'Immediate action is required': Kristel Baele on achieving equality of men and women

Dear students, colleagues and friends of the Erasmus University,

Today is a festive day. Today, as is customary each year on the 8th of March, we celebrate International Women’s Day. It is on this day that we draw particular attention to the issues of emancipation and participation of women in society. Personally, I find it unfortunate that this is still necessary but it is a fact that, when it comes to achieving equality of men and women, we still have a long way to go. Regardless of the fact that it has been proven that diversity – the power of variety – only leads to win-win situations.

Here at Erasmus University we join in the celebration of International Women’s Day, and rightfully so! The achievements we have booked so far on this front please and encourage me. I see an abundance of female talent in our organisation. Our support staff numbers many female managers and faculties such as ESHPM and ESSB are absolute frontrunners when it comes to achieving the desired quota of female professors.

Looking beyond simply gender diversity, we may be proud that our campus harbours students and staff with more than 100 nationalities and that we fit very well in the multicultural city that is Rotterdam.

But there is still a lot of work to be done. This university still has a long way to go. In some cases, a very long way indeed. I find the current reality of us having just 13 percent female professors distressing. This situation is urgent and needs rectifying. We need all hands on deck in order to achieve the important target we set ourselves of having 20 percent female professors by the year 2020.

Immediate action is required and the process needs to be accelerated. The Executive Board will carefully assess the appointment policy of professors, both female and male. A toolkit for selection and recruitment procedures is being developed which will also address the phenomenon of implicit bias. Meanwhile we are working hard to achieve a culture change within our university.

The path to attaining and maintaining a truly diverse and inclusive organisation is not one without obstacles. But I know that our university does not shy away from worthy challenges. Together, we are the entrepreneurial ‘body’ that characterises Erasmus University. We are definitely capable of surmounting this challenge at hand. Let’s Make it happen!

Kind regards,

Kristel Baele, President of the Executive Board