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.

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.

The EU flew in the face of those who believed that Nordic countries would dominate the gender equality scene in European academia in 2023.

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.

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.

A new report shows that gender equality advisers and good systems generate engagement and results for gender equality and diversity in research.

“Gender-based violence affects the majority of students and staff in higher education,” according to Fredrik Bondestam from the University of Gothenburg.

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.

In Norway we call it sexual harassment in academia, and in Europe it is known as gender-based violence.

“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.

Changing the expectation that staff should work around the clock could encourage more women to work in technology, according to Gilda Seddighi.

“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.

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.

The authors of a new report suggest that research institutions must take more responsibility for building an inclusive work community.