Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
A NEW REPORT is recommending the introduction of gender quotas for staff positions at NUI Galway, following on from a landmark Equality Tribunal award in 2014.
The recommendations are contained in the final draft report of the Gender Equality Taskforce, which was set up in February 2015 to address issues of gender inequality at the university.
This followed a landmark award in November 2014 by the Equality Tribunal to Dr Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington. The tribunal found that she had been discriminated against on grounds of gender when she went for a position at the university in 2009.
The final draft of the report (seen by TheJournal.ie) contains 23 evidence-based recommendations in order to address gender inequality at the university, among them the introduction of quotas.
It will be presented to the Governing Authority of the university next month.
“The University should introduce mandatory gender quotas for all academic promotion
assessments and competitions, if necessary on a phased basis over a maximum of
two rounds,” the report states.
The taskforce references all the most relevant research and figures in its making of the recommendations, stating that women are underrepresented in top university positions around the world.
In NUI Galway, women account for just 14% of full professors – the joint-lowest in the sector.
Over 80% of female academic staff are at junior lecturer level at the university, compared to just over half of the male academic staff.
Challenges
The lengthy report also endeavours to challenge any “myths” about the underrepresentation of women in senior positions in universities, and challenges those who say that gender quotas represent “positive discrimination”.
The report references a “deeply embedded male-oriented culture” within NUI Galway.
“Changing the culture of any organisation, particularly a university with long and much-valued traditions, is a complex and challenging task,” the authors state.
Eliminating gender inequality will make NUI Galway a better place to work for everyone and a more successful university.
The report recommends that gender quotas be introduced based on the flexible cascade model.
This would mean that quota to be promoted should be based on the number of women eligible for promotion at the grade immediately below the position being applied for.
The report states that many women “are uncomfortable with, and some are strongly opposed to, the introduction of gender quotas”, but that they have been proven to work.
If implemented, it would appear be the first time gender quotas have been introduced for the public sector in Ireland and could have wide implications for other universities and the public sector as as whole.
In a statement, NUI Galway welcomed the publication of the draft report and said that it reiterates its commitment”to addressing gender equality across the university with the highest priority and looks forward to the completion of the final report”.
The taskforce is chaired by Professor Jane Grimson.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Is it me or do we have a situation in many countries now where its like how low can the political class go these days…..or is it a case we are all just seeing it more clearly now cos doesnt seem like Ireland or England have any political parties capable of running a bath without doing something stupid or being caught out
@Tom Newell: No shame or modesty in any of them.
@Tom Newell: I think the UK and US have been showing the world that the way to get ahead in politics is to lie like a rug and tell everyone what they want to hear, stoke prejudices and hate then rise on a tide of the unthinking.
There was an Austrian who did something similar a while back, he caused a bit of bother.
@Tom Newell: mainly it’s a result of politicians slowly realising just how susceptible humans are to propaganda. Get enough media outlets onside, spend enough on targeted social media ads and bot farms, and you can pretty much get away with anything. This allows con-artists, shameless liars and assorted dummies to flourish eg Trump and Boris. They surround themselves with other like-minded souls, and you wind up with the modern Conservative party, for example.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: There was a country also in the Middle East that lied about UNRWA which the U.S and the UK we’re only to happy to believe without the slightest bit of evidence been put forward, I’m proud of the fact that Ireland didn’t fall for these blatant propaganda lies.
@Tom Newell:
It’s the people who vote them in. Society has to take the blame too. Any muppet can run these days and get elected.
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: you would be accused of sensationalism by some but unfortunately it is frightening how true this may actually be
@Tom Newell: It seems to be a right-wing political disease, more so that anyone else.
Although no group is immune.
I’ll bet you a €1000 they didn’t bet on winning the election!!!
Labour set to gain the biggest amount of seats in UK history. What has the UK shifting leftwards?
@9QRixo8H: there isn’t another genuine alternative?.
@Ger Whelan:
Agreed, a lot of people vote against someone, rather than voting for the opposition.
Lesser of two evils as such, especially in a 2 party system like the UK and the US.
@Ger Whelan: there are a myriad of genuine alternatives. The people just simple support Labour.
@9QRixo8H: is there? Other than The conservatives and labour please name one party that is running enough candidates to be able to form a government on their own?.
Insider trading is par for the course in the political elite. So they didn’t think it was something they could be caught for.
@Conrad Shields: should be sho t tied to the bonnet of a.jeep and driven around .two to put him down, two to put him out and one to stick.the jeep
I don’t think any politican cares about the people its all about themselves and money
We dont have to look very far in our own backyard to find how thick and ignorant the electorate can be.A certain family in Kerry and that shyster down in Tipperary can do no wrong apparently.A bit like Trump supporters, simple folk.
@carol mullen:
I don’t live in either area but it’s obvious that they get things done for locals. I wouldn’t call them thick or ignorant…they are voting for people who are getting things done in the areas…e.g roads,hospitals etc..they are nothing like trump supporters
@carol mullen: I hear that family raises the best politicians that money can buy.
The big question is did he bet on the correct date?
Has admitted to putting a flutter on the date of the election. Always trying to select words to trivialise their own dishonesty. He could also have said used insider knowledge to gamble on an election they know they will lose to enrich himself.
Recent polls show the Tories and LibDems pretty much neck-and-neck for 2nd/3rd place, with each getting around 50+ seats in parliament.
Another poll – but this should be considered an outlier – shows Farrage’s group becoming the 2nd largest party in parliament, and therefore the official opposition.
But polls, as we have seen, have not been particularly reliable in recent times.
Like, Ballydole inside information
How do you bury damaging news in the news cycle when almost everything your government does is inept or unethical. What do you try to distract with?
If someone is dumb enough to offer that bet, then why is this a problem?
@Thesaltyurchin: Exactly. And if a person who knew the election date was dumb enough NOT to put a bet on……….!
@Thesaltyurchin: it’s the same as a player picking up a yellow card after he’s backed it. It’s called ethics.
@marklars81: Not really tho, that situation is one of individual merit, so ‘a player’ decides 1) if they get a yellow and 2) when that is. Whereas this situation the outcome is not controlled by the individual? Unless the data officer decides when the English go to vote. Seems really stupid that someone would accept that bet, in a way they sort of deserve to loose.
The toxic social and media environment would put any honest person getting into politics.
Re alleged knife attack in Phoenix Park today: Bring on judge marty No…, with his special advisor, judge o’donnell from Limk & we’ll have the perpetrators out in no time. Nothing can go wrong.
Tories won’t be winning that’s for certain.
Any significant amount of money placed on ridiculous bets such as that for big returns which would be correct would immediately get flagged for investigation before paying out. Who bets to win big on rubbish like that?
@Dan The Man: Gamblers.
Whilst betting on the election date is unethical, inappropriate and unseemly, it is hardly a hanging offence!
Is the rise of the “believe anything” brigade linked to the development of social media? Seems like we’re all being manipulated to think lies are the truth….
I reckon it was just a lucky guess!
have your say