Stockholm university

The university's work with gender equality and equal terms

The purpose of gender equality and equal terms is ultimately about protecting democracy and human rights. Stockholm University promotes a work and study environment where the different backgrounds, life situations and competences staff and students bring to the university are seen as assets.

All staff and students must be treated equally and with respect.

 

Stockholm University is characterised by a safe, stimulating, and sustainable work and study environment, where staff and students are treated equally and respectfully. This requires continuous work with equal terms. 

Managers, staff and students must have tools and proper conditions to create a good work and study environment.

Everyone is expected to take responsibility for the work and study environment and contribute to creating a positive work climate. 

The work with equal terms is governed by law and based on the Discrimination Act’s prohibition of discrimination and requirements for active measures to promote equal opportunities. The work and study environment are governed by law based on the Work Environment Act.

The overall responsibility for the work environment and equal terms lies with the President’s Council for Work Environment and Equal Terms (RALV).

Council for Work Environment and Equal Terms (RALV)

More information for students

More information for staff

 

Work with gender equality at Stockholm University takes place within the framework of gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming is a political strategy to reach the goals declared for the Swedish gender equality policy. The overarching goal is that women and men are to have the same power to shape society and their own lives. In short, this means that gender equality work within the university must be integrated into the regular operations and not merely be dealt with as a separate, parallel track.

As of 2016, the Swedish higher education institutions have a government commission to integrate gender equality into the core operations of education and research in order to contribute to the achievement of gender equality policy targets and objectives.

Read more om gender equality policy goals at the Government of Sweden´s website 

Gender equality, equal terms and broader recruitment

The university’s Plan for gender mainstreaming focuses on the following areas:
•    Organisation and leadership
•    Preparatory and decision-making processes and delegations
•    Education
•    Research
The different activities in the plan are aimed at strengthening gender equality within the identified areas, using for instance increased transparency of important processes and enhanced gender awareness. 

The activities are particularly relevant for the following gender equality policy sub-goals: gender equal division of power and influence, gender equal education, gender equal health, and men’s violence against women must stop.

Interdisciplinary Council

Plan for gender main streaming 

Goals and actions

According to the governmental appropriation directions for 2020, the higher education institutions shall report measures and outcomes from the plan for gender mainstreaming and make them publicly available.

The goals for the process of gender mainstreaming at Stockholm University are the following:
•    Gender equality has become an integrated aspect in the university’s regular activities, for example in various types of governance;
•    central policy documents and preparatory and decision-making processes are transparent and clear, which in turn will lead to high quality recruitment processes, study and career paths marked by gender equality, as well as legal certainty for staff and students;
•    managers and leaders who are able to actively prevent and combat inequality and discrimination, for example in the recruitment of staff and doctoral students, and who create healthy working conditions in the day-to-day work in education, research, and administration;
•    employees who, through a gender-aware approach, create better quality in education, research, and administration, both in terms of content and form, and who actively prevent and combat inequality and discrimination of both students/doctoral students and colleagues.

The activities in the plan are of different character. Some of them are about mapping an area where the university today lacks sufficient knowledge.

Other activities aim at making visible different power structures or following up preparatory and decision-making processes.

Finally, certain activities are more action oriented, in particular within areas where adequate knowledge is already available. 

All the activities aim at increasing the transparency of various preparatory and decision-making processes, and at enhancing the gender awareness of both staff and students. The overall purpose of the activities is that the university’s operations shall contribute to achieving the gender equality policy objectives. For every single activity in the plan, there is an appointed responsible department, administrative office or officer.

Plan for gender main streaming 

Outcomes from the Plan for gender mainstreaming

Organisation and leadership, preparatory and decision-making processes, and decision and delegation procedures
•    The university has revised its recruitment and promotion processes in order to bring about more transparent and gender equal processes.
•    The university has initiated a leadership programme for the directors of study, and at the same time implemented delegation procedures at the departmental level including delegations to the directors of study, in order to strengthen the role of the director of study as well as increasing sustainability in educating gender-aware leaders. 
Education and research
•    The university has initiated a programme for doctoral students in order to strengthen and support the doctoral students.
•    The university has revised the Admission regulations for third cycle-study programmes in order to bring about more transparent and gender equal recruitment processes. The university intends to monitor these processes onwards.
•    The university has organised theme days on health promotional work in PhD- programmes for heads of department, directors of study and doctoral supervisors, in order to reduce the sick leave rates among doctoral students.
•    The university has decided on quality criteria within the quality systems for education and research. In order to continually monitor and enhance gender equality in education and research, there are quality criteria regarding gender equality. In the quality system for education, the criterion is used both when new study programmes are established and at follow-ups within the programme reviews. In the quality system for research, the criterion is used in the follow-ups of preconditions and implementation of research. 
•    The university has integrated a gender perspective in its teaching and learning courses for both university teachers and doctoral supervisors, and in further training of career counsellors and supervisors in teacher training placement, in order to enhance gender awareness of teachers and supervisors.
 

 

Contact

The university's work with gender equality and equal  terms

Student services
Email: likavillkor@su.se

Human Resources Office
Parasto Rosencrantz
Email: parasto.rosencrantz@su.se

Office of the President

The university's coordinators for gender mainstreaming
Lovisa af Petersens
Email: lovisa.petersens@su.se 

Tove Holmqvist
Emailt: tove.holmqvist@su.se

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