– We are painfully aware of exactly that problem, and we will address this both in the group and with the deans, says vice-chancellor Åse Gornitzka at the University of Oslo (UiO).
She is also the leader of a “coordinating group for equality, inclusion and diversity” at the university.
Among other things, the group shall have an advisory function towards the management, contribute to formulating the university’s overarching policy and recommend measures within equality, inclusion and diversity, the mandate states.
But it can probably be discussed how much diversity there is within the group. 14 of the 16 members are women.
The only men are organization and personnel director at UiO, Gudleik Grimstad, and HR manager Anders Moss at the Faculty of Education.
Facts
Coordination group for equality, inclusion and diversity
- According to the mandate, the group’s purpose is, among other things, to be a strategic coordination group for UiO’s policy for equality, inclusion and diversity (LIM). “The coordination group has an advisory function to UiO’s management in matters that affect UiO’s policy for equality, inclusion and diversity, and is not a decision-making body,” it says. It meets 2-4 times a year.
- The main task is “to contribute to strategic discussions and goal setting of work for equality, inclusion and diversity at UiO related to UiO’s core tasks.”
- It has special responsibility for, among other things, contributing to the development of UiO’s overall LIM policy and recommending measures and strategic areas of focus to achieve the ambitions in UiO’s LIM policy, contributing to awareness of LIM perspectives in UiO’s processes, giving input to UiO’s annual distribution of LIM funds and ensure that the LIM work is anchored in the management line locally at the own unit.
- The group has permanent representatives at management level from all faculties, museums and libraries. The group shall consist of a leader from the rector’s office, a leader from the department for organization and personnel, one member from each unit at UiO, including the faculty, museum and library; dean, director, HR manager or other equivalent management function that has close contact with other management at the unit, a student representative, appointed by the Student Parliament, a subject representative from the Center for interdisciplinary gender research and a shop steward appointed from the organizations at UiO.
Biology professor Kristian Gundersen at UiO reacts when he hears about the group.
– We are concerned with gender balance in all other contexts, so it would be strange not to have it in a forum like this. Especially because the equality problem in academia has been reversed. There are men who fall short, drop out of studies and don’t get good enough grades, he says.
— I fear that this will just become old-fashioned feminism. Now we have to enter the new era, and see that the problems are different today than in the past, and then this seems completely strange, says Gundersen, who is an active debater in academia.
In the group, only one member is under the age of 50, a search in the tax lists shows.
“The composition of the group illustrates well the challenges of representation and diversity, which are at the core of the challenges whether we are talking about recruiting students or employees, or in the working environment, management and governance,” says Vice-Chancellor Åse Gornitzka.
– Take up for proper discussion
So how did it come to be?
It is the faculties and units that appoint the members, and Gornitzka says that the gender composition is the sum of this.
– Those in the management line, with responsibility for equality and diversity, are appointed to this group. It may be a consequence of who is responsible for this type of matter.
— So locally in the units, almost only women are responsible for equality and diversity?
– Yes, this is exactly what we have to look at carefully and discuss in order to get a more balanced composition.
The group includes people with managerial functions: A vice-chancellor and a personnel director, deans, HR managers, a faculty director and a section manager.
In addition, there is a vote of confidence from the Association of Researchers, a student representative and a representative for the gender research environment.
gender research
Only one in ten gender researchers are men: — It’s absolutely incredible
– It goes without saying
Dean Ragnhild Hennum at the Faculty of Law is in the group. She is also head of the national Committee for gender balance and diversity in research.
— People meet in the group because they have different positions. And it is also a relatively well-known fact that the work with gender balance and diversity is characterized by women, she says.
— Do you think it’s okay that almost only women sit there?
– What I think is good is that there are people in the group who have responsibility, including me and other deans.
Facts
These are the members
- Åse Gornitzka (vice chancellor manager),
- Gudleik Grimstad (director of organization and personnel, deputy manager)
- Karen Marie Ulshagen (faculty director, Faculty of Dentistry)
- Helga Reiss (HR Manager, Faculty of Humanities)
- Eli Feiring (Deputy Dean, Faculty of Medicine)
- Ragnhild Hennum (dean, Faculty of Law)
- Elisabeth Perioli Bjørnstøl (Researchers’ Association)
- Hedda Ugletveit (HR Manager, Natural History Museum)
- Mari Camilla Risdal Otnes (deputy director, University Library)
- Anders Moss (head of section, HR section, Faculty of Education)
- Susanne Friederike Viefers (head of department, Department of Physics)
- Anne Hege Grung (Dean of Research, Faculty of Theology)
- Helene Aarseth (professor at the Center for interdisciplinary gender research)
- Rodas Tadese Sibahtu (international responsible, student parliament)
- Bente Follestad Bakken (section manager – Unit for HR and HSE at the Museum of Cultural History)
- Anne Julie Semb (dean, Faculty of Social Sciences)
— But is it okay that there are almost 90 per cent women?
– This group is put together based on the roles of people. And there are, for example, quite a few female deans who have been elected. And then it gives itself.
— So skewed gender distribution is fine if it is based on what other roles the members have?
– Otherwise, the group would have to be put together with someone who did not have power and authority. And would it have been so wise, then?
— Sounds like a soup tip
It has been decided that the group will have one leader from the rector’s office, one leader from the organization department and one from the management at each of the units (see fact box).
The group is not a decision-making body.
Regarding what is stated in the mandate about the group’s purpose and responsibility, biology professor Kristian Gundersen says:
– I have rarely heard so much news at once. This sounds like soup advice. An enormous body of 16 members, and they therefore have no decision-making authority. And 14 out of 16 are women. It can’t go well, then. It doesn’t say that this is about feminism, but I’m absolutely sure that it will end up like that.
He concludes:
– And I doubt that a committee, which is composed like this, will be able to address the gender equality problems we have in academia today, which are primarily about boys.
