PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN RESEARCH Legal framework The Higher Education and Scientific Research Act was published in 1992 and contains several references to discrimination. Article 1.3.5 states that “higher education institutions [HEIs] shall also pay attention to the personal development of their students and the promotion of their sense of social responsibility. The promotion of social responsibility shall include, at a minimum, that institutions, including those who formally or informally represent them, refrain from discriminatory conduct and statements.” Articles 9.32 and 10.19, on the general duties and tasks of the council and council members of universities and universities of applied sciences, state that “the council shall also guard against discrimination on any grounds whatsoever in the university in general and in particular shall promote the equal treatment of men and women as well as the inclusion of persons with disabilities or chronic illnesses and people with a minority ethnic background.” Policy framework In 2020, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) formulated a “National Action Plan for Greater Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education and Research”.
Quality healthcare requires integrating a sex and gender dimension in all aspects of health research and clinical practice. ZonMw and the Erasmus Summer Programme (ESP) offered a joint programme to further knowledge and skills in gender, health and research, through “Gender in Research” workshops and a “Gender and Health” course.The ZonMw “Gender and Health Knowledge Programme” provided up to 20 Gender in Research Fellowships each year for (inter)national PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.
In 2016, Leiden University took the initiative for a National Dialogue Network of Diversity Officers. The main goal is to create a platform of knowledge and experience related to the development and implementation of policies on diversity. In addition, the network can serve in an advising, agenda-setting and strategic function in the development of policies at national level. Almost all Dutch universities are represented.
Quality healthcare requires integrating a sex and gender dimension in all aspects of health research and clinical practice. ZonMw and the Erasmus Summer Programme (ESP) offered a joint programme to further knowledge and skills in gender, health and research, through “Gender in Research” workshops and a “Gender and Health” course. The ZonMw “Gender and Health Knowledge Programme” provided up to 20 Gender in Research Fellowships each year for (inter)national PhD students and post-doctoral researchers.
In the summer of 2019, the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) began its Irène Curie Fellowship (ICF) Programme. The Programme opened up academic jobs exclusively to women applicants for six months in a bid to achieve a greater balance between women and men in academic positions. Although widely supported, the measure also met with some criticism. In May 2020, it was halted following a ruling by the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights (Het College voor de Rechten van de Mens, CRM), which stated that TU/e’s approach of opening up jobs exclusively to women was disproportionate.
Data collection systems vary widely across EU Member States, as they draw on various sources. To improve the collection of administrative data on femicide, EIGE has been working to establish indicators that can harmonise data collection processes across Member States’ jurisdictions. EIGE has collected information from a wide variety of stakeholders through a questionnaire sent to official data providers and an online survey filled in by national experts.
Parental leave is granted to parents, usually after maternity and paternity leave, allowing mothers and fathers to take care of their young children without losing their jobs. Such a policy exists in all EU Member States and in the Netherlands it is called Ouderschapsverlof. The policy design and eligibility rules vary across the EU and not all women and men in the EU are eligible for parental leave.
With 74.1 out of 100 points, the Netherlands ranks 5th in the EU on the Gender Equality Index. The Netherlands’ score is 6.2 points above the EU’s score. Since 2010, its score has increased by only 0.1 points. There has been a bigger increase since 2017, with an extra 2.0 points gained. The Netherlands’ ranking has dropped by two places since 2010.
With 72.1 out of 100 points, the Netherlands ranks sixth in the EU on the Gender Equality Index. Its score is 4.7 points higher than the EU’s score. Between 2005 and 2017, the Netherlands’ score increased by 4.3 points (- 0.8 points since 2015). The Netherlands is progressing towards gender equality at a slower pace than other EU Member States.
The recommendations were developed after an in-depth analysis of data collection from the police and justice sectors. They aim to improve administrative data collection on intimate partner violence to better inform policies and to help the Member States meet the monitoring requirements outlined in both Directive 2012/29/EU (the Victims’ Rights Directive) and the Istanbul Convention. Read more Data collection on intimate partner violence by the police and justice sectors - all EU countries Indicators on intimate partner violence and rape for the police and justice sectors EIGE's work on data collection on violence against women
The Gender Equality Index 2017 examines the progress and challenges in achieving gender equality across the European Union from 2005 to 2015. Using a scale from 1 (full inequality) to 100 (full equality), it measures the differences between women and men in key domains of the EU policy framework (work, money, knowledge, time, power and health). The Index also measures violence against women and intersecting inequalities.
Many women victims of intimate partner violence in the EU Member States remain unprotected. Perpetrators often go unpunished due to inadequate law enforcement approaches, which do not align with international human rights treaties. A gender-neutral approach to the law, coupled with the unavailability of data and existing stereotypes result in the denial of violence against women and its tolerance or normalisation.
