Dear Ladies, may the successes and joys in your daily work and study will outweigh all the difficulties and problems. This is a time when we would like to highlight your role in academic and social life. Your efforts and commitment contribute to shaping our university as a place that is open to diversity and supports the development of each individual. Let this day be an opportunity to reflect on achievements, but also to draw attention to the challenges you face. While we are aware that the road to full equality in the workplace and learning is still a long way off, at the same time, efforts to create a fairer and more welcoming environment for all are being made together, from the bottom up, as we write below. We would like to thank you for your work and wish you strength and perseverance in pursuing your goals.
First, let us remind you about the text on the occasion of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which was published on 11 February. In the text four female researchers from the University of Lodz shared their thoughts on the realities of working in a scientific environment from a female perspective. In the text, you will find many relevant and important reflections on the challenges of everyday life of women involved in the advancement of knowledge and science. Below, however, we cite a number of examples of how the University of Lodz is attempting to respond to the challenges of today in terms of the pursuit of gender equality and the difficulties of combining professional and private life.
The most significant activity currently underway at the University of Lodz in terms of equal opportunities is the implementation of the RESET project coordinated by Dr Aleksandra Różalska.
Thanks to the international nature of the RESET project, we have the opportunity to compare our experiences and exchange observations with people representing various European universities. This diverse perspective allows for a fuller understanding of the nature of equal treatment in research, teaching and administrative processes, creating opportunities for better planning and monitoring of these processes
– says Dr Aleksandra Różalska, coordinator of the RESET project at the University of Lodz and Head of the Women’s Studies Centre (Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz).
She also adds:
Representatives of various stakeholder groups are invited to implement individual activities because we want the creation of a culture of equality to take place with the active participation of the entire university community.
Projekt RESET
RESET project: Redesigning Equality and Scientific Excellence Together has been implemented since 2021. RESET focuses on actions that enable real equalisation of opportunities for women and men in research institutions. The aim of the project is to create space within which researchers will be able to fully realise their scientific and organisational potential RESET uses an intersectional approach to the concept of gender (in)equality and is to develop Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) which will be introduced by the project's partner institutions, based on an analysis of each institution's needs and experiences.
At the University of Lodz, as part of the RESET project, among other things, the following actions have been taken:
- Gender Equality Board has been established to promote and monitor equality in the academic environment.
- A Gender Equality Plan for the University of Lodz has been developed to promote, monitor and evaluate equality and diversity within the academic community as well as to include these issues in the basic principles of operation of the University of Lodz.
- A Faces of Campus campaign was carried out to highlight the role of those who support the academic excellence of universities, who are very often less visible in research processes.
- A series of training courses have been introduced: On the road to excellence and sustainability. From the challenges of discrimination and prejudice to inclusion and diversity.
Below we describe various elements of the project in more detail.
Gender Equality Board
Its important task is to consult documents related to the subject of equal treatment between women and men and to recommend the most appropriate measures in this field. The Gender Equality Board has consulted, among other things, on the provisions of the anti-discrimination procedure, which was introduced at the University of Lodz in March 2023. The Gender Equality Board has also developed a Position Paper on transgender people (in Polish) in response to requests from those studying at the University of Lodz. The Board’s term of office expires with the completion of the RESET project in December 2024.
The project is not just about gender discrimination, we want to talk about the issue of exclusion, for example of people with disabilities or people from abroad. Especially, taking into account that our university is international
– comments Dr Aleksandra Różalska.
The Board is made up of equality experts and representatives of important units at the university. It performs a consultative function and also carries out research on the situation of minority groups at the university.
The development of a Gender Equality Plan was another activity completed as part of the RESET project.
Gender Equality Plan
On 28 June 2022, the University of Lodz adopted its first Gender Equality Plan. The task of the GEP 2022-2024 is to promote, monitor and evaluate equality and diversity within the academic community and to include these issues into the University of Lodz's core operating principles. The GEP has been prepared by three researchers (Dorota Golańska, Aleksandra Różalska, Agata Rudnicka-Reichel) based on the results of an analysis of secondary data collected by the University of Lodz, group interviews and a survey of people employed at the university.
GEP Implementation Team has been operating at the University of Lodz since January 2024. The team is responsible for implementing the Plan and supporting the RESET project team in preparing the next GEP for 2025-2027.
It should be noted that in January 2024, all employees of the University of Lodz were able to express their views via a survey on the university's gender equality and diversity measures. The study will assist in the preparation of the Equal Opportunities Plan 2025-2027 which was mentioned above.
The team has also created a system of pro-equality and anti-discrimination training at the university, which has been available to the entire University of Lodz community since January 2024.
Training courses: On the road to excellence and sustainability. From the challenges of discrimination and prejudice to inclusion and diversity.
The themes of ongoing and planned educational activities have been developed based on an analysis of the needs and expectations articulated by members of the academic community from all partner countries involved in the RESET project. The training courses are based on a holistic approach to education in such important areas for the development of the university as diversity management, work-life balance and gender equality in research and education.
The proposed training topics cover various aspects of examining workplace relations, address issues related to difficult situations such as discrimination, bullying or other inappropriate behaviour and introduce ways of dealing with challenges in this area, as well as teach about opportunities for organisational change and organisational culture.
The training courses will run until the end of 2024. Each month, the topics of the next meetings are published on a dedicated page. Sign up and take the opportunity!
The response to the problems of combining professional and private roles is another outcome of activities carried out as part of the RESET project.
Team for combining professional and family roles at the university
The Team for Combining Professional and Family Roles was established at our university on the initiative of Dr Aleksandra Różalska in spring 2023. It deals with parenting issues and related challenges in academic work, work-life balance (WLB) and the issue of combining work with other caregiving roles. The team's activities are in line with the University of Lodz's Strategy 2021-2030, whose objectives include systemic support for parents at the university, as well as the creation of an academic community-friendly working environment at the University of Lodz.
The Team's objectives include promoting policies that support parents in academic work, developing practical solutions to facilitate the work environment and raising awareness of work-life balance through information and education activities.
In May 2023 the team organised a panel "Łączenie ról zawodowych i rodzinnych – perspektywy, wyzwania i dobre praktyki" [Combining professional and family roles – perspectives, challenges and good practices], as part of which recommendations for universities in three areas were developed:
1) returning to work after parental leave;
2) organisation of working time and spaces favourable to parents and guardians as well as people with disabilities;
3) not noticing or insufficiently perceiving the problem of combining work and family and care responsibilities in employee evaluation.
Importantly, the Team, which was initially set up as an initiative of female researchers and began to develop solutions to balance the professional work of female researchers with their private lives, is now opening up to all staff at the University of Lodz. Every person working at our university is welcome to join the team and the perspective of non-academic staff will be valuable and taken into account by it. We encourage everyone regardless of gender to join the Team for Combining Professional and Family Roles at the University – says Dr Marta Kucharska-Hauk, a member of the Team
– says Dr Marta Kucharska-Hauk, member of the Team.
There are also smaller, grassroots initiatives on equality themes at our university. The Equal Language Clinic, run by the Interdisciplinary Gender Seminar, is one of them.
Language of Equality Clinic
The clinic answers questions, advises and also trains on equal, inclusive language, especially regarding feminine grammatical forms, non-binarities and forms relating to LGBT+ people.
To use the service of the clinic, you can write a message to the hosts of the fanpage of the Interdisciplinary Gender Seminar and also contact Dr Iza Desperak by e-mail (izabela.desperak@uni.lodz.pl) or directly. The counselling is free of charge and is not restricted to the University of Lodz community.
The above actions are in line with the University of Lodz's strategic objective of continuous and dynamic development of the University of Lodz community, enabling it to make the best use of its potential, and are an expression of the implementation of operational objectives, such as:
- Active support for the development and working comfort of the entire University of Lodz community,
- Integration of the University of Lodz community,
- Building a culture of working and learning based on mutual respect.
We want the University of Lodz to be a place of work and study that not only does not divide, but also understands and integrates everyone, creating a welcoming environment for all its members
– say the people who are developing equality measures at the University of Lodz.
Source: Dr Aleksandra Różalska (Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz), Dr Agata Rudnicka-Reichel (Faculty of Management, University of Lodz)
Edit: Michał Gruda and Honorata Pytloch-Ogieniewska (Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz)
The mission of the University of Lodz is to conduct reliable research and actively disseminate facts and research results so as to wisely educate future generations, be useful to society and courageously respond to the challenges of the modern world. Scientific excellence is always our best compass. Our values include: courage, curiosity, commitment, cooperation and respect.