Recruitment & Chalmers

Creating a strong sense of community is one of the keys to bridging the gender equality gap in academia. Research shows that people who experience a supportive community with shared values are more likely to thrive together. This sense of belonging not only positively impacts personal well-being, but also promotes collective success.

At Chalmers, we recognize that recruitment is more than just hiring talent - it’s a powerful tool for shaping a diverse and inclusive academic community. At the organisational level, Chalmers has 13 departments that span from applied to basic science (department names given in Figure 3) that report directly to the vice-chancellor and the university’s central leadership. In 2018, before Genie started, 2 of the 13 department heads were women (today, in 2021, this number is up to 5) and 7 departments had 2 or fewer women full professors (Figure 3). [link]

Many initiatives work to close the gender equality gap, and LIBRA is one of them. It is a Coordination & Support Action project of the European Commission’s framework programme for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020. It brings together ten research institutes in life sciences in ten European countries. They all are members of the alliance EU-LIFE, which aims to build and promote excellence in life sciences throughout Europe. They presented the Recruitment Handbook with the following recommendations for creating an inclusive, transparent, and unbiased hiring process:

Recruitment Considerations

1. Advertisement Content

When writing a job advertisement aim to compose a detailed and clear description of the position and a welcoming description of the institute. In particular it is important to:

• Emphasize that you are interested both in female and male researchers, and have a statement of inclusivity and, if applicable, a link to a specific equality and diversity page on the institute website
• Present information about the people working at the institute – including references to the number of different nationalities, the percentage of females in senior positions, participation in social activities, etc.
• Portray the institute as being a diverse and inclusive workplace by including images of women both on your website and in recruiting materials
• Describe the work environment as collaborative and interactive (placing an emphasis on how researchers work together)
• Describe how the institute promotes a healthy work-life balance, including a link to the relevant page on the institute website
• Provide a detailed description of the employment package offered, including information on the salary, health insurance, pensions, and the potential for career development
• Add dual career opportunities

2. Proactive and Unbiased Language

The language used in a job advertisement should always be inclusive and should appeal to candidates of diverse backgrounds. An even mix of terms that research has identified as being feminine or masculine should be used to create a balanced, unbiased job description. Evidence shows that the use of many stereotypically masculine words in job descriptions can result in women perceiving that they would not belong in that kind of a work Environment.

• Brighter colours and roundness are more associated with and favored by women
• Use pictures which show many different types of people - diversity is valued by all
• Gendered wording in recruitment advertisements endorses gender inequality. Masculine wording decreases women´s interest in a job as it signals to them that they may not belong (11)

Here we present a list with masculine- and feminine-coded words (some words have been reduced to a 'stem' to cover a range of noun, verb and adjective variants). Keep in mind that the words are organised alphabetically and that masculine- and female-coded words are not paired!

Here are some ways to make your writing more gender-inclusive:

Consider using Online tools like Gender Decoder to review your job postings!

3. Platforms and Active Recruitment

The job advertisement should be widely distributed, using international publications, personal contacts, mailing lists, conferences and websites, thereby reaching different communities (11). It may also be advantageous to document advertisement strategies from each call in order to identify successful and good practices.

Suggestions on how to increase the number of female applicants:

• Generate a pool of promising candidates and invite them for seminars
• Check for women who were shortlisted in previous recruitment processes but not offered a position
• Identify suitable candidates and send the job advertisement to them directly
• Attend conferences for the purpose of recruiting
• Contact or collaborate with professional organisations that specialize in diversity to help identify potential candidates

Take a look at these studies if you are curious to learn more:

• Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment
• Publish and Perish? An Assessment of Gender Gaps in Promotion to Tenure in Academia Get access Arrow