Sabbatical Veerle Draulans: Co-creation of a gender mainstreaming policy in academia, with a special focus on gender & STEM

Collaboration with academic partners such as University of Limpopo (SA), African Doctoral Academy, Stellenbosch University (SA), Arba Minch, Bahir Dar & Mekelle University (Ethiopia), University of Rwanda: Rwandan Association for Women in Science & Technology, Rawise the great need for exchange on updated, clear criteria for a sustainable gender mainstreaming policy, in which the scientifically important concept of intersectionality is integrated. Crucial points in this regard include academic professionalization and access to doctorates. I also learned from this collaboration that, if women are given the opportunity to start a university education, they are more likely to enter STEM disciplines than in high-income countries. In the scientific debate, this observation leads to the so-called 'Gender-equality paradox in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education', a paradox that receives relatively little attention in the West. With this sabbatical period I aim to: -accurately analyze 'Gender &STEM education figures in a number of SSA countries (secondary and higher education) and contribute to deepening the scientific debate about the Gender-equality paradox in STEM'; give visibility to these research results through conference contributions (e.g. ICHE, International Conference on Higher Education; ICSGS, International Conference on Sociology of Gender & Society) and scientific articles; resulting in a possible project application - together with several partner universities from SSA, to draw up a design manual for sustainable, context- connected academic gender mainstreaming policy, with special attention to a substantive design of a 'gender-sensitive doctoral school training' - all this with a strong emphasis on co creation.