Two participatory gender audits were held on Wednesday October 30th at Sabanci University in the scope of SU Gender’s project EU GEARING-Roles (Gender Equality Actions in Research Institutions to traNsform Gender Roles).
GEARING-Roles is a multidisciplinary consortium of 10 European academic and non-academic partners that will design, implement, and evaluate 6 Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), including one specially tailored for Sabanci University with the firm objective of challenging and transforming gender roles and identities linked to professional careers and work towards real institutional change. The Sabanci University project team consists of Ayse Gul Altinay, Ilayda Ece Ova and Zeynep Gulru Goker.
Facilitated by Ilayda Ece Ova and Zeynep Gulru Goker, the objective of the 1st Participatory Gender Audit was to draw insights on the quantitative and qualitative data collected at Sabanci University for institutional assessment, to fill in information gaps about program and unit based differences, to think deeper about institutional needs and to identify possible steps for advancing gender equality at the university. After a short presentation of the institutional assessment, participants worked in small groups to discuss matters regarding numbers of women students and faculty members in programs and issues related to work-life balance and career advancement in academic and administrative ranks. In the second group activity, the participants put to fore concrete suggestions for advancing gender equality. The objective of the 2nd PGA was collaboratively thinking about existing and new mechanisms for preventing and dealing with sexual harassment, sexist and homophobic/transphobic communication, mobbing, bullying and gender based violence. Participants worked in groups to discuss fictive scenarios and to think about existing and potential new mechanisms to promote gender equality in everyday communications and interactions. Other Participatory Gender Audits will be held in the coming months at Sabanci University, and the draft GEP is planned to be developed by the end of the year.
GThe objectives of the GEARING-Roles project are removing barriers to women’s recruitment and promotion and devise personal career development plans, to address gender imbalances in the representation, processes, and the promotion of women’s leadership in research institutions, to strengthen the gender dimension in research and curriculum and promote gender equality in research organizations and to build a sustainable long-term network of organizations advancing gender equality. Please see the project website for more information.