The largest Slovak university supports gender equality. On 24 January 2022, Comenius University approved a Rector’s Directive, introducing the Gender Equality Plan. Its objective is to prevent any discrimination on the basis of gender.

The university will not tolerate any disrespectful or unequal treatment of human beings. Ever since its establishment it has been promoting key values of human existence: truth, kindness and justice. By adopting the Gender Equality Plan the University strives to initiate changes which will lead to an open, supportive and non-discriminating environment for all employees and students.

The objectives of the gender plan should be achieved between 2022 – 2024. With the help of the document, the oldest Slovak university strives to achieve the following:

• reconcile work and family life;
• achieve gender balance in management and in decision-making;
• achieve gender equality in staff recruitment and career development;
• integrate the gender dimension in research and teaching content;
• introduce measures for combating gender-based violence, including sexual harassment.

The plan demands the formation of working conditions and career development rules that eliminate gender inequalities in employment and management positions. Through cultural and symbolic change, it seeks to eliminate stereotypes and prejudices, to promote the values of equality and inclusiveness, and to create a supportive work environment. Between 2020 and 2023, the Faculty of Arts works on an E4E project entitled „Gender Equality Standards for AHMSSBL Institutions Through Europe – Equal4Europe“, which will help the entire University to identify and deploy such tools that support the integration of gender in education and research, reduce gender imbalance in decision-making bodies and remove the remaining obstacles to career growth of women.

It is also important to ensure that women achieve a higher representation in management positions. Furthermore, no degree or form of sexual harassment is tolerated and the university environment must be non-discriminatory, safe and open. Steps are also being taken to raise the profile of female researchers and to strengthen the involvement of the academic community in promoting gender equality and diversity. The implementation and compliance with the measures is the remit of the relevant organizational units of Faculties and the Rectorate of Comenius University.

Source: Comenius University

By SLORD

February 7, 2022