On 17 March 2021, the partners met online for the EQUAL4EUROPE Reflection Day – 2 to reflect and discuss the finding of the comparative assessment report created by ESMT. This event followed the EQUAL4EUROPE Reflection Day – 1, in December 2020, when the partners shared first time their institutional reports. To create the comparative report, the assessment was conducted through two instruments:
- First, a set of gender equality indexes that examined an institution’s composition, recruitment, promotions and turnover of faculty, teaching hours, courses and other aspects. Quantitative sex-disaggregated data were obtained from the measures of the gender equality indexes. Descriptive statistics were used for most questions, based on the data from the individual reports.
- Second, a table reporting on the introduction of policies that support gender equality at an institution. It listed policies in five areas: inclusion, gender pay gap, equal opportunities, work-life balance, discrimination and harassment.
Contrary to common assumptions of gender equality in the social sciences, the analysis found severe imbalances. The comparison indicated:
- a leaky pipeline, with a loss of women faculty from assistant positions to full professors
- horizontal segregation, with an overrepresentation of men in academic positions and a concentration of women in administrative positions
- vertical segregation, with an overrepresentation of men faculty and underrepresentation of women faculty at the top of the academic ladder
- low enrolment of female students in most graduate programmes
- underrepresentation of women in leadership and in strategic management committees
- minimal integration of sex/gender dimension in scientific production
The event was organised by ESMT and was open only to members of the consortium.