Institutional Change for Gender Equality in Research Lesson Learned from the Field

Maria Sangiuliano,Agostino Cortesi

doi:10.30687/978-88-6969-334-2

Abstract

Gender balance in research organizations is considered as a key step for ensuring research excellence and quality and inclusive-sustainable innovation. Still, in spite of an increasing number of HE and research institutions committed to make science more equal and some positive trends in figures on Gender equality in STEM research, it still appears to be difficult to prioritize gender equality. This is particularly true for disciplines such as ICT/IST where female representation at all levels is among the lowest ones among STEM topics and where a gender sensitive approach to ICT design and programming is far from being understood in its implications among computer and information systems scientist. H2020 (PGERI and SWAFS programmes in particular), promoted the concept of institutional change for gender equality, insisting on the need for merging change management and gender policies. The volume is focusing on a presentation and reflexive review of results and tools from the H2020 EQUAL-IST project to discuss opportunities to innovate and transform HR management and Institutional communication, research design, teaching & students services, via gender equality, and how such innovations could be multiplied and sustained with a focus on ICT and IST research organizations. The volume is complemented by contributions from other projects on institutional change in research.

Highlights

The CrowdEquality platform was used by the following six STEM research institutions involved in the EQUAL-Information Sciences and Technology (IST) project during the participatory co-design of their tailored Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) (GEP details are available on the website of the EQUAL-IST project at https://equal-ist. eu/gender-equality-plans): 1. Finland: University of Turku (UTU), Information Systems Science Unit (ISS) at the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship
This reflects internal difficulties reported by the Research Performing Organizations (RPOs) in grasping how the gender dimension could be relevant in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and IST research, which is considered to be gender-neutral by its nature
The GEP implementation carried out at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UniMORE) during the Horizon 2020 EQUAL-IST (Gender Equality Plans for Information Sciences and Technology Research Institutions) project is presented in this paper

Summary

Introduction

In spite of an increasing number of Higher Education and research institutions committed to make science more equal and some slow but positive trends in figures on Gender equality in STEM (Science, Technology, Mathematics and Engineering) research (She Figures, 2018), it still appears to be difficult to prioritize gender equality This is true for disciplines such as ICT (Information Communication Technologies) and IST (Information Systems Studies) where female representation at all levels is among the lowest ones among STEM topics and where a gender sensitive approach to ICT design and to programming is far from being understood in its implications among computer and information systems scientists.

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Discussion

Conclusion