Equality is about more than just gender How can we work intersectionally? We could, for example, investigate where male and female students with an immigrant background end up in their education," says professor Yvonne Benschop.
We lack knowledge about class divides in academia “Social background affects whether you take higher education, what you study, the grades you get, and whether or not you finish your education. But little is known about how social class affects academic careers,” says researcher Thea Strømme.
“Affirmative action leads to better inclusion” Measures to include marginalised groups are often controversial, because they are not adequately justified, according to associate professor Melina Duarte.
New report on the COVID-19 pandemic: How the lives of researchers were impacted The lives of researchers changed dramatically during the lockdown, and in several different ways, according to head of research Espen Solberg.
At the start line for a broad understanding of equality The laws and policies of many European countries include different grounds for discrimination. "Yet intersectional perspectives in research policy are still at an early stage," says Heidi Holt Zachariassen, co-author of a recent report.
“Without our university, there wouldn’t have been any Sámi-speaking teachers” Sámi University of Applied Sciences is the main supplier of Sámi-speaking teachers to schools in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. The majority are women, but an increasing number of men are also applying, according to Rector Laila Susanne Vars.
New plan against racism is in the works The Norwegian Theatre Academy at Østfold University College is now writing its first plan against racism. "Although this is new in Norway, I hope that the rest of the university college and more academic institutions will follow suit," says Thomas Prestø.
Wants regular surveys of sexual harassment Now is the time for a new survey of sexual harassment in the sector, according to the KIF Committee. This was one of the comments made by Ragnhild Hennum, the KIF chair and Dean, when she participated in the Ministry of Culture and Equality's input meeting.
Ireland is the new gender equality role model in the EU The EU flew in the face of those who believed that Nordic countries would dominate the gender equality scene in European academia in 2023.
More researchers with immigrant backgrounds However, researchers born in Norway to immigrant parents still account for less than one per cent of researchers. “Remember that this is a young group,” says Statistics Norway.
Never have there been so many equality plans but who ensures their quality? Nowadays, most universities, university colleges and research institutes have action plans for equality. Institutions have responsibility for the content and quality of their action plans, says the Ministry of Education and Research.
“Action plans are more than mere words and good intentions” A new report shows that gender equality advisers and good systems generate engagement and results for gender equality and diversity in research.
Call for measures to combat gender-based violence in academia “Gender-based violence affects the majority of students and staff in higher education,” according to Fredrik Bondestam from the University of Gothenburg.
Most read in 2022: Class, equality and inclusion in academia The article about class as an invisible difference in academia was the most popular one last year. Check out our most read stories from 2022.
Europe gather to discuss gender-based violence in academia In Norway we call it sexual harassment in academia, and in Europe it is known as gender-based violence.
Foreign researchers improve gender balance “We didn’t think that international recruitment would influence the gender balance in academia in favour of more women in senior positions, but we were wrong,” says researcher Kaja Wendt.
The tech industry needs to change its work culture to recruit more women Changing the expectation that staff should work around the clock could encourage more women to work in technology, according to Gilda Seddighi.
Everyday racism exists in academia too “It’s both surprising and not really that big a revelation that everyday racism is fairly similar whether you work in academia or anywhere else,” says Mona Abdel-Fadil, researcher at the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies.
“Class is an invisible difference in academia” How common is it to be a first-generation academic in Norway? According to researchers in the field, we do not know, because there is so little research on social backgrounds in academia.
Diversity report:: University employees miss a sense of belonging The authors of a new report suggest that research institutions must take more responsibility for building an inclusive work community.
