The university's activities for Sustainable Development and Goal 5 presented in the reports for 2021-2022 and 2020-2021 "Lodz University of Technology on the path of sustainable development".
A considerable part of scientific achievements of Lodz University of Technology is due to women who constitute 37% of employees in the research and teaching group, 35% in the research group, and 43% in the teaching group.
Among all the employees of Lodz University of Technology, women account for 51%.
In the management staff of the university, the deans of four of the nine faculties are women. The percentage of all women among deans and vice-deans is 55%.
Women constitute 42% of heads of departments or institutes at Lodz University of Technology. The percentage of all women
among all managerial functions at the university is 47%.
Women account for 39% of the university’s PhDs, 35% of employees holding post-doctorate degrees and 26% of professors employed at TUL.
At TUL, a team for developing a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) has been established. The purpose of the team's work is to develop a university GEP. The Gender Equality Plan covers four areas:
- institutional infrastructure,
- gender balance in leadership and decision-making,
- gender equality in recruitment and career development,
- work-life balance.
"Counteracting discrimination and mobbing" is one of the training options implemented for employees of Lodz University of Technology as part of the project "Accessible Lodz University of Technology".
The workshop aims to develop skills in identifying, preventing and responding to mobbing, harassment and discrimination in those responsible for managing the work of others.
These phenomena threaten the atmosphere and efficiency of work, disintegrate the team, lead to apathy as well as lack of initiative and activity on the part of employees. All employees should be sensitized to undesirable behaviours, i.e. behaviours that, when growing, may lead to phenomena such as mobbing.
Lodz University of Technology promotes the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, which falls on February 11. As part of promotional activities, the university participates in projects and activities that influence changes in women's careers. Meetings are organized during which the important role of women in science is emphasized and initiatives are implemented to encourage female students to take an interest in research careers.
The campaign called "Girls as engineers! Girls go science!" is the largest project promoting technical, engineering and science majors among young women in Poland and Central-Eastern Europe.
The initiative, launched by the Conference of Rectors of Polish Technical Universities and the Perspektywy Educational Foundation, aims at breaking stereotypes and encouraging girls to take up technical studies.
Lodz University of Technology has actively participated in the campaign for 15 years.
Together with the Perspektywy Educational Foundation, we carry out activities from the "Women in Tech" series. So far, the activities have included the international conference "Women in Tech Summit" – the largest event for women in this part of the world, "Women in Tech Camp" – for female students, doctoral candidates and IT graduates, as well as mentoring programs.
Resolution No. 88/2019 of the Senate of Lodz University of Technology of 10 July 2019 specifies respect for equality in the provision: Lodz University of Technology takes initiatives supporting the development of science, economy and culture, shaping the new face of Lodz and the country.
Lodz University of Technology is a common good of employees, students and doctoral students, and is guided by the principles of respect for their dignity and rights. It also respects the equality of their rights and obligations in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland.
The code of "Good practices in organizing competitions for academic staff positions at Lodz University of Technology" regulates the issues of open, transparent and meritbased recruitment. This document constitutes the implementation of the HR Strategy for Scientists developed at Lodz University of Technology as part of its application for the HR Excellence in Research.
Good practices presented in the Code also refer to the provisions of the "European Charter for Researchers" and the "Code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers". The Charter sets out the rights and obligations of researchers and institutions employing them, while the Code sets out the principles for the recruitment of researchers which should be observed by employers.
The document was introduced by Regulation No. 50/2019 of the Rector of Lodz University of Technology of 23 September 2019, on the introduction of regulations on anti-discrimination practices at Lodz University of Technology.
It covers the issues of equality in the drafting of job advertisements, recruitment, establishment and termination of employment,
conditions of employment, promotion, access to training, etc. It states that any form of discrimination, including harassment and sexual harassment, is unacceptable. It points out that the Commission is to recruit in a fair manner and apply transparent rules for selecting candidates. It also regulates the rights to equal pay for equal work of equal quality.
The Labour Code regulates gender equality in Article 113: any discrimination in employment, direct or indirect, in particular on the grounds of gender, age, disability, race, faith, nationality, political beliefs, union membership, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, employment for a definite or indefinite period, full-time or part-time employment – is unacceptable.
These provisions are reflected in the Work Regulations of Lodz University of Technology. Paragraph 94 of Section VIII (Counteracting Discrimination and Mobbing) states that: unequal treatment constitutes discrimination in employment, in particular on grounds of gender (...), subject to the provisions of the Labour Code.
The European Charter for Researchers, respected at Lodz University of Technology, sets out, among other things, the principles
of gender balance and staff selection. Funders and/or employers should aim to ensure representative gender balance
at all levels of staff, including academic supervisors and managers.
This should be achieved on the basis of an equal opportunities policy during recruitment and at subsequent career stages, but without lowering quality and qualification criteria. To ensure equal treatment, there should be an appropriate gender balance
in committees for the selection and evaluation of candidates.
Committees that select candidates should represent a variety of backgrounds and qualifications, and be characterized by an appropriate gender balance as well as, where necessary and possible, be composed of members from different industries (of the public and private sector) and disciplines, including individuals from different countries with relevant experience to evaluate candidates.
Where possible, a wide range of candidate selection practices should be used, such as external expert assessment and face-toface interviews with the candidate. Members of the candidate selection panel should be properly trained.
A significant part of the scientific achievements of Lodz University of Technology due to women, accounting for 37% of employees in the research and teaching staff group, 33% in the research staff group and 42% in the teaching staff group. Among all TUL employees, women account for 51.3% (38.5% among teachers and 61.1% among non-academic staff). In the university's management staff, the deans of four of the nine faculties are women. The proportion of all women among deans and vice deans is 55.26%. The percentage of women among all management positions at the university is 43.40%. Women account for 39% of PhDs, 35% of post-doctoral fellows employed at TUL. Only 26% of those holding the title of professor are women, which reflects the effect of decades of the higher education system and the socio-economic conditions in Poland. Changing this unfavourable trend requires a number of comprehensive measures, also taken outside the field of higher education. Tasks that are feasible to implement at TUL, on the other hand, are proposed in the 2022-2024 Action Plan.
Among students in the 2021/22 academic year, women account for 38.7%, among doctoral candidates - 45.7%, and among graduates - 45.3%.
The campaign "Girls an Engineers!” is the largest project promoting technical, engineering and science majors among young women in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. The initiative, launched by the Conference of Rectors of Polish Technical Universities and the Perspektywy Educational Foundation, aims to break stereotypes in thinking and encourage girls to pursue technical and science studies. The idea for the project was born in 2006. Since then, the popularity of technical universities among female high school students has increased significantly. The project is guided by the belief that female science and technology graduates must contribute to the creation of new solutions in the scientific and technological field, because their potential and creativity are important for the country's innovation. Lodz University of Technology has been actively participating in the campaign for 16 years.
In December 2021, the Rector of TUL signed the Plan for Gender Equality at TUL. The document provides for ensuring equality, in accordance with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers, and is the result of efforts by university authorities to raise awareness of the importance of equality issues. The plan covers all groups of employees and undergraduates of all degrees, including the doctoral group, from which the majority of the research and teaching staff at TUL originates. It contains two parts: a diagnosis of the current situation based on a wide range of figures and an analysis of the university's current institutional and legal situation, and proposals for gender equality measures with an implementation horizon until 2024. The document designates 28 activities assigned to four areas: Institutional infrastructure; Gender balance in leadership, decision-making and research; Gender equality in recruitment and career development; and Work-life balance and organizational culture. Among other things, as part of the implementation of this Plan, equality officer positions were created and an Anti-Discrimination, Anti-Harassment and Anti-Bullying Committee was established. A tab with information about activities undertaken in this area has been launched on the TUL website: https://p.lodz.pl/pracownicy/rownosc-plci-w-politechnice-lodzkiej. With a Gender Equality Plan in place, TUL fulfils a formal condition for participation in competitions announced by the European Commission, under the Horizon Europe program effective from 2022.
In 2022, Lodz University of Technology was an academic partner of the Women in Tech Summit event, organized by Perspektywy. It is the largest academic event for women in TECH & IT in Europe, where they share their stories, academic achievements and visions for the technological future of the world. The idea for the Women in Tech Summit Perspective was conceived in 2017. Since then, this event has brought together female representatives from academia and industry, IT professionals, experts in the field of innovation, and students to share their experiences and hint at career planning.
Lodz University of Technology is promoting International Women and Girls in Science Day, which falls on 11 February. As part of its promotional activities, the university participates in projects and campaigns, influencing changes in women's careers. Meetings are being held to highlight the important role of women in science, and initiatives are being implemented to encourage female students to take an interest in research careers. In the academic year 2021/2022, to celebrate this day, the Polish Young Academy - Polish Academy of Sciences invited female students of the first years of their studies to a meeting in the series 'Become a Researcher'. Participation in this free online event with female researchers representing various universities in Poland was an opportunity to meet young female scientists for whom work and science are a passion. During the meeting, Lodz University of Technology was represented by two female researchers from the Faculty of Process and Environmental Engineering and the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering, who talked about their scientific interests and work at the university, the benefits of being a researcher and the challenges awaiting women in scientific work.
The European Charter for Researchers, respected at Lodz University of Technology, specifies, among other things, the principles of gender balance and personnel selection. Grantmakers and/or employers should aim for a representative gender balance at every level of the workforce, including supervisors and managers. This goal should be achieved on the basis of a policy of equal opportunities at the recruitment stage and subsequent career stages, but without lowering quality and qualification criteria. In order to ensure equal treatment in personnel selection and candidate evaluation committees, there should be an appropriate gender balance. Committees, when selecting candidates, should represent a variety of experiences and qualifications and have an appropriate gender balance, and, if necessary and possible, consist of members from different industries (state and private sector) and disciplines, including individuals from different countries with relevant experience to evaluate candidates. If possible, a wide range of candidate selection practices should be used, such as evaluation by an external expert and direct interviews with the candidate. Members of the panel that selects candidates should be properly trained.