Diversity in academia:

Immigrants want to be included, but aren’t

People with an immigrant background are more motivated to conduct research and pursue a doctoral degree than those without an immigrant background. However, according to a new report, there is no advantage to being an immigrant in academia.

The KIF Committee's opinion:

New law would weaken gender equality efforts

The Norwegian Government has recommended consolidating the Gender Equality Act and three anti-discrimination laws into a joint anti-discrimination act. According to the KIF Committee, there are several reasons why this is not an ideal proposal.

Sceptical about a joint anti-discrimination act

The proposal to create a joint anti-discrimination law will weaken the employer’s reporting duty, and thereby weaken all efforts to promote gender equality. This is the view of both the Equality and Anti-discrimination Ombudsman and the Vice Chair of the Committee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research.

Researchers with children - a disadvantage in academia

Both male and female researchers with children struggle to combine career and family. The competition is coming more and more from international researchers who don't have children or access to welfare benefits such as parental leave.

No new gender equality measures in academia

The Norwegian Government presented the white paper “Gender equality in practice” in early October. While the report gives a thorough account of the situation in academia, it lacks both measures and money for gender equality efforts.

Universities and university colleges:

Why we prioritize gender equality

Oslo is the city in Norway with the greatest ethnic diversity, but a lack of good statistics makes it hard to design effective, targeted measures to ensure diversity.

Ombudsman will ensure gender equality

The structural reform of the Norwegian higher education sector is well underway, and several institutions are in the midst of major consolidation processes. What happens to gender equality efforts when institutions are merged?