Resistance and counter-resistance to gender equality policies in Spanish universities
Resistance in academia is a pervasive phenomenon. Gender equality was prescribed more than a decade ago in Spain, but the problem remains unsolved. Contributing to feminist institutionalism, this paper identifies both the manifestations of resistance intended to interfere in the implementation of ge...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2023 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| Repositorio: | Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ddd.uab.cat:272051 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://ddd.uab.cat/record/272051 https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.5565/rev/papers.3105 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Feminist institutionalism Gender equality policies in universities Equality units Power resistances Counter-resistances Spain Higher education Feminismo institucional Políticas de igualdad de género en las universidades Unidades de igualdad Resistencias al poder Contrarresistencias España Educación superior Feminisme institucional Polítiques d'igualtat de gènere a les universitats Unitats d'igualtat Resistències al poder Contraresistències Espanya Educació superior |
| Sumario: | Resistance in academia is a pervasive phenomenon. Gender equality was prescribed more than a decade ago in Spain, but the problem remains unsolved. Contributing to feminist institutionalism, this paper identifies both the manifestations of resistance intended to interfere in the implementation of gender equality initiatives in Spanish universities and the strategic responses enacted by gender equality agents to counteract those resistances. To this end, we conducted in-depth interviews with the female directors of Equality Units (EqUs) at six public universities in Madrid. Despite increasing support for gender equality, the research results confirm the existence of a complex web of resistance. EqUs deploy a wide range of strategies to neutralise the refusal to accept or comply with gender equality initiatives, but these are mainly, albeit not exclusively, embodied in actions of survival. We argue that although limited, these specialised bodies' capacity for agency has not been obliterated and could be used to put alternative and more proactive counter strategies in place to bring about fundamental change. Overall, the findings yield new insights into the progress of and resistance to gender equality initiatives in universities. |
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