“The ‘Second Isabel de Villena Equality Plan (2018-2022)’ is a step forward to developing a culture of equality that permeates the institution as a whole and to effectively incorporate the gender dimension in teaching and research.  It also aims to foment equal opportunities in professional development, to promote parity in participation and decision-making spaces and to eradicate the gender-based violence and LGBTIphobia in the university environment”, says Mònica Figueras, vice-rector for Social Engagement and Equality Projects.

The plan, recently approved by the University’s Board of Governors, is the result of a participatory process involving the entire University community and includes areas of activity relating to the representativeness of women, professional access, selection, promotion and development and conditions of employment. It also includes the reconciliation of personal, work and family life, gender-based violence, occupational risks prevention with a gender perspective, inclusive communication and the use of non-sexist, non-androcentric language, internal strategy and organization, and adopts the LGBTI viewpoint. 

“It is not about merely meeting current legislation, but the fact that the University feels jointly responsible for progress towards a fairer society”

“With the strengthening of the Equality Unit in recent years and the approval of the Second Plan, UPF is determined to assume the cross-cutting application of the principle of gender equality in all spheres and policies”, says Mònica Figueras. According to the vice-rector, “it is not about merely meeting current legislation, but the fact that the University feels jointly responsible for progress towards a fairer society, in which sex and gender do not condition access to opportunities, resources and recognition. We are convinced that an egalitarian university is also a better quality, more democratic university, deeply committed to social transformation”.

A participatory process lasting more than two years

“The Second Plan, which extends the policies of equality initiated ten years ago when the First Plan was approved, has put great emphasis on the establishment of specific milestones in order to ensure greater effectiveness. The plan was created by the whole community (given the volume of participation), for the whole community (given the number of actions) and should be implemented by the entire university community”, says Tània Verge, director of the Equality Unit.

The process of drafting the Second Equality Plan, which has lasted two years, has taken into account the results of the evaluation of the First Plan and has included various stages: the 2015-2016 academic year began with the collection of data and the drafting of the comprehensive diagnostic report on the situation of women and men at UPF; it continued with a draft of the Plan drawn up by the Equality Unit and discussion of this draft with the different bodies, units and services of the University (2016) and negotiation with workers’ bodies of representation (2017-2018 academic year).

The last stages of the process consisted of the participatory process of collecting suggestions and proposals, open to the entire university community, culminating in May this year, and finally, the approval of the Plan at the last Board of Governors held on 4 July.

During the first phase of diagnosis, some one hundred indicators were identified and collected, which were grouped around ten axes. In the second phase, specific goals of effective equality were established, with the identification of the actions for implementation and the establishment of indicators for monitoring and evaluating the actions.

On the basis of the principles of transversality of the perspective of gender, equity and parity, 58 actions were established  (34 more than in the First Equality Plan), which were integrated into five axes of action: promotion of a culture of equality; gender-sensitive teaching, research and knowledge transfer; equality of opportunities in access to employment and professional promotion; paritary participation and representation; and finally, UPF as a discrimination- and violence-free institution.