Last year the University of Tromsø was singled out as having the worst gender balance in the country. Director of personnel Håvard Bekkelund hardly remembers this. Because things are changing fast.

The rector at the University of Bergen will spend a further 2 million Norwegian crowns on equal opportunities work. This is how Bergen will become a leading university on gender equality.

Sure, the situation for women in science has improved. But a lot remains to be done, says Kari Melby, chair of the Committee for Mainstreaming – Women in Science.

A gender researcher in the Senate, an innovative gender equality adviser, new tactics and good timing. These factors were instrumental when the University of Oslo passed a new gender equality action plan.

Norwegian universities and university colleges are undergoing an extensive merger process. “In major processes like these, there are often matters that are more urgent than gender equality. That being said, gender equality should still be high on the agenda,” says the pro-rector of Norway’s largest university.

While the idea to establish a gender equality network within the European Research Area (ERA) emerged back in 2004, GENDER-NET was finally launched in 2013 as the first ERA-NET on the topic of gender equality and the gender dimension in research.

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.

She is future oriented in her work to bring diversity and change to the IT field, but Oda Award winner Beathe Due thinks it is just as important to be aware of the past when working for change. “It’s worth remembering that information technology has not always been a man’s field,” says Due.

Expectations were high for the incentive scheme from the Ministry of Education and Research to recruit women to senior-level positions in mathematics, natural science and technology. Now, however, an evaluation report recommends ending the scheme.

“The award is for universities, university colleges and research institutes seeking to move up a notch or two in the gender equality ranks,” says Gerd Bjørhovde, chair of the Committee for Gender Balance in Research.  

Students want gender balance in their academic fields, and feel they benefit academically from a combination of women and men. However, persistent stereotypes may be an obstacle to the long-sought-after gender balance.

Although the Nordic countries have been good about bringing more women into academic leadership positions, they are only at the EU level when it comes to the percentage of female professors.

The new white paper on research describes the lack of gender balance in the research sector, but its only recommendation for dealing with the problem is to ask the KIF Committee for advice. The ministry will get what it asks for.

This is the clear challenge from Managing Director Kari Nygaard. The Norwegian Institute for Air Research has achieved good results with this approach.