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NUI GALWAY IS to introduce training to address “unconscious gender bias” among staff members, its governing authority has confirmed.
The training will be mandatory for all senior management staff, including heads of schools, committee chairs and heads of interview boards.
Participants in the training will learn to “recognise their own biases [to help them] make better and more rational decisions”, a report endorsed by the university’s board said.
The measure was one of several recommendations presented to the board by a gender equality taskforce established after Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington brought a successful discrimination case against the university.
The Equality Tribunal found that the now retired academic had been unfairly discriminated against in a senior lecturer promotion round because of her gender.
Four other female lecturers who were passed over for promotion are currently taking legal actions against the university.
Addressing concerns
At a meeting today, the NUIG governing authority also committed to:
Professor Jane Grimson, the former vice provost of Trinity College Dublin who chaired the taskforce, said the measures intended to address the “widespread concern” among staff members about the issue of gender equality.
“Having more women in senior positions within an organisation improves the quality of decision making and diversity also enhances creativity and innovation which are at the heart of university business,” she said.
Judge Catherine McGuinness, chair of the NUIG governing authority, welcomed the recommendations, which she said will be fully implemented.
The university is “fully committed to achieving equality for all staff, irrespective of gender,” she said.
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Surely that should be subconscious? Otherwise I’d love to see the strategies for recognising an unconscious sexist.
Freud nabs another one.
How are they going to ensure min 40% men & min 40% women on influntial committees without discriminating against more qualified people, who may be from either sex? This effectively places a cap of 60% for either sex. For example if 70 % of women desirved to be on the committee on merit, only 60% will be possible.
Emotive hysteria 1 – rational thought 0.
The people who come up with these ideas rarely have to implement them or deal with the consequences.
Gender balance is seemingly very important in the work place and now academia but not as important when it comes to parenting apparently.
You’re right, more rights for unmarried fathers
*Very important in some workplaces.
Yeah, but you can’t just go, “Well since everyone’s unequal in some way, everything balances out and everyone’s equal!” Just because unmarried fathers need more rights doesn’t mean women in the workplace don’t. Instead of acting like they cancel each other out, why not just fix both issues?
O’Learys comment was a dig at the SSM referendum, I was making light of his idiocy
Ah right, I misunderstood that one completely. =P
“Establishing the position of a new vice president of equality and diversity, who will initially focus on gender equality” So this means that racial diversity will be next on the agenda, even though Ireland is not a former empire. The message is clear. Being Irish has absolutely no value. In fact, if you are Irish, you will be purposefully dismissed because it is more important to promote diversity. You got to love fascism, I mean equality.
Fascism: extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practices.
Equality: the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, or opportunities.
I see how you confused the two alright
The fascists of the future will be called anti fascists – Huey Long 1935
Good on you, wearing your prejudice proudly for all to see.
The problem with these ‘equality’ groups, if you hold a different view to them, they don’t want to know you. Not very equal is it.
The problem is when you hold bigoted views based on entitlement or status due to someone’s predispositions. There’s a difference between free speech and hate speech
What is bigoted about recognizing obvious truths? Your problem is that you see anything you don’t like as hate speech. A tried and true tactic of modern fascists
Duck have you seen the state of the Paddys day parade in recent years? What’s meant to be a celebration of all things Irish and our heritage and culture has turned into a multiculturalist charade.
What are these obvious truths exactly? That racism, sexism and the likes don’t actively exist? By failing to acknowledge these things we enable them, quite like institutional racism in America “doesn’t exist”. It doesn’t exist if you’re privileged enough to be in the majority. Of course you don’t see it as you don’t experience it, hence blind privilege
Todd sounds like he’s checked his privilege a number of times already. *~*
Playing the equality/racism/sexism card is the quickest way to the top now.
Smoothen my paths – the ‘Equality Train’ is coming through.
Imagine, treating others equally. The thoughts of it all
Oh here comes the privilege card! Absolutely laughable.
Can any of you’s make any valid points as to why we shouldn’t bother with equality in this instance?
Because quotas are not becoming of an equal opportunities system. The problem in the beginning here was that the best candidate didn’t get the job because of her sex. Dishing out jobs based on quotas does nothing to ensure the best candidate will get the job in future. Also I don’t remember hearing that those involved in the initial hiring decision were reprimanded, or barred from future hiring decisions. I would have thought that would be a good place to start.
Because we’re not all created equal, Todd. Some are better suited for particular endeavours and requiring a percentage of under-qualified people based on physical attributes does nothing but dilute potential and promote exclusion based on the same criteria.
This is nothing more than risk mitigation prompted by fear of litigation at the cost of innovation.
But as mentioned above, this was the university that didn’t give the job to the best candidate on the basis that she was a woman. That was why she was overlooked, so it’s obviously an issue. Maybe quotas aren’t the best way of dealing with it but equal opportunities have to be given to people of both sexes
er duck knight do you realise that micheline sheehy Skeffington is Irish. her grandfather was killed by the British in 1916!
I just don’t see how not hiring on merit will fix the problem of not hiring on merit.
That’s a very fair point
Once the system in place hires on merit alone then there isn’t any room for sexism, racism, ageism, blur or oasisism, etc.
Alternatively, once sexism, racism or your beloved oasisism exists within institutions, it won’t be based on merit alone
The Todd
Stop thinking about everything in terms of gender and “equality”. When it comes to work, the best person gets the job. Gender doesn’t enter the equation. This gender issue is big in the U.S. at the he moment. Corporations are scrambling for female directors so they don’t get in trouble. It has been exported here. They use emotional arguments that make no sense so people like you can jump up and claim that we simply MUST have “equality” in the typical “equality” bandwagon way, while the important issues like our country being bankrupt for future generations wouldn’t even enter your mind. I would take that “equality” picture down soon. It’s starting to say fascism to me
Banishing all that stuff is just a pipe dream. The best candidate didn’t get the job, because of sexism. That sounds like two separate but related problems to me. Solving the merit one automatically solves the sexism one. Solving the sexism one with quotas does not solve the merit problem.
The gender issue is big in the U.S. at the moment because women who are in the equivalent roles to men are getting paid less for doing the same job. I think I’m being somewhat misinterpreted here by saying I’m vouching for some sort of “bandwagon” equality. I’m merely making the point that people should have the same opportunities and when you take the case in question here into context, it’s clearly sexism. There’s a case to be made for fair representation. Take the dail for example, if it’s truly a representative democracy, shouldn’t 51% of TDs be women? I know that’s not a reality but there’s no way that 90% of male TDs were the best for the job, look at some of them
I probably did pick you up wrong, but I do think quotas in this case is a lazy exercise in arse covering. There is a good case to be be made for more women in politics, but I don’t buy the representation argument outright. Increasing the female membership of local party groups is where the change should begin. The only people who aren’t represented are those who don’t vote. As a man I don’t feel any better or worse represented based on the gender of my preferred candidate. A good TD should be able to represent a constituent on any topic without having first hand experience of whatever that topic is. Also, the overwhelming majority of issues handled by politicians don’t really have a gender component.
“Participants in the training will learn to “recognise their own biases [to help them] make better and more rational decisions”,
The training will be mandatory”
The modus operandi of cultism.
Even if no inherent unconscious bias actually exists ‘we will find one and root it out’.
Insane.
Feminazi 1 – Democracy 0.
Universities used to be places of learning and politically incorrect discourse.
Now they are places of political correct learning and zero discourse.
That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard
“Having more women in senior positions within an organisation improves the quality of decision making”
Really? And what study are you basing that on? Where had it been shown that women are better decision makers than men or a certain quota of them will enhance the decision making process. You absolute sexist. Do black women have more of an impact than white women?
Why not just get rid of men altogether.
Hopefully this is a temporary measure and once the goals are achieved there isn’t a lumbering burocracy left behind making work for itself.
Can only be a good thing I suppose
@Duck. You do know that you can be Irish and black …
PC world going mad. What ever happened to hiring the right person for the position ?
Ah here we go the militant feminist brigade have finally landed, create a problem to solve before the Soloutions rolled out.
So it’s 40% wemon and 40% men so the other 20% must be trannies and Bi’s oh I love them
Feck, I won’t be getting a job so. If only I was a man, or one of these genderless bi’s or trannies, or even a female lemon. It’s such a pain. *cries*
Yawn… bored now. Next topic….
Let me qualify my boredom comment by saying I’m just getting too old for this sh!t everyday! I’ve worked in a female dominated profession most of my working life. While in the armed forces for some years I worked in the same capacity with both male and female medics. In this male dominated job my female colleagues had the piss taken but got on with their jobs as part of a very close knit unit and no worries. On the civillian side I’ve worked in clinics, hospitals, camps all over the world and had very, very few gender smartass comments made. In my opinion this whole gender equality thing has gone apeshit! Sat with some friends a few months ago, all the same age, male and female, different profession’s and very one of us agreed this whole gender imbalance thing has gone ape$hit!
Alot of these issues seem to have been identified in the Equality tribunal decision. Maybe a task force was not needed. Just correct what the Equality Officer found was wrong. There was no recommendation for quotas in the decision:
http://www.workplacerelations.ie/en/Cases/2014/November/DEC-E2014-078.html
Sorry unless you work in a job where discrimination is ripe then spare us he jokes…..would you make gay jokes about marriage equality….no…..there has been and immense discrimination towards women in all sectors…..young guys have no idea….How many sexist old farts are out there…..
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