Since 1998, the European Conferences on Gender Equality in Higher Education have regularly brought together hundreds of gender equality actors from Europe and beyond. The conferences provide an established international forum for discussion and exchange of information and experiences, allowing the sharing of good practices and research results on the changes and challenges related to gender in academia. Nine conferences have been organised since 1998 across Europe, about every two years. The latest one was hosted by French key Higher Education stakeholders, in September 2016 (https://9euconfgender.sciencesconf.org). The European Network on Gender Equality in Higher Education, established after the first conference in Helsinki, continues to contribute to the continuity and organisation of these conferences.
Ireland is hosting this event for the first time. Gender research, including research on women in academia, is well developed in Ireland and has grown considerably over the last ten years. As the funder for Higher Education Institutions in Ireland, the Higher Education Authority produced a Review of Gender Equality in National in Higher Education Institutions in June 2016. In 2017 the Minister for Higher Education established a Task Force to oversee the far-reaching recommendations contained in the review. Irish Higher Education Institutions, as well as associations and companies, are involved in numerous gender equality-related actions, with partners in various European networks. Notably, Ireland is the project coordinator for the H2020 Systemic Action for Gender Equality (SAGE) 2016-19 (http://www.sage-growingequality.eu).
Proposals are sought that address the following themes on gender equality in higher education, research, teaching and learning from institutional, national, European and international perspectives:
- Public policies and legal provisions promoting gender equality
- Higher education reforms and their gender impacts
- Structural change and institutional gender equality plans
- Indicators, measurements and metrics
- Gender balance, diversity, discrimination, intersectionality
- Gendered access to decision-making positions
- Leadership and management in promoting and achieving gender equality
- Internationalisation of academia
- Men and masculinities
- Resistance against gender equality; implicit bias
- Career pathways, and impediments to advancement
- LGBTIQ+ and gender/sexual identities
- Sexual harassment, gender-based violence and sexist behaviour
- Gender implications in research funding
- Gender-based research, teaching and learning, including across disciplines
- Gender research and integration of findings into higher education, including beyond social science and humanities
- Gender equality and anti-discrimination training for teachers, equality professionals and academic and scientific leaders and managers