One of the latest studies carried out by the Teaching Quality and Innovation Support Unit ESUP/DTIC of the UPF’s Engineering and ICT UCA focuses on an analysis in key of gender perspective at the ESUP/DTIC with the goal of compiling data and information which enable to have a global vision on this topic in the particular context of the centre.

Referring to the registration based on gender of the degrees offered by the ESUP/DTIC (Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Degree in Audiovisual Systems, Degree in Telematics Engineering, Degree in Computer Engineering), we note that the number of women registered between academic years 2011-2012 and 2015-2016 is considerably less than the number of men except in the case of the Degree in Biomedical Engineering where it is usual to see a greater presence of women than men (see Graph 1).

Graph 1. Gender distribution of new students of the DTIC/ESUP Degrees (1^st registration)

If we observe this same variable in Master and PhD studies (see Table 1), we see how the percentages, although being considerably larger in the case of men, increase in favour of women, achieving, regarding the total, the 30% (data from academic year 2015-2016).

Table 1. Perceptual distribution of the total people registered in the Masters and PhDs (Data from 2015-2016 academic course)

Referring to the detail of registration based on the master, we see that in the case of masters in Sound and Music Technologies, University Master in Interactive Intelligent Systems and University Master in Cognitive Systems and Interactive Media the percentages of women’s registration oscillate between the 7% and the 25% while this percentage in the case of the University Master in Brain and Cognition is the 75%.

In the study there was also analyzed the distribution of the total people registered in the Final Year Project based on the gender, taking into account the data of three academic years (2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016). The percentage of FYP tutored by women oscillates between the 15% and the 18%. In the study there was also done a more detailed analysis of optional subjects (academic year 2015-2016) to see if there were subjects in which a greater number of women was gathered and/or if there could be any impact in the registration because of the teaching staff’s gender. In the results obtained there is no observation of tendency in correlation between gender of the teacher and student or in the type of contents, nevertheless we could see some tendency in the selections of subjects depending on the students’ sex and the subjects’ topic.

Regarding the relation between gender and registration tax, much greater values are observed in the case of women, therefore, even if they register less we see that they maintain more throughout the four years (see Table 2). However it is necessary to say that the most reliable data in this table regarding objectivity of its analysis in terms of registration/graduation refer to first promotions, provided that in posterior cases, it may happen that both women and men computed as graduate belong originally to previous promotions.

Table 2. Relation of first registrations/Graduates in the three ICT promotions and first Biomedical promotion

Regarding the distribution of ESUP/DTIC’s PDI according to genre we should highlight that 69% are men. In this line it was also analyzed which percentage women occupied regarding the coordination/responsibility of subjects. This is why the subjects of years 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2014-2015were analyzed (consulting the acts of official subjects). Even there being a slight progressive increase in the percentage of women who signed acts in the three years analyzed, this does not achieve in any case a value superior to 22%.

Finally and regarding the actions carried or being carried out in the Engineering and ICT UCA according to genre, we should highlight the mentors program MENTOS (https://www.upf.edu/web/mentos), in which the USQUID is actively involved. This program counts with the collaboration of more than 30 professionals of the field of ICT engineering (men and women) who, voluntarily, mentor students (women) of our Degrees. Just like this, in the strategic program DTIC- Maria de Maeztu, there are included multiple actions, activities and projects which impact directly on the presence of women in the ICT field (See Gender and ICT: https://www.upf.edu/web/mdm-dtic/gender-and-ict). Finally add that the USQUID ESUP/DTIC is participating in a teaching innovation project focussed on the introduccion of gender aspects on teaching.