Gender equality, diversity and inclusive culture do not happen on their own. It takes sustained, focused effort to create genuinely inclusive working environments that foster a diversity of talents and discourage conscious and unconscious discrimination.
The Action plan for gender equality, diversity and inclusion 2023-25 provides a clear framework for these efforts that:
The action plan contains four cross-university activities. In addition, each faculty, the administration and Business and Innovation have designed a local activity.
Aarhus University (AU) is a large workplace with over 8,000 staff and 38,000 students. Together, we are striving to be an outstanding university, with the highest standard of excellence in education and research and with a strong engagement in society.
We can only succeed if we are able to use diversity as a strength. By including different perspectives – based on e.g gender, ethnicity and age, as well as cultural and social backgrounds– we strengthen our foundation for delivering groundbreaking research and innovation, inspiring teaching and first-rate technical-administrative support.
But gender equality, diversity and inclusion are not simply means to the end of realising AU’s strategic ambitions. They are ends in themselves. As a research and educational institution and an important participant in society, AU has a responsibility to contribute to an open, informed democratic discourse. Ensuring that different voices are heard and have an opportunity to contribute is of great importance in this regard.
Gender equality, diversity and an inclusive culture do not happen on their own. It takes sustained, focused effort to create genuinely inclusive working environments that foster a diversity of talents and discourage conscious and unconscious discrimination. AU’s Strategy 2025 stresses the ambition to promote gender equality and diversity for precisely this reason.
The Action plan for gender equality, diversity and inclusion 2023-25 provides a clear framework for these efforts that:
The Action plan for gender equality, diversity and inclusion 2023-25 will contribute to ensuring that Aarhus University complies with Danish legislation in this area: The act prohibiting discrimination on the labour market, the gender equality act and the act on equal pay for men and women. These laws prohibit discrimination on grounds of gender, race, ethnicity, religion/ faith, political views, age, disability, sexual orientation and social background. With this action plan, Aarhus University is also in compliance with the Horizon Europe Gender Equality Plan requirement.
GENDER EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ARE NOT SIMPLY MEANS TO THE END OF REALISING AU’S STRATEGIC AMBITIONS. THEY ARE ENDS IN THEMSELVES..
The Action plan for gender equality, diversity and inclusion 2023-25 stands on the shoulders of previous action plans. It addresses the same focus areas – recruitment, career development, leadership and workplace culture – and builds on the results that have already been achieved. The action plan contains activities at two organisational levels:
The activities are described in detail in the Action plan appendix.
| Activity | Objectives | Start-up | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systematised work with search committees: Search committees should be used when recruiting to permanent academic positions. Each faculty is responsible for developing guidelines for its work with search committees. | To ensure a highly qualified applicant pool with excellent credentials and balanced gender representation for permanent academic positions. | Spring 2023 | Fac.mgmt. |
| Systematic career dialogues: Career dialogue between scientific staff member in temporary position and their manager should be held no later than one year after hiring as well as prior to any employment contract extensions or offers of permanent employment. | All scientific staff members in temporary positions should be given career clarification support and opportunities through career dialogue with their manager. | Spring 2023 | Dept./ School/ Unit mgmt. |
| Leading inclusive dialogues and decision-making processes: A course on leading inclusive processes is held at each faculty/administration/Enterprise and Innovation. The target group is all managers (levels 1-4). | That managers strengthen their ability to facilitate inclusive dialogues and decision-making processes in order to achieve the broadest possible participation and support. That managers are well-prepared to implement the action plan, particularly activities concerning workplace culture. | Autumn/ winter 2023 | Fac.mgmt./ E&I/ LEA |
| Inclusive workplace culture The course has three components: Kick-off – conference March 2023. Regular check-up on workplace culture. "When new staff start". | That managers and staff across AU engage in regular dialogue about their local workplace culture and try out initiatives aimed at creating a more inclusive culture. | Spring/ summer/ 2024 | Dept./ School/ E&I/ Unit mgmt |
Efforts to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion at AU have the support of senior management and succeeds in collaboration with staff.
The Action plan for gender equality, diversity and inclusion 2023-25 is approved by the senior management team, who is also responsible for ensuring that subordinate levels of management – faculty management teams, the administration’s management team (LEA) and the management at Enterprise and Innovation – implement the action plan as described. The individual manager has an ‘executive responsibility’ to incorporate considerations of gender equality and diversity into leadership tasks such as recruitment, professional priorities, career development and workplace culture.
The AU Committee for Diversity and Gender Equality has been established to advise the senior management team and provide support for university-wide initiatives. All five faculties have established diversity and gender equality committees to support the faculty management teams in their work.
The occupational health and safety and liaison organisations also have a role to play in promoting gender equality and as ambassadors for the action plan.
Together, the diversity and gender equality committees and the occupational health and safety and liaison committees contribute to ensure that the experiences and perspectives of employees are part of implementing the action plan.
Administrative support is distributed, and the initiatives will be supported by different functions. In central administration, Rector’s Office and AU HR provide support. At the faculties, support is provided by the management secretariats at the faculties and their HR offices.
EFFORTS TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AT AU HAVE THE SUPPORT OF SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND SUCCEEDS IN COLLABORATION WITH STAFF.
There is an annual follow up on the action plan. The objective is to ensure thorough local discussion on the progress made so far, lessons learned and steps to be taken. The follow-up process is also intended to keep management engaged and accountable. The process for the annual follow-up is as follows:
FAC.MGMT./E&I/LEA ► THE AU COMMITTEE FOR DIVERSITY AND GENDER EQUALITY ► HSU/HAMU ► SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM► AU BOARD
The follow-up begins in the faculty management teams, in the management team in Enterprise and Innovation and in LEA.
It is organised as a discussion involving the faculty management team and the faculty’s diversity and gender equality committee. FAMU/FSU will also be involved. Neither Enterprise and Innovation nor the administration have a diversity and gender equality committee. In these cases, the follow-up meeting will take place in the management team with the involvement of LAMU/LSU and AAMU/AASU respectively.
At the meeting, progress and lessons learned with regard to the action plans’ AU-wide activities and the faculty’s/unit’s own activity, and the next steps will be agreed on. The discussion draws on relevant data (see section 5).
The discussion and agreements should be summarised in a short document which is shared with relevant local agents who have a role to play going forward. The document is also forwarded to the Rector’s Office to be included in the subsequent follow-up process.
After the local discussions, the follow-up is discussed by the AU Diversity and gender equality committee and HAMU/HASU before it is discussed by the senior management team. The board is briefed about the annual follow-up
THE OBJECTIVE IS TO ENSURE THOROUGH LOCAL DISCUSSION ON THE PROGRESS MADE SO FAR, LESSONS LEARNED AND STEPS TO BE TAKEN.
AU collects a variety of data about gender, both in relation to staff and students.
Data about gender among staff is available to managers in two BI reports.
The AU HR report on gender equality draws on data from HR systems about staff composition and recruitment. It contains key figures on the gender distribution for the following indicators:
The AU PhD report on gender equality among PhD students draws on data from the PhD Planner.
It contains key figures on the gender distribution for the following indicators:
Aarhus University performs a WPA every three years. The most recent WPA survey was performed in 2022. The survey contains a variety of questions about workplace culture and career development opportunities. In the reports, responses are categorised according to ‘age’, ‘gender’ and ‘selected language (Danish/English)’.
Key figures and indicators about gender equality among staff are available on au.dk.
Data about gender equality and diversity among students are available with regard to applications, admissions, progress toward degree, dropout rates, grades, completion, time to degree and employment.
Data packages with selected indicators and key figures are used in connection with degree programme evaluations by boards of studies, which use them in connection with quality assurance processes. The data are subsequently considered by management.