The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has hit out at the lack of student representation on the government’s taskforce for accelerating gender equality in Irish colleges.
In a press statement, USI President Síona Cahill also said she was awaiting “further breakdown and clarity regarding the Minister’s proposals – including what additional positions will be coming on stream, and at what level those positions will be at”.
After the launch of a two-year action plan aimed at accelerating the improvement of representation of women in senior positions across Irish colleges earlier today, USI welcomed the “positive measures” being taken by the government “in a system quite frankly suffocating from inertia when it comes to progression for female academics”.
However, Cahill – who last year presented to a taskforce set up by the government to to identify factors that would help women achieve gender equality in higher education institutions – said that “radical actions are now needed” in order to “progress careers of women who have exceptional academic standing”.
The action plan was launched this morning in the National Gallery by Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
In a press statement, Varadkar said: “Female role models in positions of authority will encourage and inspire female students to aspire to holding the top jobs in their future workplace.”
Mitchell O’Connor said: “This Government and I are committed to eradicating gender inequality in our HEI’s. I want 40% of professors within our institutions to be female by 2024.”
The government’s taskforce on gender equality was first established in 2016 following recommendations made by the Higher Education Authority (HEA).
The taskforce warned that if institutions do not change their current practices, it may take 20 years before 40 per cent of university positions are held by women.
During her presentation to the taskforce last year, Cahill highlighted the issues facing pregnant postgraduates and PhD students, where female academics regularly are moved towards increased teaching hours over research after returning to work, and stressed the need for an improvement in the inclusivity of language and approach in Irish third-level institutions.
