Institutionalisation of Gender Equality Delegate Position

Università degli Studi di Cagliari
Institutionalisation of
Gender Equality Delegate Position
RoundTable
StoriesofInstitutionalisationinUniversitiesandResearchCenters
InspiringPractices
Beyondtickingthebox:sustainable,innovativeandinclusiveGEPs
SUPERAFinalConference,Madrid,25thMarch2022
Ester Cois

A New Role
· For the first time, in April 2021, the University of Cagliari
introduced in its organizational chart the position of Delegate for
Gender Equality as a part of its strategy towards a more inclusive
University.
· The Delegate is the contact person
about the promotion of gender
equality and diversity and the fight
against any kind of gender-based
discrimination for all the
communities that interact daily in
the university context: the
academic and research staff; the
technical and administrative staff
and the students
Pro-Rectors and Delegates at UniCa

A New Practice!
This role has two main responsibilities:
a) Connection and coordination between the 32
strategic actions identified by the Gender Equality
Plan, aiming at the promotion of an increased
balance between men and
women in their career paths,
and in teaching and research
contents

A New Practice?
b) Operatively monitoring and securing the
implementation of the inclusive policies
undertaken by the University, also by using
other tools, such as
§Gender Budgeting
§Plan for Positive Actions

Institutionalisation
a) Formalization
· Regulation: Formal introduction, in the main
University documents, of a top position/office,
as a stable component of the governance
team, expressly dedicated to improving
internal decision-making processes from a
gender-sensitive perspective
· Visibility: Definition of a role corresponding to
the principle of gender mainstreaming as a
cross sectional dimension to all areas
(teaching, research, third mission, human
resources) of the new strategic plan of UniCa

Institutionalisation
b) Operationalization
Stabilization: Integrate and give
continuity to the functions of the
collective work carried out by the core
team + hub that, during the 4 years of
the SUPERA project, led to the drafting
and approval of the GEP
Synchronization: define an
operational chain that links the
development of research on gender
and diversity issues (Center for
Gender Studies) with the promotion of
organizational well-being in the
University (CUG)

The Practice: Strenghts
· The transversality of the office of the
Delegate for GE testifies the strategic
and permanent commitment of UniCa in
favour of gender equality in an
interconnected way between all its three
main functions:
· 1) Research (Production of Scientific
Knowledge)
· 2) Education (Teaching cultural content
and developing critical thinking)
· 3) Third Mission (Participation in the
public debate on Citizenship, Social
Justice, Democracy, Human Rights, etc)

The Practice: Lessons Learned
Planning: Importance of medium and long-
term work-plans on measurable objectives
to spread an effective cultural change
Involvement: Need to promote an
increasing awareness of the relevance of
gender issues through bottom-up
participatory strategies and by sharing
top-down governance decisions
Resilience: Ability to recognize and
understand structural and personal
resistances in order to find effective
methods to counter them (surveys, fab-
labs, co-working techniques, training,
mentoring, etc.)

The Practice: Challenges
· Projects: Seizing the opportunities of the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan and of the new
European research funding programs to
strengthen UniCa's participation in international
networks for the promotion of diversity and
gender inclusion
· Policy: Taking into account the impact of the post-
pandemic (and now geopolitical) socio-economic
crisis which has further worsened the gender gap
also in the university and research fields (from the
glass ceiling index to the glass door index)
· Dissemination: Using the expertise learned thanks
to the Supera project to become a benchmark
(Unica GEP chosen by National CRUI as an
inspiring practice for all Italian universities)

The Role of the Supera Consortium
· A long and adventurous journey!
· Constant comparison between specific
cultural contexts, sharing of positive
models and risk contrast strategies
· Learning of techniques and strategies to
be used for the implementation of the
actions of the gep, especially for the
establishment of a top figure for gender
equality
· Sharing of global challenges (even a
pandemic!) and local changes (e.g.
government and governance): co-learning
and mutual support

The Role of the H2020 Programme
· Positive Action: Gender Equality Plan as an
essential requirement for eligibility for
research funding in the European
framework since 2021
· Scaling: Opening of borders, beyond the
perimeter of universities, from the national
level to increasingly heterogeneous and
productive European partnerships
· Multiplier effect: the reputational capital
and experience acquired in a network
constitute a node to enter others (e.g.
thanks to the Supera Consortium, UniCa’s
participation in Smile, Unisafe, Casper,
Educ, etc.): eg. Crowdhelix Platform

SUPERA Principles
a) Cumulativeness
· Diachronic vision: the strong impulse given by the
previous Rector for the creation of the first GEP of Unica
and taken up and strengthened by the current Rector for
its implementation have constituted a growing
endorsement for the introduction of the Office of the
Delegate for GE and its recognizability inside and outside
the university
· Organizational functional integration: Coincidence of the
(new) Office of Delegate for Gender Equality with the
(existing) Presidency of CUG (Guarantee Committee for
Social Inclusion); Creation of a supply chain, coordinated
by the Office of the Delegate for GE, between the
University Center for Research on Gender Issues and the
Gender Information Management System (starting from
May 2022).

SUPERA Principles
b) Inclusiveness
The coordination and monitoring of the 32 GEP strategic
actions make the office of the Delegate for GE a reference
along 4 key-areas:
A) Recruitment, maintenance, career progression, work-family
reconciliation policies (horizontal and vertical segregation);
B) Transparence and inclusiveness in decision-making
processes;
C) Promotion of the gender dimension in research and
teaching;
D) Contrast of gender prejudices and stereotypes, sexism and
sexual harassment.
This full coverage gives the Delegate a connective orientation,
aimed at gathering needs and suggestions from all the
communities that interact in UniCa, in a participatory, inclusive
and intersectional way, to promote Diversity in all its
expressions.

SUPERA Principles
c) Innovation
The GEP, together with the new Plan for Positive
Actions (2022-2024), both coordinated and
monitored by the Delegate for GE, and the new
Strategic Plan, where GE is a transversal area,
design a challenging path of medium-long term
institutional change, aimed at achieving an
organizational culture more and more equal and
inclusive.
The introduction of this innovative role as a top
position of the current gender mainstreaming
infrastructure at UniCa has been an outcome of
SUPERA effectiveness in providing training,
capacity building and continuous support
throughout the project’s execution. In turn, this
role aims to promote training, capacity-building
and support for strenghtening GE principles and
practices throughout UniCa.

SUPERA Principles
d) Sustainability
• Integration of the GEP actions,
coordinated by the Delegate for GE, in the
2022-2027 UniCa Strategic Plan (currently
under drafting)
• HRS4R (Human Resources Strategy for
Researchers) application currently ongoing
(full involvement of the Delegate for GE)
• Creation of a specific section of UniCa
official Web-Site focused on GE issues
and activities, in coordination between the
Delegate for GE and the Pro-Rector for
Communication

Thanks
for Your Attention!
· Sample text

The SUPERA partners

SUPERA project has received funding from the European
Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
under the grant agreement No. 787829.
www.superaproject.eu
info@superaproject.eu

Institutionalisation of Gender Equality Delegate Position

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