- Publication
The HR department and the rectorate are the primary entities that are entitled to address gender-based violence including sexual harassment.
The Gender and Leadership Studies Center is a separate unit created particularly for integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content. This is an ongoing process that the center implements on daily basis. It also cooperates with the faculties, research units and the Center for Continuous Education to make this process more systemic.
- Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment։
There are clear requirements by the Constitution and laws of the RA requiring gender equality in recruitment and career progression. YSU reflects these requirements in its policies and procedures, as well as exercises various mechanisms to provide equal opportunities for all in recruitment and career progressions.
- Integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content
There are several aspects of addressing the issue of gender balance in leadership and decision making. The first component relates to policies and procedures, i.e. the University follows the overall legal framework regulating equality and instrumentalizes it via local rules and regulations. These relate to such issues as recruitment, career advancement, engagement in the decision making process etc. The second component relates to the tools and mechanisms that ensure that the policies are properly functioning and the decisions made are effectively implemented. This is being implemented via providing such units of the University as the HR Department and others with guidelines necessary for effective decision making. Finally, the third component relates to the organizational culture in decision making which is strongly affected by the first two and is conditioned by the knowledge and skills of the staff. Thus YSU encourages awareness raising and capacity buildings focused on these processes.
- Gender equality in recruitment and career progression;
YSU reflects the mechanisms of work-life balance in its policies and procedures, as well as exercises working practices that aim at providing all employees with equal opportunities to balance the worktime and free times. In terms of improving the organizational culture YSU undertakes proactive steps that will both empower women in their career advancement and will raise the awareness among men on gender sensitivity, equality and career development. The regulations related to these topics are integrated in YSU Code of Ethical Conduct.
- Gender balance in leadership and decision-making
The Gender and Leadership Studies Center conducts periodic trainings for the University staff and beyond, as well as develops and provides training materials for the Center of Continuous Education.
The Center of Continuous Education of the University is developing sets of trainings for the university staff on periodic basis and the gender equality component is among the topics of the CCE trainings.
- Work-life balance and organisational culture
The HR department of the University is collecting and classifying the employee data and the gender disbursement is among categories for the classification. The University is currently in process of modernizing its HR data collection tools and once the process is competed the data processing and analysis will become technically more effective.
The Gender and Leadership Studies Center uses the existing data in its analysis and monitors the dynamics and major tendencies related to gender equality.
- Training
In 2013 YSU has established a Gender and Leadership Studies Center which is the major resource for gender studies at the university. The center plays an important role as a research and training unit that provides the University with important feedback on gender equality issues. Currently the Center is focusing on sensitization of the rules and regulations of the University with regards to gender equality and improving the mechanism for monitoring, analyzing and processing the data related to gender. Due to the fact that this process is integrated in the University strategy and annual work plans financial resources to cover the envisioned activities will be allocated on annual basis. Simultaneously, the University via its Gender and Leadership Studies Center will fundraise for projects focusing on gender mainstreaming and applying best international practices in addressing gender equality issues.
- Data collection and monitoring
Yerevan State University (YSU) has developed and approved the Gender Equality Plan (GEP) based on its internal regulations as well as regulations and recommendations of the Horizon Europe guidance on gender equality plans, professional inputs from its Center for Gender and Leadership Studies, as well as consultations with CSOs working in sphere of gender issues.
YSU is committed to ensuring gender equality as an important component of the rights based approach in University management, ensuring equality and transparency in decision making and preventing gender based discrimination.
The GEP is instrumentalized via YSU 2021-2026 strategy and Annual Action Plans that are developed based on the strategy. This includes improvement of the policies and procedures, reform of the institutional mechanisms for ensuring gender equality, as well as capacity building of the University staff and raising awareness among teaching and administrative staff, as well as students on various aspects of gender equality.
