Online lunch lecture 'No More Excuses: Inclusive Hiring and Gender Equity in Dutch Academia'

Join us on 1 October for a special online lunch lecture celebrating Diversity Day, where we will delve into the crucial topic of inclusive hiring and gender equity in Dutch academia.

We are excited to host this event, which will feature insights from two distinguished speakers.

Speakers

First, Lidwien Poorthuis, Director at the Dutch Network of Women Professors will explore the findings from the annual Women Professors Monitor, providing insights into i.e. the man-women ratio in academia, the gender pay gap and the composition of international scientific staff.

Following this, Janna Heynen-Behnke from Eindhoven University of Technology will provide insights into impressive strides in achieving gender balance among new scientific staff at TU/e. The university now has  a 50-50 ratio of women and men among new scientific staff. This is a significant improvement from the previous ratio of 70 percent men and 30 percent women and is attributed to a targeted preferential policy for women. This success story highlights the importance of inclusive hiring practices. How was this success achieved? And what can we learn from it?

Fostering an inclusive culture in academia

We must recognize that women in senior academic positions still face considerable challenges, often leading to their departure from the field. This underscores the ongoing need for efforts to create supportive environments that not only attract but also retain talented women in academia. The speakers will present some ideas on fostering an inclusive culture in academia.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from leading experts and engage in meaningful discussions about promoting diversity and inclusion within our academic institutions. Together, we can ensure that there are no more excuses for failing to achieve gender equity in academia.

Diversity Month

This event is part of Diversity Month at NWO-I, a series of equity, diversity, and inclusion events taking place throughout October 2024.

Biographies

Lidwien Poorthuis (1982) studied French Language and Culture and Governance and Organizational Sciences at Utrecht University and spent a period studying in France at the Université d’Avignon. She began her career as a bridge-builder between France and the Netherlands, working as a higher education and research advisor, and was committed to strengthening the bilateral scientific relations between these countries. She continued her career at the Dutch Network of Women Professors (LNVH). Since 2013, she has been leading this organization as its Director, advocating for proportional representation, improving the position of women in academia, and creating a safe and inclusive academic environment where equal pay is the norm.
Lidwien is also the author of the annual Women Professors Monitor. For more information about LNVH, visit www.LNVH.nl.

Janna Heynen-Behnke (1989) studied Human Resource Studies at Tilburg University followed by a PhD, which she defended in 2023 at Eindhoven University of Technology. Her doctoral research “Make Difference Count – Benefiting from workforce diversity though inclusion in STEM organizations” investigated which factors, interventions, and policies contribute to the successful management of diversity and inclusion with a focus on the role of leadership and employees’ proactive behavior.
In March 2023, Janna began her new role as a Learning & Development Specialist at Eindhoven University of Technology. In her position, she designs, implements, and monitors HR practices and development interventions with an emphasis on the topics of equity, diversity and inclusion, leadership, and employee wellbeing. She enjoys contributing to positive organizational change at the university with the goal to foster a sense of belonging and value among employees.

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