ACE2-EU hosted its 26th Virtual Coffee about the topic “Gender Equality, Equity & Social Impact” on May 13. With three exceptional speakers, the meeting has been very insightful and informative. The first speaker, Marika Gruber, Social Impactors Conceptual Lead, CUAS (Austria), explained the Societal Partnerships & Cultural Engagement (SPACE) Center and its functions within transnational teams. Out of four different social impactors, which are 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) differentiated between gender equity and gender equality.
With Gender equality, Individuals of all genders are given equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities in every area of life, including social, economic, political, and cultural spheres, and are based on individual abilities and aspirations.
Gender equity promotes fairness and justice in the distribution of opportunities and responsibilities, emphasizing inclusive and intersectional approaches. Gender equity builds on efforts toward gender equality by recognizing that equal treatment alone does not address the different needs and circumstances individuals face.
Key takeaways from the Pilot Knowledge team creation workshop – Gender Equity –
With a total of 26 participants (11 students, 9 staff members and 6 external stakeholders), at 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 the topics were Gendered power imbalance, Gender pay gap, Gender-based violence, Imbalanced access to services, Gender recognition in institutions & culture. 5 topics were prioritized for further action plans:
- Making help available (Gender-based violence)
- Financial education in the life span: youth, adult, older age (Gender pay gap)
- Fighting gender-based violence through education (Gender-based violence)
- Campaign Day: Equal Pay (Gender pay gap)
- Community education on the legal framework (Gender recognition in institutions & culture)
Further development & implementation have been 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 emphasize why gender equality should remain a central policy priority. He emphasized that integrating gender equality policies into the university alliance and the European Union frameworks was essential.
Key takeaways
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 organizational 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 prioritize gender equity and equality in the years ahead.
The meeting emphasized that not everyone starts the same, but everyone should be empowered to achieve equal outcomes with the right support across universities and for students.
