Gender equity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
Equivalent opportunities and rights for women, men and gender diverse people are essential to achieve social justice and advance society. They are also crucial for organizations to benefit from the different knowledge, perspectives, experiences, and insights people bring with them.
Through the implementation of the ESMT Gender Equality Plan, we are committing to promote gender equality and equity, remove structural and cultural barriers to education and leadership, and support academic staff, non-academic staff, and students to reach their full potential. The GEP has been aligned with the goals and principles of ESMT’s strategic development framework and ASPIRE strategy.
On this page, you will find information about the context in which the ESMT Gender Equality Plan was developed, the specificities of our plan, the initiatives that are currently taking place, how to get involved, and some interesting resources on gender equality that are available in our Information Center and the internet.
Current indicators of gender equality at ESMT
GEP origins
The ESMT Gender Equality Plan (GEP) was developed in the context of the EQUAL4EUROPE project. This project seeks to increase gender equality in six European research institutions from France, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and The Netherlands. All institutions have a clear focus on arts, humanities, social sciences, business and management, and law (AHMSSBL).
The main objectives of the EQUAL4EUROPE project are to:
- Remove barriers to the recruitment, retention, and career progression of women researchers;
- Address gender imbalances in decision-making processes; and,
- Integrate the gender dimension in research and innovation content.
The project started in January 2020 with a baseline assessment of gender equality issues in each organization. In 2021, organizations developed tailored GEPs. From 2022 until 2024, the focus is on the implementation of these GEPs.
If you want to know more about EQUAL4EUROPE, please click here.
The EQUAL4EUROPE project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement 872499.
ESMT Gender Equality Plan (GEP)
“Using this plan as a guide, we strive to tap even more deeply into the full potential, qualities, and talents present within the ESMT community.” Prof. Jörg Rocholl, President of ESMT Berlin.
The ESMT Gender Equality Plan (GEP) envisions a working and learning environment where women, men, and gender-diverse people can equally thrive, be recognized, and feel that they belong.
The main goals of the GEP are:
- To ingrain gender equality in the organizational strategy and culture,
- To improve gender parity among faculty and students and in decision-making and advisory bodies, and
- To integrate gender equality in the transfer and production of knowledge.
The GEP contains many different strategies and concrete actions centered around six SMART objectives in the following priority areas: organizational strategy and policies; recruitment of female academics; enrollment of female students to programs; decision-making and advisory bodies; integration of the gender dimension in teaching and research; and sexual harassment and other forms of gender-based violence.
The Equality Committee, a gender-balanced group of six staff members from different departments across ESMT, monitors the implementation of the GEP.
Initiatives
The ESMT Gender Equality Plan (GEP) was launched in April 2022.
The following initiatives have recently begun. Since May we have provided free period products to all students of ESMT, worked with various departments to address gendered language and access in policy and internal documentation, and installed physical suggestion boxes as well as created a virtual suggestion box. Click on the + below to find out more about each initiative.
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Providing free period products in the school
Boxes have been placed in every women's and gender neutral toilet at ESMT with the purpose of making the school a more inclusive and accessible work and study environment.
Providing free period products means that no one needs to leave work or school early due to an unexpected period. Removing the cost from the products makes them accessible to all, regardless of finances. This initiative addresses the Sustainable Development Goals of empowering women, reducing inequalities and building inclusive institutions.
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Gender mainstreaming
Policies can impact women, men, and diverse gender people differently. This initiative will seek to better understand the needs, experiences, and interests of all people in the ESMT community and examine the effects that specific policies have on them.
As a gender equity team, we have examined four work-life balance policies so far: sick leave, maternity/parental leave, domiciliary leave, and sick child leave, and their use by different groups.
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Installation of three suggestion boxes
Three suggestion boxes have been installed throughout ESMT with the purpose of requesting input from students, staff and faculty about the initiatives of the Gender Equality Plan. Every six weeks, a new question will be placed next to the suggestion box, which will prompt ESMT members to respond to topics of gender equality and equity, diversity and inclusion at the school.
The boxes have been placed in front of the Library and Information Centre, in the Student Kitchen on the ground floor in the Learning Centre, and in the Yellow Lounge on the first floor of the administrative building.
The current question is: What diversity, equity, and inclusion events would you like to see at ESMT?
The Gender Equality Officer will check the suggestion boxes regularly and share the input with the Inclusive Leadership Round Table, who will make decisions based on the suggestions.
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Update documentation to use gender-sensitive language
ESMT's compliance officer, Antje Niebuhr, has been working on rewording important internal and external documentation to include gender-sensitive language. Some examples include:
- The Compliance Guideline
- The General Terms and Conditions for Open Programs
- The template for Corporate Program contracts
- The Data Protection Manual
- The Examination Rules
The more people pay attention to gender equality in their language, the more likely the asterisk used in German gender-inclusive writing will be perceived as "normal" and understood for what it is: an expression of our society's progress towards a world in which equality and diversity are respected as integral.
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Gender in Business case study competition
The Gender in Business ESMT case study competition seeks to encourage the development of teaching case materials that include the gender dimension in the areas of organizational behavior, strategy, economics, finance, management science, or related domains.
The integration of the gender dimension in a case study requires:
- A female protagonist in a leadership position, in a real company, and
- The inclusion of topics that can increase students’ understanding of gender issues in business and organizations.Participants compete to win €2,000 to cover any costs associated with the development or publishing of the case study.
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Social Impact and Gender competition
In line with the general aim of increasing our understanding of the role of gender in business and management, the ESMT Gender Equality Plan has allocated some funds to engage students in producing knowledge about gender during their Social Impact Projects. The Social Impact Project is a five-week project in the second year of the Masters in Management (MIM) program, in which students serve as economic or management consultants for an organization with specific social impact objectives.
Through the Social Impact and Gender competition, we encourage MIM students to integrate the gender dimension in their project, by:
- Working with a non-profit organization that focuses on issues that affect many women or gender-diverse people, e.g., access to education; access to health; access to justice; gender-based violence. Or,
- Comparing processes and procedures by gender in an organization, e.g., leadership styles; negotiation; occupations. Or,
- Assessing programs or initiatives directed at improving gender diversity within an NGO, e.g., measures for attracting or retaining talent; use of a specific policy. Or,
- Analyzing the impact of a strategy by gender, e.g., marketing campaign.
Students/groups compete to win €1,000.
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Training staff on Inclusive Practices
A series of three workshops have been developed to increase awareness around inclusive practices such as implicit bias. The first of these workshops was delivered on November 7th.
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Gender-inclusive bathrooms
Gender-inclusive bathrooms provide a safe and comfortable place for gender-diverse people to use the toilet, as well as fostering an inclusive environment at ESMT. With the support of Facility Management, six gender-inclusive bathrooms were created at ESMT in August 2022.
Resources
The European Commission is constantly reflecting on the trends of gender equality in Europe and the measures that could help achieve equality. To understand the European Commission’s current framework towards gender equality, its strategic engagement towards equality, and the 2022 report on gender issues in the EU, visit https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gende….
The European Institute of Gender Equality has produced a comprehensive set of materials on gender equality, that include country specific information, tools, and methods to assess gender issues, and best practices from projects. To know more, visit https://eige.europa.eu.
The EQUAL4EUROPE project has also produced materials to support the development of gender equality plans and toolkits to integrate the gender dimension in research institutions, such as the “Gender inclusive recruitment and selection toolkit for HR professionals”. To check all public deliverables, visit https://equal4europe.eu/research/.
If you are a member of the ESMT community, you can also read the Gender Issues Report 2021 here.
Get involved!
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