A university blind to equality

The 21st-century university resembles a puzzle where a key piece, gender equality, doesn't quite fit. This is demonstrated by the latest Vives Network report on the gender perspective in teaching, published this September. For those not familiar with this network, it's the association of universities in the Catalan language and culture regions. The report in question compiles data from 20 universities, and the authors, María José Rodríguez Jaume and Diana Gil González, as well as collaborator Julia Cimas Sánchez, are from the University of Alicante.

What does this publication, which has gone almost unnoticed by the public, show us? Well, we're able to appoint women to teach inaugural lectures, but we allow gender subjects to disappear from the curriculum. We create equality units, but we don't dare to touch the heart of what is taught and how it is assessed.

Imagine a classroom where the theories studied seem to have been written by only half of humanity. Where examples make women's contributions invisible, and where practices perpetuate roles that society tries to override. The challenge is not only to include women, but also to reduce biases. Why are research projects with a gender perspective still the exception? Why is teaching innovation in this field a less-traveled path? Because what isn't measured doesn't exist, and what isn't recognized, isn't done. Tasks related to equality continue to be the most overlooked in your academic career.

However, there are reasons for optimism. Of course. The same report points out that universities that have seriously invested in transformative teaching guides, sensitive curricular adaptations, or awards for inclusive research have opened the way for real change. These are spaces where equality has ceased to be a rhetoric and has become a practice.

Amidst all the juicy content in this report, one phrase stood out to me: innovation also means incorporating a gender perspective. So, colleagues, let's put aside the romantic rhetoric (and biases) and let's innovate. Whatever your area of knowledge, be committed to a cross-cutting approach across all areas of knowledge. And if you think you need training or more information, you'll find specialists who can help. Take a look at this report from the Vives Network (it's freely accessible) and you'll find references to help you further your understanding.

Let's make an effort to move from being "gender-aware" to being "transformative universities." We must stop seeing equality as an add-on and understand it as the foundation upon which knowledge is built. A truly excellent university cannot be blind to the reality of half of its community. The question is not whether we can incorporate a gender perspective into teaching, but whether we can conceive of teaching without taking it into account. The answer is definitely no.