20/09/2020

Gender equality has become one of the most acquired human rights especially in the academic promotion of the teaching staff at higher education that is invigorated by the worldwide flourishing process of globalization and democratization.

The main objective is to promote gender equality in Tunisian higher education.

Inspired by TARGET H2020 project and ENISO’s experience in creating its center of gender equity (CEC-ENISo), we have established a new community at University of Sousse with the help of Pr. Monia Chouari (FLSH) (Cf. www.fls.rnu.tn) and Pr. Moez Khnissi Vice president of the university to develop further strategies in the frame of Gender Equity Studies.

This new community seeks to enforce information exchange among the network of engineers (RMEI).

A global interest in integrating a gender dimension in R&I includes not only engineering schools but also other institutions belonging to Sousse University, a focal point that has been highlighted by the Scientific Board. The scientific research network base is created with synergy between Human sciences and STEM institutions.

Given that, the aim to modernize institutional norms and equally endorse gender equality, which has been initially launched at the ENISo in collaboration with RMEI, has engendered the birth of a willingness to assess the gender dimension at an academic level. The selection is attributed essentially to the following two pilot institutions: ENISO and FLSH that showed eagerness to contribute to spread the culture gender equality.

Succinctly, our department of English (FLSH) is the first department at Sousse University where Lectures on Theories of Gender in the Master’s Program have been delivered for Cultural Studies Students which could systematically be applicable in the engineering field.

The point here is to validate the fruitful coordination between Humanities and Engineering that is promising in terms of further research and innovative publications in gender equality project.

To valorize this strategic cooperation between Humanities (FAHS) and Engineering (NHSE), this study aims to promulgate the cross-sectoral action plans endorsing a ground-breaking innovative research in gender equality studies.

As observed in both institutions, gender equity does not matter as an impediment. In fact, gender inequality looks disturbing and relevant to this previous background and data given by university gender equity team, an innovative study aiming to examine a controversial topic of institutional gender inequality.

To disseminate the outcomes of this study, a workshop entitled “Interrogating Institutionalized Gender Inequality in Innovation and Academic Career Evolution in Higher Education” will be organized in November 2020.

Objectives:

• Develop collaboratively the process to bring forth a better schema for equal academic promotion in higher education policies.

Abbreviation:

FLSHS: Faculté des Lettres et des Sciences Humaine Sousse (http://www.fls.rnu.tn/public/historique)

ENISO : Ecole Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Sousse (http://www.eniso.rnu.tn/fr/)

FAHS : Faculty of Arts & Human Science

NHSE : National High School of Engineers