Gender equality is one of the key values of the European Union. However, the European research area continues to suffer a significant loss due to the untapped potential of talented women. The SAS, as the largest research institution in Slovakia, has the ambition to contribute to change the long-neglected state of gender equality in science and research. The Presidium of SAS therefore has adopted the first ever SAS Gender Equality Plan (SAS GEP), in which the Academy reflects critically on the current situation regarding the representation of women in its workplaces and sets the principles of gender equality. The SAS achieves its vision and values by adopting this strategic document, and thus it ranks among the modern European research institutions.
Since March 2021 at the Academy of Sciences the research team from the Institute of Social Communication Research of SAS has been carrying out a gender audit with the aim to obtain a deeper understanding of the current situation regarding the gender issues. The first version of the SAS GEP presents its preliminary results and defines an Implementation Schedule aimed at eliminating inequalities in five fields.
The SAS has set five main goals within the framework of the Implementation Schedule: It will strive to support actively the work-life balance; promote equal representation of women and men in leadership positions; as well as equal opportunities in the recruitment process and in career growth; to integrate a gender perspective into research and promote a work environment free of gender-based violence and sexual harassment.
SAS GEP is a dynamic document that will be subject to regular monitoring. Monitoring will be carried out through the annual reports of SAS organizations and the collection of additional data.
The ATHENA project (Implementing gender equality plans to unlock research potential of RPOs and RFOs in Europe), which is financed by the European Union programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020 and will last until 2025, cooperates with the Presidium of SAS in the adoption and implementation of the SAS GEP.