Laura Grünberg participated in the International Conference “Gender Equality: Global Challenges and Perspectives”

On May 13th, Laura Grünberg, Professor PhD  and ATHENA project coordinator at the University of Bucharest (UB), took part in the session “The Institutionalization and Professionalization of Gender/Equal Opportunities Expertise in Romania” at the International Conference “Gender Equality: Global Challenges and Perspectives.”

Prof. Laura presented “How to Make (or Not Make) Gender Equality in Higher Education Work” and mentioned the UB’s participation in the ATHENA project consortium. The presentation explored a series of barriers that could turn an important event, the creation of a Gender Equality Plan (GEP), into a non-event based on intermediary results and direct experience in the process of designing the GEP for the UB.

In the presentation, it was referred that during the present precarious economic, health and political context many EU projects focus on gender mainstreaming higher education (e.g., HORIZON2020 projects). It also emphasized the importance of European consortiums working to create and implement GEPs within higher education and research institutions as HEIs will not be eligible for future European funding if such plans are not in place. Prof. Laura explained and reiterated throughout the presentation that such efforts require gender awareness and commitment from high-level decision-makers, academics, administrative staff, and students, as well as the allocation of funds, time, infrastructure, and human resources.

The International Conference “Gender Equality: Global Challenges and Perspectives”, organised by the ”Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University and the National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men (ANES), aimed to expose and analyse all aspects of gender issues in society from a multi- and inter-disciplinary perspective. The objective was to explore topics such as gender social construction and the concepts of “femininity” and “masculinity,” power relations, and gender inequalities intersecting with other inequalities (e.g., based on race, sexuality, age, class, nationality), and gender in peace and war.