The University of Tromsø was awarded Norway’s Gender Equality Prize for 2011, which includes a check for two million Norwegian crowns.
“Gender equality work at the University of Tromsø is clearly a prestige project for the university leadership, which sees gender balance as a prerequisite for success. This is how things should be at every university and college,” said Minister for Research and Higher Education Tora Aasland as she awarded the prize.
This is the fifth time The Ministry of Education and Research has awarded its Gender Equality Prize. The prize is intended to strengthen and motivate universities, colleges and research institutes in their work for gender equality.
The accomplishments of candidate institutions have been evaluated and ranked by the organization Gender Balance in Research - Norway.
“To change the culture of higher education and research requires long term and focused work. Women have entered higher education and research and they compete on equal terms with men. We have shown that we are capable. Yet there is still a significant imbalance in favor of men among the ranks of professors. This is also true among associate professors. This will change over time, but I am impatient. I expect to see increased efforts on the part of institutions in this sector, such that positive developments happen more rapidly,” said Minister Tora Aasland.
[This is my translation of the press release from the Ministry of Education and Research.]
Regarding the Minister’s impatience, see also A slow thaw for women.
Photo courtesy of Gilderic.
About Curt Rice
[...] In Norway, to take one example, an accountability carrot has been introduced in the form of a prize for the institution of higher education showing the greatest progress in the past year. Your organization can propose a coalition for mutual reporting and a system of accountability that will motivate gender balance work. If the steps above have been taken, a competitive institutional leadership may even be eager to create contexts for accountability. (UPDATE: Norway’s gender equality prize goes to the University of Tromsø!) [...]