A memo with the probing title “What do we know about class in academia?” was recently published. “We know very little about the relationship between social background and an academic career,” says Edvard Nergård Larsen.
“That’s because growing up, I hadn't seen researchers with minority backgrounds in the media, and no one in my social network works in academia,” says Usma Ahmed, a new research fellow at OsloMet.
This year marks 20 years since the first KIF Committee was established. Kifinfo has spoken to three people who have been key to the committee's work during the last ten years.
The Anti-Discrimination Tribunal made decisions in more than 600 cases in 2023 and 2024. Students and staff in higher education and research only reported 16 cases of discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity or gender. And only one was taken further.
All the Nordic organisations for universities and university colleges believe that the educational institutions should have the main responsibility. Our Nordic neighbours have dedicated frameworks and expert groups that set the direction for this work – Norway does not.
Racism and discrimination are bad for public health. That’s according to the staff and students at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oslo. They are now taking steps to prevent discrimination.
Some people still shake their heads at the concept of diversity management. After all, isn’t it just about treating all employees equally?
“Yes, more researchers have parents with higher education. But you don’t have to be born into academia to succeed,” says Silje Fekjær, Vice-Rector at OsloMet.
“Diversity management is not only about the needs of minorities, but also about the other employees who might need adaptation when they’re going through rough patches in their lives,” says Professor Gro Mjeldheim Sandal.
While women actively participate in the practical work at their organisation, men dodge it.
The EU project GENDERACTIONplus is set to host a conference on equality in February. Why is this conference so important for Norwegian research institutions?
The article about a new plan against racism at Østfold University College was the most popular one last year.
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.
“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.
