Although women make up a significant portion of university academic staff, their representation in top academic and leadership positions remains significantly lower. Ensuring gender equality among university employees is crucial not only for fairness but also for better institutional outcomes. Diversity fosters innovation and better decision-making, but gender disparity in academia remains an issue.

Therefore, organizations like the European Women Rectors Association (EWORA) are particularly important in reducing this gap and promoting women's leadership. These issues will be discussed at the EWORA seminar “Universities as Change Agents to Create a Gender-Based Violence-Free Society” which will take place on October 29 at Mykolas Romeris University (MRU).

Dr. Nomeda Gudelienė, Advisor to the Deputy Rector on Sustainable Development at MRU, who is also the coordinator for Equal Opportunities, Diversity, and MRU’s Support for Ukraine, says that universities worldwide have traditionally been hierarchical organizations based on power and evaluation.

"Academic communities around the world have made great progress in ensuring gender equality and preventing gender-based violence, but many structural and cultural barriers still exist," says Dr. N. Gudelienė, one of the speakers at the seminar.

MRU’s Equal Opportunities Coordinator addressed the challenges academic communities face in ensuring gender equality, the topics that will be raised at the EWORA seminar, and how to extend these issues beyond academia to other sectors of society.

– What are the most pressing issues in ensuring gender equality in academic communities today?

– In hierarchical structures where power is unevenly distributed, and a person's economic well-being depends on evaluations, there is a conscious or unconscious potential for power abuse.

The relationship between a lecturer and a student is based on an unequal distribution of power. Traditionally, the lecturer, due to age and accumulated knowledge, holds a higher position of power than a young and inexperienced student. The lecturer has the power to assess the student's knowledge and abilities, and the student’s achievements, including whether they will have to pay for studies or receive a scholarship, partly depend on the lecturer's assignments and evaluations.

The lecturer also finds themselves caught in the trap of a hierarchical, power-based system: their work is evaluated and salary determined by the department head. The lecturer's work is also assessed by students through feedback surveys and by colleagues through the peer-review process of scientific papers and projects. The lecturer's economic and social well-being depends on the evaluations of students and colleagues.

Institute directors or department heads report to the dean, and the dean reports to university management. Administrative management, hiring, promotion, or salary decisions are also based on a hierarchical line between supervisors and subordinates.

Therefore, in universities traditionally dominated by men, it is necessary to reduce the potential for power abuse and ensure gender equality through strategic planning, monitoring, quotas, and, of course, educational activities.

– What key issues related to reducing gender-based violence in society will the EWORA seminar address?

– The EWORA seminar will discuss the role of universities in creating a safe, just, and gender-violence-free future society, based on international best practices in university management and projects.

The event will feature insights from the Swedish higher education system, the development of justice, impartiality, and equal opportunities through the "Women+" initiative, as well as international projects such as "Ending Gender-Based Violence" (UNISAFE) and "Higher Education Learning Community for Inclusion" (HELCI).

The seminar will also cover topics such as the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions and challenges in fields traditionally dominated by men, the “glass ceiling” phenomenon (the invisible barriers faced by women pursuing academic careers), inequalities in research funding, lower salaries for women, work-life balance, difficulties in combining academic careers with family life, and strategic and day-to-day steps universities must take to curb the risks of sexual harassment, discrimination, and gender-based violence.

– How relevant are issues of gender-based violence to Lithuania, and how global are they?

– Issues of gender equality, respect, and justice have always been and will continue to be relevant to people in Lithuania and around the world. By nature, universities are international organizations, attracting students and lecturers from various countries and cultures, each bringing their own cultural perspective on gender equality, the role of women and girls in the family, academia, work relations, and society.

People from different cultures also have different understandings of what is or isn’t tolerated, how justice, human rights, and physical, psychological, and emotional security should be ensured in both physical and digital spaces, and how to encourage professional growth and personal development.

The mission of a university is to crystallize, critically evaluate, define, and agree on how we understand gender equality and gender-based violence, how these issues are reflected in strategies and daily university activities, among students, lecturers, and administrative staff, in collaboration with external partners and communities. After all, together with our students and alumni, who spread across the world, we are shaping not only the present but also the future culture of Lithuania and the world.

– How important is it that academic discourse on gender equality and gender-based violence reaches various segments of society, and does it?

– Academic discourse on gender equality and gender-based violence is crucial for the academic community, policymakers, and the general public. Research results and practice analysis can provide insights into the root causes of problems, societal developments, and necessary solutions. However, if this knowledge does not reach different layers of society, its impact remains limited.

It is very important for universities to promote a deeper understanding of this phenomenon, as its scale, nuances, and long-term consequences are often rooted in social and cultural norms and traditions. Academic discourse on gender equality and gender-based violence, especially in the context of our university, has a significant impact on shaping public policy in education, economics, labor, social policy, and public management law.

However, it must be acknowledged that there is not always effective communication between scholars and policymakers, as some topics may be politicized or ignored due to ideological differences. Academic discourse on gender equality and gender-based violence is crucial for assessing and improving societal attitudes and behaviors.

Does academic discourse reach society? It must be admitted that it often remains confined to conferences and scientific publications aimed at the academic community, which are read by a narrow and specialized audience. As a result, we sometimes lose the notion of “science for society.” Stronger interaction between science, business, government, and communities can help create preventive programs, improve support services for people who have experienced violence, and strengthen a culture of justice, security, and human rights.

Register for the seminar here.