ACE2-EU hosted its 26th Virtual Coffee on the topic “Gender Equality, Equity & Social Impact” on May 13 2026. With three exceptional speakers, the meeting has been very insightful and informative.
The first speaker, Marika Gruber, Social Impactors Conceptual Lead from CUAS (Austria), gave an overview of the Social Impactors operational unit, hosted within the Societal Partnership & Cultural Engagement (SPACE) Centre, and its four transnational consortia. Out of four different Social Impactors, respectively on Culture & Diversity, Social Well-Being, Respect & Dignity, and Gender Equity, the main focus in this virtual coffee call was on the topic “Gender Equity”.
The second speaker, Mélissa Pebayle, Social Impactors Operational Lead from CUAS (Austria), presented theoretical insights and the framing of gender equity and equality within the Social Impactor, including the main differences between both interconnected concepts:
Gender equality considers that individuals of all genders must be given equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities in every area of life, including social, economic, political, and cultural spheres, and these should be based on individual abilities and aspirations, regardless of gender.
Gender equity promotes fairness and justice in the distribution of opportunities and responsibilities, emphasising the necessity to take into account the different needs and circumstances faced by individuals, especially through an inclusive and intersectional lens. Gender equity builds on efforts made by gender equality approaches but considers that equal treatment alone is not always sufficient to tackle inequalities, as shown by the image below.
Source (2016): http://interactioninstitute.org/illustrating-equality-vs-equity/
Then, Marika Gruber went over some key takeaways from the Pilot Knowledge team creation workshop on Gender Equity.
With a total of 26 participants (11 students, 9 staff members and 6 external stakeholders), in Riga, Latvia, the main goal was to create a collaborative space for the participants and explore both challenges and solutions. Different challenges identified among the participants were clustered into five cluster topics: gendered power imbalance, gender pay gap, gender-based violence, imbalanced access to services, gender recognition in institutions & culture. In the end, 5 activities were identified as priorities for implementation and project action plans were developed:
- “Making help available” (Gender-based violence cluster)
- “Financial education in the life span: youth, adult, older age” (Gender pay gap cluster)
- “Fighting gender-based violence through education” (Gender-based violence cluster)
- “Campaign Day: Equal Pay” (Gender pay gap cluster)
- “Community education on the legal framework” (Gender recognition in institutions & culture cluster)
Further development & implementation are being planned through remote collaboration between participants and the SI Gender Equity team.
The third speaker at the event, Georg Overbeck, an Advisor from the Technical University of Ingolstadt (THI, Germany), connected historical, social, and institutional perspectives to emphasise why gender equality should remain a central policy priority. He emphasised that integrating gender equality policies into the university alliance and the European Union frameworks was essential.
Key takeaways from Georg Overbeck
Although all universities and alliances have Gender Equality Plans, as required by EU law, these policies should not exist merely to secure EU funding, but as the main focus on well-being. Gender equality and equity should become guiding principles embedded across all institutional practices, including sustainability, open science, governance, multicultural activities, and STEM initiatives. Gender equity should be a central component of organisational development and future planning. Inclusive governance, social impact, and multicultural engagement are presented as interconnected with gender equality. These principles are aligned with the values of the European Commission and are intended to shape future educational and research collaborations. Achieving meaningful progress in society requires institutions and individuals to work together, share responsibilities, and actively prioritise gender equity and equality in the years ahead.
The meeting highlighted that not everyone starts the same, but everyone should be empowered to achieve equal outcomes with the right support across universities and for students.
