University is not a place without inequality

University is not a place without inequality
2017. Gender equality as the basis for social sustainability © Gender Equality Unit

University is not a place without inequality

The right to equality is a basic human right which requires commitment from all society devoted to eradicating all discrimination against women just for being women. So we can’t speak about sustainable development while inequalities exist in all walks of life. Women continue to be discriminated in education, health, work and the economy, and also in culture and there where power and decisions are made. What is more, sexual violence and exploitation constitute an all too daily reality.

University is not an inequality-free zone. As an institution it reproduces gender roles and stereotype. Degrees associated with care, such as nursing or food sciences continue to be feminised while engineering and physical education are mainly studied by men. The glass ceiling is clearly represented by the number of Professorships, statistically much higher for men.

The Gender Equality Unit (GEU) at UAM, is responsible for and committed to acting so as to guarantee equal opportunities in all areas of university life, among students, teachers and service and admin staff. The current Equality Plan contains measures for boosting a culture of equality, for making women’s contributions to science and society visible, for fomenting equality and parity between women and men in the different organisms of university representation, and for managing the adoption of gender perspective into graduate and post-graduate studies, as well as in research topics. Apart from specific activities (based around International Woman Day, Women and Girls in Science Day and International Day against Gender Violence) the GEU develops transversal activities which involve all the university community, with the aim of spreading gender equality culture to all areas of the UAM.

 

Cristina García Sainz.  Director of the Gender Equality Unit- UAM