Minister Mitchell O’Connor launches a European Charter to promote gender equality in the university sector

Mary Mitchell O’Connor T.D. Minister of State for Higher Education today (15^th May 2019) formally launched a Charter to promote gender equality in the University sector.

SAGE – Systemic Action for Gender Equality – is an EU-Horizon 2020 funded project designed to seek stronger action on gender equality in higher education and research. SAGE devises and implements interventions to advance gender equality in European countries, and is being led by Trinity College Dublin.

Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “I am delighted to launch the SAGE Charter of Principles for Gender Equality, which is devising and implementing interventions to advance gender equality in higher education. The Charter needs to be adopted by all research and higher education institutions. We cannot afford to lose the talent that we have invested in women. Building greater diversity contributes to greater creativity and innovation. Role models are vital, and the global experience shows the value to our students in seeing the range of opportunities and experiences available to them.”

The SAGE Charter contains 12 Principles which aim to remove barriers to the recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers, correct gender imbalances in decision-making processes, and strengthen the gender dimension in research programmes.