The recently approved Gender Report of the University of Trento is the culmination of a work that begun in 2003 with the Annual Report on Equal Opportunities, but is also a starting point to look at the future of the university community from a gender perspective. The document will be presented on 26 May, at 15.00 in the afternoon, in a public event titled "B come bilancio, G come genere. L'esperienza dell'Università di Trento", which will be attended by the Minister for Equal Opportunities, Elena Bonetti
Over the last few years, gender equality has been a strategic priority for the University of Trento. A path that started from a detailed analysis of the situation and which then evolved into a plan of cross-cutting actions, always accompanied by the careful monitoring of their impact. A gradual work, designed to overcome imbalances and to promote greater gender balance, not only within the academic community but also, in general, in the social and cultural environment in which the university operates.
And it is precisely in line with this commitment that the university, this year, has decided to draft its first Gender Report. A document that is both an analysis, a report on results achieved and a work programme for future activities to introduce and structure the gender perspective in all planning and budgeting procedures.
"We believe - Rector Flavio Deflorian said - that this tool is an important opportunity to consolidate the work we have done so far and increase its effectiveness, with its focus on planning and reporting, as well as on communication. We are proud of the work done so far, but we are also aware that much still remains to be done".
It is thanks to the excellent work done in previous years that we were able to draft the first University Gender Report. A work that involved a network of individuals from different sectors engaged in a range of activities: from those aimed at increasing the presence of women in STEM courses or in the highest academic positions, to those designed to combat discrimination and violence, from work-life balance policies, to numerous awareness-raising initiatives inside and outside the university.
The Gender Report
After a pilot phase carried out a few years ago as part of the European project Garcia (Gendering the Academy and Research: combating Career Instability and Asymmetries) and in line with the long-established tradition, in the university, to prepare an annual report on data relating to equal opportunities, the first Gender Report is an important instrument for the individuals and bodies that, in various capacities, propose, evaluate and design university initiatives and strategies
"Typically - observes Barbara Poggio, Vice-Rector for Equity and Diversity Policies - the goal of a Gender Report is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a situation. For the University of Trento, this document represents the beginning of a new phase, which aims to define the objectives to be included in the actual planning phase of university policies. For example, to plan actions on horizontal segregation in the education sector; to consolidate actions on vertical segregation; to strengthen the data collection and systematization processes. In short, to promote a real and tangible reflection which aims to overcome gender imbalances in any form: and this is the goal that we must pursue day after day".
This first edition was drafted according to the Gender Balance Guidelines prepared by the Conference of Rectors of Italian Universities, bearing in mind the aspects that characterize our university, and the almost twenty years of experience in annual reports on equal opportunities. The document includes data relating to the three components of the university community (students, teaching and research staff, and administrative and technical staff) and presents the actions implemented by UniTrento in the last two years in the area of equal opportunities and against discrimination.
Structured into four chapters, the Report initially describes the approach adopted by the university, with a brief overview of UniTrento documents on gender equality and fight against discrimination, and an outline of the people who work for the implementation of equality objectives.
The second chapter, on the other hand, is a context analysis, providing information on the student community, teaching and research staff, technical and administrative staff. An analysis from different perspectives: from composition to distribution, from career to age, up to specific aspects of each component.
The third chapter develops two in-depth studies: one on the distribution of research project coordinators within the university and the amount of funds allocated to them; the other on the early stages of academic career, with particular attention to postdocs and type A researchers.
Finally, the fourth chapter is a focus on actions for equal opportunities. The University's initiatives have been collected in a series of factsheets on the reconciliation of life, work, study, and organizational well-being; gender issues in education and research; monitoring and information tools; participation in technical meetings; fight to horizontal and vertical segregation; and the fight against bullying, harassment and discrimination.
Despite years of great commitment and attention to these issues, not all issues in the report have been properly addressed. Employment rates, for example, still show that women are more disadvantaged, with horizontal segregation of women of technical-administrative positions in certain areas, such as social and health services, libraries, the administration; while men are mostly in the technical-scientific areas, data processing, general services and executive positions.
On the other hand, there has been a progressive increase in the number of women as full professors of the University in recent years: from 11.7% in 2015 to 17.2% in 2019, from 20 full professors (out of a total of 175) to 35 (out of 199) in the academic year considered. This growth is a positive achievement, despite the fact that the presence of women in this specific group is still small and below the national average (25.3%).
In September 2015, the 193 member countries of the United Nations signed a list of 17 points, the Sustainable Development Goals, to be pursued and achieved by 2030. An action programme created to involve all people, for the planet and prosperity which, at the fifth point, includes the commitment to "Achieve gender equality and emancipate all women and girls". A goal that needs many instruments to be achieved, including this Gender Report.