Team for Best Practices is presented by PhD Olga A. Kotowska-Wójcik, from Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Poland This is the team for women scientists, who are before achieving their academic career progression and furthermore are mothers, usually of young children.
Main objectives for us are as follows:
- Strengthening the role of women in science and especially in the higher education is one of our activity priorities. In our Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, we have three Deans and one of them is woman.
- Promoting gender equality in research by pursuing three objectives in parallel: improving gender balance in decision-making, involving more women as scientists at all levels and integrating the gender dimension in research content;
- What we are aiming for is a change of culture and a modernization of universities and research institutions when it comes to Human Resources management, funding and decision-making;
- By helping women reach their full potential in science, technology and innovation, we include them and their ideas in enhancing growth, and creating more jobs and a better society; - We would like to reinforce links between science education and science careers;
- Through the reform and modernization of universities, the role of women in building a strong knowledge-based society will be strengthened. In this process, their models of governance and decision-making, human resources management, accountability to society, social role and community engagement should be reviewed considering improving gender equality.
- We work on breaking down stereotypical representations of the research profession; to fostering equal access of both sexes to all fields of science education and to accommodating both men and women in the profession so that both sexes can develop a scientific career without being hindered by ‘glass ceilings’, ‘sticky floors’, or ‘glass walls’…
- Creating a career path that’s family friendly - Childcare is one of the most important major factors that blocks the career of many women.
- The reconciliation of private and professional life must be accommodated for both sexes. Gender de-stereotyping of educational fields and equal access to education in all fields for boys and girls are prerequisites.
We have already published:
K. Lendzion, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) Waleczny duch kobiety. Społeczno-ekonomiczne aspekty ról kobiecych, Warszawa 2015
M. Luty-Michalak, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) Społeczna odpowiedzialność jako podstawa osiągania zrównoważonego rozwoju, Warszawa 2016
O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik, M. Luty-Michalak (red. nauk.) Kobieta w przestrzeni publicznej. Dialog – praktyka – nauka, Warszawa 2017
M. Luty-Michalak, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) Czas kobiet, perspektywa socjologiczna, Warszawa 2018
M. Luty-Michalak, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) Women- between the public and private spheres of life, Warszawa 2018
K. Uklańska, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) Kobiece i męskie konteksty życia, Poznań 2020
M.Kawińska, O.A. Kotowska-Wójcik (red.) (Nie)równość płci w sferze publicznej/ Gender (in)equality in the public sphere, Warszawa 2021
The main goal is the cooperation and being supportive for each other. The basis is voluntary work and a will for cooperation. Of course, for the administrative reasons we have chosen our coordinator (I am privileged to do it), my Deputy is PhD Marta Luty-Michalak, we have also chosen the coordinator on international cooperation (PhD Martyna Kawińska).
We have organised a cycle of conferences concering WOMEN IN SCIENCE (six, each one has been international one)- unfortunatelly the pandemic stopped us for a while.
By participation in the ACT project and especially in the GE inCEE CoP I have faced much more possibilities to link our actions to other participant, have a suportive group in explaining why gender equality is important and in what ways it does not conflict the University mission - and even could be supportive. The organised trainings, conferences and exchanging the news helps spreading the knowledge and finding solutions to faced problems.
Being a part of Teams is supportive and empowers future actions - even the small steps could be profitable and from failing you can learn how to do it better and be more conscious and precise in future - THANK YOU for creating such an atmosphere!
