Glossary

Technology

Technology is the application of scientific knowledge to meet human needs. It involves developing tools, machines, and systems that facilitate and improve our lives. The word ”technology” originates from Greek, meaning ”craft,” ”skill,” or ”art.” Engineering science is an overarching term used to describe research primarily conducted within technical faculties at universities, colleges, and institutes.

Some common technology fields are:

• Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

• Medical Technology

• Construction and Civil Engineering

• Manufacturing Technology

• Energy Technology

Gender Equality

Gender equality is a political concept that emphasises equality between genders. It means that women and men have the same rights, responsibilities, and opportunities in all areas of life. Gender equality is a political goal found in the UN’s human rights framework and Agenda 2030, such as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.

To understand how gender inequality is manifested in society and organisations, as well as how to achieve gender equality, we need to focus on societal and organisational power. Power relations impact how resources and opportunities are distributed between genders. They are also reflected in language, for instance in who has the privilege of interpretation to define what is good or bad, important or unimportant etc. , as well as what and who is seen as the social norm and what and who is seen as deviating from this norm.

Gender (Genus)

The focus here is on the socially and culturally constructed aspects of gender, shaped by perceptions, norms, and power relations. The term was originally introduced to distinguish social/cultural gender from biological sex. However, since we experience and interpret biological sex within a social and cultural context, a strict division between the two is not entirely feasible in practice. Social norms and power relations influence our understanding of biology.

Intersectionality

The term "intersectionality" comes from the English word intersection, meaning crossroad or point of intersection. It describes how different power structures and grounds of discrimination interact—one cannot be fully understood in isolation from the others.

Conducting an intersectional analysis does not require addressing all power structures simultaneously but rather highlighting those most relevant to the specific context. Intersectionality makes visible that neither "women" nor "men" are homogeneous groups and that there are individuals who do not define themselves within these gender categories.