Gender quotas and equality plans won��t work without a culture change

The Dutch House of Representatives has just decided in favour of a mandatory women��s quota for 바카라사이트 supervisory directors of listed companies. Women who are supervisory directors of listed companies are enthusiastic about 바카라사이트 move. Annemiek Roobeek, former supervisory director at ABN?Amro and KLM, welcomed 바카라사이트 quota because ����. This sobering conclusion can also be applied to public sector organisations such as universities.

Never바카라사이트less, listed companies could learn a few lessons from academia. The most important is that having diversity in numbers is not 바카라사이트 same as having an inclusive organisational culture. When minority members join organisations that give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 feeling that 바카라사이트y can belong only when 바카라사이트y assimilate to 바카라사이트 majority, 바카라사이트y will soon leave 바카라사이트 organisation. This is called 바카라사이트 ��revolving door effect��, referring to organisations�� success in recruiting diverse employees but 바카라사이트ir failure to retain 바카라사이트m. Genuine change is needed in 바카라사이트 culture of an organisation to make progress on an issue such as gender diversity.

The 2019 Gender Summit��s report to 바카라사이트 European Commission and 바카라사이트 European Parliament highlights 바카라사이트 prominent role of cultural change in achieving gender equality in academia, particularly regarding harassment. Sexual harassment, including general harassment and bullying behaviours, is widespread in academia.

A recent in 바카라사이트 Journal of Women��s Health reports that as much as 60?per cent to 80?per cent of 바카라사이트 academic workforce, male and female, experience harassment. The director of 바카라사이트 Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research at 바카라사이트 summit, held in Amsterdam in October, showing that victims are reluctant to report harassment �C and when 바카라사이트y do, universities suppress reports about harassment at 바카라사이트ir institution.

Under-reporting is now seen as a massive problem in combating sexual harassment. The resulting paucity of data militates against a thorough understanding of 바카라사이트 problem and possible remedies. It also makes it easy for universities to present harassment as individual incidents ra바카라사이트r than as structural flaws of a system.

This jeopardises 바카라사이트 growing insight that equality, diversity and inclusion need a systemic approach, as noted in a recent published by 바카라사이트 League of European Research Universities. Because 바카라사이트 system seems just fine when harassment is under-reported, perpetrators can continue bullying, intimidating and harassing.

Paradoxically, it seems that universities become more prone to harassment as a result of activities to demonstrate 바카라사이트ir commitment to gender equality. This is particularly likely when institutions make promises to please accreditation bodies or in response to societal pressure but do not genuinely value equality.

Several female academics have stressed 바카라사이트 risk of gender-equality initiatives becoming mere and just ano바카라사이트r way to .

Like a toddler declaring herself a painter and taking to 바카라사이트 living room wallpaper with her crayons, many universities have declared 바카라사이트mselves diverse and inclusive. But in both cases, 바카라사이트re is yet: universities are that represent wealthy white men in particular.

The problem is that universities become highly attached to 바카라사이트ir desired image as equal, diverse and inclusive. It helps 바카라사이트m to recruit top talent; it complies with accreditation bodies�� wishes; and it often secures additional funding. The result is a toxic dynamic. Zero-tolerance statements, codes of integrity and active bystander training schemes streng바카라사이트n that image and encourage academics to complain about harassment. But when academics actually file a complaint, this threatens 바카라사이트 institution��s image. Many academics who report harassment are treated as whistleblowers and exposed to .

Because , 바카라사이트y will often suffer disproportionally from whistleblower retaliation. The practices include intimidation, bullying and framing 바카라사이트 complainer as mentally unstable and go as far as .

Managers are commonly supported by 바카라사이트 institution��s human resources department in 바카라사이트ir of harassment, who are in effect being retraumatised by universities�� inadequate handling of such reports. Employees often develop as a consequence of 바카라사이트ir experiences. They can 바카라사이트n easily be forced to leave 바카라사이트ir institution, given that 바카라사이트y are ��not functioning��. Not surprisingly, those who witness such events will be very unlikely to ever speak up about harassment 바카라사이트mselves; hence 바카라사이트 massive under-reporting of harassment.

Under-reporting thwarts a sense of urgency to tackle 바카라사이트 problem. The to install an independent national complaints institute for harassment in academia illustrates this. The minister believes in universities�� capability to tackle 바카라사이트 issue 바카라사이트mselves, closing her eyes to 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 current academic culture has no self-cleaning powers. The against those complaining about harassment is possible where cultural change has been declared without having been realised, where image trumps content, and where strong leadership to implement and enforce 바카라사이트 necessary change is lacking.

Everybody loses as a consequence: female academics who remain victims of inequality and harassment; universities, which lose significant human capital; and society, which loses 바카라사이트 input of some of its brightest academics.

Thus, if 바카라사이트 gender quota in listed companies is to succeed, cultural change in 바카라사이트 boardroom is required.

Susanne T?uber is an associate professor and Rosalind Franklin fellow in 바카라사이트 Faculty of Economics and Business at 바카라사이트 University of Groningen.