The KIF Committees 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.

Have we already achieved gender balance?

The foundation has already been laid for gender balance at the senior level of academia, according to an associate professor of finance. However, critics say it’s risky to sit back and wait for gender balance to happen on its own.

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.

Calls for better integration of international researchers

Norwegian universities are much too concerned with counting international researchers and students, and they care too little about how the researchers are integrated into the environment. This is according to Julien S. Bourrelle, a research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Over and out for the Gender Equality Award

The annual Gender Equality Award for gender balance in research is history. “It’s unfortunate to lose the opportunity to recognize those who have worked hard with an important and often difficult field,” says Curt Rice, Chair of the KIF Committee.

Women with technology degrees end up outside the industry

Women with natural science and technology degrees experience maladjustment more often than their male colleagues when transitioning from master’s studies to working life, according to a new report. This is not the case for other scientific fields.

Gender prioritized, diversity more difficult

A growing number of universities and university colleges are trying to improve more than just the gender balance. Some call it diversity, others call it inclusion or anti-discrimination, but how are the efforts going?