Equal rights and gender equality at Örebro University
Equal rights are, in short, about ensuring fair treatment for everyone. Equality can be, but is not always, about treating everyone the same. It is about treating people in such a way that the outcome for each person can be the same. Gender equality concerns equal rights between men and women.
According to Swedish law, all Swedish Higher Education Institutions should create an environment that provides equal opportunities for all people, regardless of sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation, or age. Örebro University actively works with these questions to be an attractive and fair employer.
The Discrimination Act protects your rights
The purpose of the Discrimination Act is to combat discrimination and, in other ways, promote equal rights and opportunities regardless of sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation, or age. These are the seven grounds of discrimination. Along with all our staff and students, you are protected by the Discrimination Act.
Gender mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming, an internationally embraced strategy that aims toward realizing gender equality, is used in Sweden and at Örebro University. It involves the integration of a gender perspective into all areas and activities carried out at the university.
What do we do?
The administration at Örebro University is engaged in several national and international networks on equal rights and gender equality. The focus is on actively promoting equal rights and gender equality through policy, research and educational collaboration, surveys and staff and student involvement. In addition, there is strong attention to providing equal career opportunities. Örebro University’s equal rights and equality advisor is responsible for the university’s efforts in gender mainstreaming in all its activities.
Örebro University also has an educational developer who works with gender mainstreaming and sustainable development and provides support with pedagogical competence in educational content and implementation.
Örebro University has researchers working in gender studies and related fields, carrying out important research on questions relating to gender. In addition, staff at Örebro University successfully contribute to research on men’s violence against women.
The university’s research assessment in 2020 on the contribution of gender studies states several proofs of the credibility of the quality of research in gender studies. It concerns publications in recognized peer-reviewed journals, academic journals in social sciences, and books by high-quality international publishers. Noticeable is also the high number of visiting international scholars from 20 countries. In summary, research in gender studies has excellent credibility and is very productive in terms of collaboration.