computer and information systems scientist. H2020 (PGERI and SWAFS programmes in particular), promoted the concept of institutional change for gender equality, insisting on the need for merging change management and gender policies. The volume is focusing on a presentation and reflexive review of results and tools from the H2020 EQUAL-IST project to discuss opportunities to innovate and transform HR management and Institutional communication, research design, teaching & students services, via gender equality, and how such innovations could be multiplied and sustained with a focus on ICT and IST research organizations. The volume is complemented by contributions from other projects on institutional change in research.
Gender balance in research organizations is considered as a key step for ensuring research excellence and quality and inclusive-sustainable innovation. Still, in spite of an increasing number of HE and research institutions committed to make science more equal and some positive trends in figures on Gender equality in STEM research, it still appears to be difficult to prioritize gender equality. This is particularly true for disciplines such as ICT/IST where female representation at all levels is among the lowest ones among STEM topics and where a gender sensitive approach to ICT design and programming is far from being understood in its implications among computer and information systems scientist.
H2020 (PGERI and SWAFS programmes in particular), promoted the concept of institutional change for gender equality, insisting on the need for merging change management and gender policies.
The volume is focusing on a presentation and reflexive review of results and tools from the H2020 EQUAL-IST project to discuss opportunities to innovate and transform HR management and Institutional communication, research design, teaching & students services, via gender equality, and how such innovations could be multiplied and sustained with a focus on ICT and IST research organizations. The volume is complemented by contributions from other projects on institutional change in research.
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