Today is March 8th and the annual International Women’s Day.

Gender equality and equal opportunities (sv: jämställdhet och lika villkor) is an always current topic, especially at the Faculty of Science. Not only because we happen to be one of the singlegendered* (sv: enkönade) faculties at the university but also because gender issues in science is a fascinating and complex subject.

The student union is working at both towards the faculty and university, and within the union, bringing forth student opinions in the matter. Gender and equality matters are handled mainly by the Gender & Equality Committee which organises student representation, arranges relevant events, and is open for taking on student issues that may arise. The committee is currently arranging so-called ‘JoL-afton’ evenings and have started a process for a major event in 2018.

“1.4 The regulations of the Discrimination Act on combating discrimination on the grounds of sex, ethnicity, religion or other belief, or sexual orientation apply at Lund University, as well as for discrimination on the grounds of age or transgender identity.”

~ List of Rights, p. 4; 1 Study environment

The university is definitely working in the right direction. The Faculty of Science is currently working on projects fighting subconscious biases in recruitment and investigating the causes behind the unequal gender distribution in the field of natural sciences.

On June 1st the faculty will arrange a panel discussion on gender and equality with the newly elected honorary doctor Londa Schiebinger, the deannof the faculty, JoL-representatives, and a student from LUNA.

So look positively on the future and be a part of changing the university world towards the better.

*80-100 % of professors of one gender, for N-fac. see p. 8 in the annual report

Text by Einar Elén, spokesperson of the Gender and Equality Committee and Ida Lunga, president of LUNA 2016/17.