The second national study on gender equality in Irish higher education institutions has been released by Ireland’s Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris, and it contains a number of recommendations for how to proceed.
The Higher Education Authority’s Second National Review of Gender Equality, which was finished on March 12 this year by a team of six experts, was completed, according to a press release from the Department of Education. It highlights the need for an action plan on gender equality that is posted on each institution’s website, among other things.
The statement also states that the evaluation calls for the creation of a plan to combat employment precarity using funding from “Funding the Future.”
Harris expressed his gratitude to the review’s expert panel and the HEA, noting that the recommendations contained in the report provide a more nuanced understanding of gender equality in Irish higher education institutions.
He continued by saying that the review is yet another crucial step in the process of developing a fair higher education system that can have a long-lasting effect on society.
Niamh O’Donoghue, the chair of the expert group, referred to the HEA’s study from 2016 and noted that gender equality in Irish higher education has advanced significantly since then on a number of fronts. She claimed that this development was made possible by the involvement of several parties, the government’s investment, as well as the efforts of numerous organizations and people.
According to the Department of Education, since the release of the first national review on gender equality, two significant issues have come to light, including the necessity of using an intersectional perspective when addressing gender equality as well as the effect that unstable employment has on career development.
In order to include state funding in the construction of student housing for public Irish higher education institutions, Minister Harris earlier delivered a report to the cabinet. The government most recently gave the project its blessing.