KTH analyses equality

The Delegation made public their decision at a press conference at KTH on Tuesday when the Minister for Higher Education and Research, Tobias Krantz was visiting. In total 14 seats of learning and Sweden’s United Student Unions (SFS) will share a total of approximately SEK 25 million.

KTH will map out the connection between gender and the actual work situation for women and men at the faculty. The investigation will analyse a particular department at KTH and will, among other things, look at factors such as salary, benefits, the amount of time spent in the laboratory, research resources and external and internal assignments. The results will form the basis of both short and long-term measures to bring about change.

“It feels incredibly exhilarating that KTH will be involved in this type of effort and it will be interesting to see what results the project brings. The objective is to bring to light why so many women cut short their academic career,” says KTH’s President, Peter Gudmundson.

The investigation forms a part of KTH’s work of promoting equality within its own organisation. The results will be an important instrument for KTH’s management in the work they carry out with these issues,” he emphasises.

“As with several other technical seats of learning, KTH has traditionally been in a state of imbalance as regards the share of men and women at the faculty. But we have set clear objectives in an effort to improve. We will not give in until we have achieved a 50-50 split in this area,” says Peter Gudmundson. KTH’s investigation has gathered inspiration from MIT in the USA.

During the 1990s an investigation was carried out which aimed to look at the actual work situation for women at the faculty. The investigation was able to account for several unwarranted disparities and when this was revealed, the management of the university immediately took action to correct the inequalities. MIT’s investigation has since become a model that has been widely disseminated across the USA, for example Stanford carries out regular equality assessments.

The overall mandate for the Delegation for Equality in higher education institutions is to promote equality at university colleges. This will be achieved by allocating resources for measures which promote equality and to map out and highlight successful efforts.

Christer Gummeson