About NORDICORE
NORDICORE (2017-2023) was a Nordic Center of Excellence, a part of the CORE – Center for Gender Equality Research at the Institute for Social Research, led by Mari Teigen.
NORDICORE had as its main aim to study key issues that can help us understand and explain what promotes and inhibits gender balance and gender equality within academia and research.
Despite the fact that the Nordic countries score high on gender equality, there are major challenges related to gender balance and gender equality in academia, research and innovation.
The center consisted of five empirical work packages covering different aspects of gender equality in academia.
Crosscutting the five work packages, NORDICORE aimed to compare research organizations and other sectors of the labour market, and to make comparisons across the Nordic countries.
Academia as part of the Nordic labor markets
Studies of gender gaps within research have tended to place particular emphasis on the distinctive nature of academia. A major aim of NORDICORE was to ground our analyses in the existing knowledge about the mechanisms producing, maintaining and changing gender segregation in different parts of the Nordic labour markets.
Nordic variation
Through the Nordic collaboration facilitated by NORDICORE we mapped how equality policy and research policy are differently institutionalized in the Nordic countries and how this contributes to explaining Nordic variation in the progress towards gender equality in research.
Key findings
Over the years, Nordic academic institutions have witnessed a sharp rise in the proportion of women and ethnic minorities among students, but a much slower influx of these groups in academic top positions. Gender disparities persist, especially in STEM disciplines, where women remain underrepresented at all levels. The following summarizes some of the key findings from NORDICORE on factors influencing gender equality and diversity in Nordic academia.
Equality policies work
A survey covering Nordic universities assessed institutional policies implemented between 1995 and 2018, with linked register data on academic staff. Measures categorized as preferential treatment and organizational responsibility were associated with increased female representation. Institutions with equality officers, coordination of equality policies, and institutions offering hiring support, such as earmarked funds and faculty lines for female candidates, witnessed substantial rises in women professors.
Work-family balance
Family-related concerns impact both men and women in their academic careers. Qualitative studies revealed that considerations such as job insecurity and caregiving responsibilities contribute to academics leaving the field. We found that female academics employ various strategies to balance family and career, while some PhD holders, both men and women, opt for career adjustments, slowing progression or seeking positions outside academia for improved work-life balance.
Narrow criteria for evaluating quality in hiring processes
Analysis of recruitment processes reveal challenges in promoting diversity. Despite being present as initial considerations, evaluations tend to favour candidates based on narrow criteria like prestigious journal publications, unintentionally side-lining factors such as cognitive diversity, academic housework, childbirth, and parental leave. The study emphasizes the need for institutional procedures that recognize these significant factors during recruitment.
No bias against women in academic CV evaluations
A study found no bias against women in academic CV evaluations for Associate Professor positions. Female candidates even received higher ratings for competence and hireability. The study calls attention to other avenues to understand and explain the persistent gender gap, which may stem from gendered career paths and production, leading to unequal CVs in practice.
Recommendations for more inclusive research careers
To address challenges and promote gender equality and diversity, four recommendations are proposed based on the results from the project:
– Equality Officers: Establish institutional equality officers or offices responsible for continuous monitoring, involvement, and organizational development to improve equality and diversity.
– Making Gender Mainstreaming Work: Integrate gender mainstreaming into the daily work of top management, ensuring fair and inclusive career paths, gender-balanced decision-making bodies, and cross-cutting integration.
– Gender and Diversity in Research Content: Integrate gender and diversity perspectives into research content to foster diversity in perspectives, methods, and insights.
– Policy Coordinating Mechanism: Establish a policy coordinating mechanism at the national level, with Nordic cooperation linked to a dedicated EU network or institution, to support institutions' equality work and address institutional structures and research content aspects.
In conclusion, these recommendations aim to create a more inclusive environment in Nordic academic institutions, fostering gender equality and diversity at all levels and in various dimensions of academic life.
Closing Conference
Institutt for samfunnsforskning. (2023, 22. mars). NORDICORE Closing Conference. Part 1: Work-family balance in academia and beyond [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inftVHJwwTA
Institutt for samfunnsforskning. (2023, 22. mars). NORDICORE Closing Conference. Part 2: Academic hiring and promotion [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGgeWm6vQIA
Institutt for samfunnsforskning. (2023, 22. mars). NORDICORE Closing Conference. Part 3: Equality policies in practice – what works? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=638p4G1XJc8
CORE på sosiale medier
NORDICORE was a five-year Nordic Center of Excellence, funded by NordForsk
