The Faculties of Humanities and Theology consider themselves “far from the worst” when it comes to gender awareness. Despite this, nearly 70 percent of the gender equality work for 2013 has been left unfinished.
– We put extremely high demands on ourselves and that is why it looks like this, says Gunnel Holm, administrative director at the faculties.
The follow-up on the Faculties of Humanities and Theology’s plan of action concerning gender equality, equal treatment, and diversity is not a pretty sight. At least not if you are wearing your statistics-goggles. Just five out of a total sixteen planned steps have been taken, the rest have been postponed until 2014. Among the postponed steps is, for example, the plan to map out guidelines and routines for the teaching and tutoring of disabled students and the reviewing of course literature from a gender equality and diversity point of view.
“We have had a shortage of time”
Isabella Grujoska works as acting administrator at the faculty. She is responsible for the daily work with questions regarding gender equality, equal treatment, and diversity. Isabella Grujoska explains that she is still new at her job and has still not gotten into the routines of working with the equality issues.
– We have had a shortage of time in some respects, she says, hinting to the task of procuring an information pamphlet and updating the website on how the faculty works with gender equality and equal treatment issues.
Resource allocation is the biggest problem
Administrative director Gunnel Holm means to say that the follow-up on the plan of action does not give a fair portrayal of the faculty’s work with the issues.
– Most other faculties set an overarching goal that is later forgotten. We have an incredibly committed staff which creates detailed plans of action and continually follows up on them. Furthermore, most of the goals will be taken care of during the 2014 spring semester, she says.
The work has “limped”
She explains that the faculty’s work with questions regarding gender equality and equal treatment has “limped” and blames this on lacking leadership from the university. For several years, the Faculties of Humanities and Theology avoided drawing up their own policy for gender equality and equal treatment since the central executive body for these questions was supposed to draw up an overarching policy for the entire university. That job took a rather long time.
– We feel handicapped with a decision-making body above us that does not know where we are going, that lacks any vision, she says.
She thinks that the faculty is “far from the worst” at gender awareness and that gender equality is not the biggest problem on the horizon.
– What we are fighting for right now is the resource allocation system which according to me is completely out of touch with reality. If we do not get sufficient resources, we cannot do anything, let alone further educate the staff in questions regarding gender equality, Gunilla Holm says.
Text: Julius Viktorsson
Translation: Rasmus Edlund
