EQUALITY GUIdE - KU Leuven

104 Equality Guide
3.5. Conclusions and recommendations
3.5.1. General conclusions
On the whole, the vacancies are drawn up in a gender-neutral way, both with regard to
the job titles and the vacancy texts. Nevertheless, the inconsistent use of job titles may
result in a feeling of gender inequality. For example, the position of academic assistant
is used in the following ways: wetenschappelijk medewerker, wetenschappelijk
medewerker (m/v), wetenschappelijk mederwerk(st)er and the English term. Because of
gender-specific additions to an originally gender-neutral term, female applicants may
give this term a male connotation when used normally, thus unwillingly creating a
gender bias in the recruitment system. Within the scope of this research, a checklist was
developed that may serve as a guideline for the authors of vacancies (see Tool Annex).
Moreover, the use of an unequivocal recruitment policy should be encouraged by reducing
the inconsistent use of style, lay-out, phrasing and structure. When gender discrimination
occurs, it is often done unconsciously. Therefore, general guidelines and
training are of paramount importance for the authors of the vacancies. Since these
corrective measures are time-consuming, the vacancies should at the very least be
monitored by people with an eye for implicit and explicit gender inequalities.
3.5.2. Prospects for further research
The decision whether or not to use neutralization or differentiation in the vacancy policy
of a university has to be made in collaboration with the personnel administration
and in close connection with an extensive screening of the selection and recruitment
policy. Therefore, the checklist must be seen temporarily as a permissive measure.
Besides examining the global selection procedure, research has to be done into the
establishment of an image of male and female staff at universities. Currently, the website
with vacancies contains only one picture of a man in a pharmaceutical lab (white
coat, glasses, tie, holding a test tube). Apart from the low level of relevancy for the
content of the academic profession in general, this picture hardly breaks any social
conventions. However, the GECO-project has proven that the correct use of visual
material can nuance an otherwise stereotypical text. By presenting men as well as
women in various professions, all applicants are addressed directly. The manner in
which men and women are presented in the publications and on the website of a university
may be important for the global interpretation of a gender-neutral personnel
and student policy.
Consequently, this module should be seen as the first impetus to further qualitative and
quantitative research. Potential fields of study concerning the selection and recruitment
of staff are:
! Preparation: through which channels are the vacancies distributed, are potential
applicants informed about vacant positions?