Gender equality refers to the equal rights, liabilities, opportunities and responsibilities of men and women across all sectors of society (including labour market and education) according to the Estonian Gender Equality Act.1
Equality between men and women is a fundamental value of the European Union clearly stated in the Treaty of European Union.2 The European Union considers the equality of citizens as a human value as well as sees gender equality as a driver for economic growth.3 The latter has been emphasised also by the OECD bringing out that aging societies need to use all talents, regardless of their gender, more effectively.4
Gender mainstreaming – strategy towards realizing gender equality and the integration of gender dimension into design and implementation of policies. It means that gender-specific needs, interests and experiences are continuously taken into account and impact on gender equality is pre-evaluated for all planned policies, ensuring that nobody will be placed in a disadvantegous position due to their gender.
Gender mainstreaming in research is important because taking gender-specific needs into account results in creating better solutions (for example in product and service innovations, policy creation, etc). Moreover, women’s research potential is an essential resource that has been largely underused. In the European Union, the share of women among PhD graduates was 48% in 2018. Nevertheless, highly skilled female professionals have not found positions in the academic world equally with men. In the higher education sector, the share of women among Grade A positions (professors) was only 26,2% in the European Union in 2018 (in Estonia in 2019- 26,3%).5 The share of women among heads of institutions in 2019 was 23,7% (20% in Estonia) and the share of women among heads of universities only 18% (0% in Estonia).6
European Research Area (ERA) has highlighted gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research as its fourth priority suggesting that various national equality legislations have to be translated into effective actions to address gender imbalances in research institutions and decision-making bodies and improving the integration of gender dimension into research policies, programmes and projects. Within ERA, three main indicators have been selected to regularly monitor this priority: share of women in Grade A research positions (professors), heads of institutions in the higher education sector and gender dimension in research content (based on bibliometric analysis). To maximize women’s potential in research, Horizon 2020 set three objectives to underpin gender equality: fostering gender balance in research teams, reaching the target of 40% of under-represented sex in panels and groups and of 50% in advisory groups and integrating the gender dimension in research and innovation. 7 In “Horizon Europe”, it has been made compulsory for all public bodies, such as research funding bodies, national ministries and other public authorities, including public for-profit organisations, and all higher education institutions and research organisations (both public as well as private) to be implementing a gender equality plan.⁸
To map the current state of gender inequality in Estonian academia, Estonian Research Council has commisioned the study “Gender equality in Estonian research – current situation and ways of improving” (RAKE, 2021). Yearly data on gender balance among academics in Estonian universities and pay gap can be found on the website of Universities Estonia. On ETAG-s website, information on gender balance and pay gap in professional, scientific and technical activities can be found. Additionally, every year, sex-disaggregated data on the applicants and recipients of research grants is published. ETAG proceeds from the principles of gender equality in all of its activities.
Since September 2020, ETAG is implementing a gender equality plan. The plan includes six main objectives:
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- Raising gender awareness among the employees and among the members of the panels and committees of the Council
- Adhering to the principles of equal treatment
- Improving gender balance among the members of the panels, committees, and among other experts
- Improving gender balance among the applicants and recipients of research grants, awards, and funding
- Implementing a gender-sensitive communication strategy
- Ensuring equal opportunities and a supportive work environment for the employees of the Council
The GEP has most recently been revised by the Management in 2022. The plan is composed to be implemented in the period 2021-2027.
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References:
1 Gender Equality Act. § 3. Riigi Teataja.
2 Consolidated version of the treaty on European Union. Official Journal of the European Union.
3 Economic benefits of gender equality in the European Union (2017). EIGE.
4 Joining Forces for Gender Equality (2023). OECD.
5 SheFigures (2021). European Commission.
6 Employees of Estonian Universities. Universities Estonia.
7 Promoting Gender Equality in Research and Innovation. European Commission.
8 Gender Equality in Research and Innovation. European Commission.
Additional information:
Gender balance and pay gap in research (ETAG)
Gender statistics (Eurostat)
Gender Data Portal (OECD)
European Institute for Gender Equality & Gender Equality Index Estonia (EIGE)
Gender Equality in Academia and Research – GEAR tool (EIGE)
Practical guide Improving Gender Equality in Research Organisations
Practical guide How to put Gender Equality into practice
Practical guide Inclusive communication. Gender-Sensitive, Inclusive and Accessible Language
Contact:
Loone Vilumaa
Coordinator (Research Integrity)
Loone.Vilumaa@etag.ee