Introduction
In the university environment, preventing discriminatory processes is of particular importance, since gender culture has an impact both on the activities of the educational institution itself and on the formation of behavioral guidelines of students, their professional aspirations and models of interaction in professional and personal relationships.
Understanding the importance of ensuring equal gender rights in the field of professional self-realization and the formation of a harmonious environment for the development of staff and students, the Kharkiv National Automobile and Highway University (hereinafter referred to as KhNAHU) has developed a Gender Equality Plan for 2024-2028. In the process of preparing the Plan, gender relations in the structure of personnel and governing bodies were monitored, and the main strategic goals of supporting gender equality were determined, taking into account the norms of national legislation and approaches of developed countries to building a gender-balanced society and parity democracy.
The strategic goals of supporting and developing gender equality in the KhNAHU are:
1. Regulatory and legal support for compliance with the principles of gender equality
Attention to gender rights and awareness of the importance of gender equality is today one of the signs of human development and developed democracy. Respect for human rights and freedoms, their dignity is a special object of legal protection.
The fundamental document that proclaims equality of rights and freedoms regardless of gender is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. These same principles are guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine.
In addition to these documents, which define general guarantees of equal rights regardless of gender, important regulatory documents for the consistent implementation of gender equality norms and principles are:
Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men"
National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325
"Women, Peace, Security" for the Period Until 2025
UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (ratified by Ukraine)
Human Development Strategy, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated on 02.06.2021.
Focusing on Ukraine's European integration aspirations and supporting the ideas of equality in the environment of realizing human potential, the development of the Gender Equality Plan at KhNAHU also took into account the principles defined by strategic documents of the European Union, including those characteristic of the academic environment:
Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025, adopted by the European Commission;
Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation;
European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for Researchers (European Charter and Code of Conduct are available in official translation on the website of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
The legal principles defined in the above documents have been taken into account by the working initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU for the preparation of the Gender Equality Plan approved by the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
2. Strategic goals and planned tasks for ensuring gender equality
A. Gender equality in hiring and career advancement
Goal: creating equal conditions for hiring in career development
Target group: scientific and pedagogical employees of KhNAHU
Responsible for implementation: personnel department; legal department; trade union committee, heads of structural units, educational and methodological department, initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Improving personnel policy, which will include equal opportunities in hiring: gender-appropriate rhetoric in vacancy announcements, providing information about the competition to a wider range of candidates, taking into account gender and the possibilities of flexible forms of employment (if necessary).
Monitoring and preventing cases of discrimination on the basis of gender in the university's employment processes.
Supporting female employees’ initiatives to participate in competitions for vacant senior management positions, including heads of departments, directors, and vice-rectors, in accordance with the university’s staffing analysis.
Conducting sociological surveys of university employees on gender equality and manifestations of gender discrimination, with special attention to identifying discriminatory factors during the recruitment and adaptation period of newly hired employees.
Conducting training sessions that will include the topic of unconscious gender bias in hiring, career advancement, and motivation.
Improving and monitoring local regulatory documents on compliance with the principles of gender equality in providing opportunities for professional growth, as well as gender-neutral principles for assessing work results in motivation and career advancement.
Reporting period: annually, starting in 2024.
Key Indicators:
B. Gender equality in management and decision-making
Objective: to create equal opportunities for participation in management and decision-making regarding the activities of the university
Target group: scientific and pedagogical employees of KhNAHU
Responsible for implementation: heads of structural units of KhNAHU; personnel department; legal department; trade union committee; initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Study of the proportionality of representation of women and men at the decision-making level at the university.
Informing the university management and heads of structural units with modern non-discriminatory management practices in areas of work.
Ensuring compliance of job descriptions of heads of structural units, employment contracts and contracts of scientific and pedagogical staff with the standards and norms of gender equality and non-discrimination on the basis of gender.
Taking into account local regulatory documents related to corporate ethics, the principles of gender equality of rights and opportunities for participation in management and decision-making.
Ensuring equal access to opportunities and promoting participation in staff leadership development programs, raising awareness of the protection of rights to participate in management and decision-making (training through formal and informal education, internships, self-education, professional activities, etc.), including abroad, taking into account gender proportions at the university.
When forming elected bodies at various levels, take into account gender proportions of the staff and ensure the participation of women and men in meetings and conferences of labor collectives, and in the work of the university's advisory bodies on a parity basis.
Reporting period: annually, starting in 2024.
Key Indicators:
C. Ensuring equal conditions for the realization of creative potential in research and teaching activities
Goal: creating an environment, equal conditions for the development of the creative potential of women and men in research and teaching activities
Target group: scientific and pedagogical workers of KhNAHU
Responsible for implementation: heads of structural units of KhNAHU; educational and methodological department; scientific and research part; center for international cooperation and education; personnel department; legal department; trade union committee; initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Ensuring compliance of regulatory documents of KhNAHU with standards and norms of gender equality.
Analysis of the provisions of the collective agreement between the administration and the trade union committee of KhNAHU on compliance with the principles of gender equality in the process of production, labor and socio-economic relations.
Ensuring compliance of educational and methodological support for teaching activities with standards and norms of gender equality and non-discrimination on the basis of gender.
Supporting the provisions of the "European Charter for Researchers" and the "Code of Employment of Researchers" on the prevention of discrimination on the basis of gender.
Ensuring equal access to opportunities for professional development of scientific and pedagogical female workers (advancing skills through formal and informal education, internships, self-education, professional activities, etc.), including abroad.
Ensuring equal access to resources that guarantee professional development in research and teaching activities of men and women in the workplace.
Informing and involving scientific and pedagogical workers in the celebration of World Science Day (November 10), Science Day in Ukraine (third Saturday of May), International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11).
Constant monitoring of the participation of women and men in competitive selections for fundamental scientific research, applied scientific research, scientific and technical (experimental) developments, other scientific and research competitions, projects and grants, including abroad.
Support for the use of a gender approach and feminine pronouns in the scientific and educational and methodological literature of the university.
Expanding the knowledge of scientific and pedagogical staff on issues of gender equality and non-discrimination in research activities by informing about and ensuring participation in thematic training sessions, seminars, conferences and other events.
Reporting period: annually, starting from 2024.
Key Indicators:
D. Promoting the development of gender issues in research at various levels, including those carried out by higher education students
Goal: integrating the gender dimension into research content in the scientific research process
Target group: scientific and pedagogical workers, higher education students
Responsible for implementation: scientific and research part of KhNAHU; sector of students' scientific work; supervisors of scientific and final qualification works of higher education students, PhD theses, initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Encouraging the participation of scientific and pedagogical workers in forums and meetings where they can improve ideas on including gender issues in the scientific and research process.
Facilitating participation in seminars, training sessions and other educational events.
Reporting period: annually, starting from 2024.
Key Indicators:
E. Ensuring equal conditions for the application of gender issues in research at different levels
Goal: integrating the gender dimension into research content in the scientific research process
Target group: scientific and pedagogical workers, higher education students
Responsible for implementation: scientific and research part of KhNAHU; sector of students' scientific work; supervisors of scientific and final qualification works of higher education students, PhD theses, initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Introduction of gender issues into scientific and final qualification works of higher education applicants, PhD theses.
Support for the implementation of gender issues in scientific and final qualification works of higher education applicants, PhD theses, research works of university departments.
Establishing cooperation with scientists in the field of gender issues from research and educational institutions in Ukraine and the world.
Ensuring gender balance among speakers in the programs of conferences, round tables and other scientific events, if possible.
Prevention of gender discrimination among applicants and their research groups in competitive selections for fundamental scientific research, applied scientific research, scientific and technical (experimental) developments, other scientific and research competitions, projects and grants, including abroad.
Support for women's leadership among applicants in scientific and research groups.
Reporting period: annually, starting from 2024.
Key Indicators:
F. Prevention and elimination of gender-based violence, including sexual harassment
Goal: creating a safe environment for all participants in the educational process, regardless of gender
Target group: all participants in the educational process
Responsible for implementation: heads of structural units of KhNAHU; curators of academic groups; student self-government bodies, initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality in KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Informing employees and higher education students about safe reporting channels in the event of cases of discrimination, violence or harassment based on gender.
Promoting a negative attitude towards gender-based violence, gender-based unacceptable rhetoric, sexual harassment and other violations of gender equality in any of their manifestations among all participants in the educational process.
Informing all participants in the educational process about the mechanism for resolving conflict situations caused by gender-based violence, sexual harassment, gender discrimination or linguistic rhetoric related to stereotyping of gender roles.
Informing and supporting the participation of the educational process participants in activities to highlight the problems of gender-based violence, sexual harassment in modern society.
Dissemination of information and educational materials on combating sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking and mobbing.
Monitoring and prompt response to violations of the principles of gender equality at the university.
Informing and involving participants in the educational process in the annual All-Ukrainian campaign "16 Days Against Violence" (November 25 - December 10).
Reporting period: annually, starting in 2024.
Key Indicators:
Goal: achieving a balance between work, teaching, research and personal life of university employees
Target group: KhNAHU staff
Responsible for implementation: heads of structural units of the state biotechnology university; educational and methodological department, initiative group on issues of compliance with the principles of gender equality at KhNAHU.
Tasks:
Providing priority conditions when drawing up a class schedule for scientific and pedagogical employees with young children, children with special needs, large families, pregnant women.
Researching the needs of people returning to work after parental leave, support from management at various levels.
Conducting research among employees to identify and address needs and problems related to work-life balance.
Formulating recommendations on the hours of academic council meetings, department meetings and other meetings to maintain work-life balance.
Informing and supporting the participation of KhNAHU staff in training sessions, seminars and other events aimed at forming and maintaining work-life balance, developing a culture of equal family responsibilities.
Providing psychological support for KhNAHU staff to prevent stress and professional burnout.
Reporting period: annually, starting in 2024.
Key Indicators:
Developers:
Head of the initiative group on gender equality,
Vice-Rector for Education and Research,
Doctor of Technical Sciences, Assoc. Prof.
Mykola Mykhalevych
Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor,
Head of the Department of Philosophy and Pedagogy of Vocational Training
Volodymyr Bondarenko
Candidate of Historical Sciences,
Assoc. Prof. of the Department of Philosophy and Pedagogy
of Vocational Training
Larysa Filipenko