Gender equality between women and men in academic and research organizations

National Conference “Gender Equality in Academic and Research Organizations – Best Practices, Challenges, and Perspectives”

Barriers, stereotypes, and prejudices related to social roles and gender equality in professional and public life continue to create a pressing need to be addressed and overcome. The prevention of discrimination on this basis is an integral part of democratic values and plays a key role in achieving social justice and economic growth. Gender equality is both a benchmark and an indicator of the level of political maturity and democratic governance, of the effective functioning of society, and of an innovative and competitive economy.

In the search for ways to address multiple global and national challenges and crises – economic, military, technological, climate, social, political, migratory, and cultural, as well as extraordinary situations like the COVID-19 pandemic – the European Union has positioned gender equality as a core value, a fundamental right, and a key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

The National Conference on “Gender Equality in Academic and Research Organizations – Best Practices, Challenges, and Perspectives” was held on December 15, 2022, at the International Business School (IBS). The conference was jointly organized with the Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv as part of the international project SPEAR (“Supporting and Implementing Plans for Gender Equality in Academia and Research”), funded under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, Coordination and Support Action in the priority area “Science with and for Society”.

The event brought together scholars from various universities and research organizations in Bulgaria, as well as representatives from the business sector and non-governmental organizations dedicated to issues related to equality and anti-discrimination. Participants delivering presentations at the conference came from institutions such as the Technical University of Sofia, Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, the University of Telecommunications and Post, the Institute of Economic Studies and the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, among others.

The conference was opened by Chief Assistant Professor Dr. Irina Topuzova, Head of the Women’s Leadership Center at IBS and member of the SPEAR project team. Welcome addresses were delivered by Professor Dr. Georgi Apostolov, Rector of IBS and head of the school’s project team for SPEAR, and Professor Dr. Rositsa Doneva, Director of the Center for Distance Learning at the University of Plovdiv and head of the university’s SPEAR project team. In their speeches, they outlined the benefits and outcomes of joint efforts and unified solutions, the need for more initiatives supporting women pursuing academic careers, and the necessity to address resistance and the misinterpretation of terms such as “gender”, “sex”, “socially constructed roles”, and others in society.

As hosts supporting the goals and implementation of the SPEAR project, representatives of the Rector’s leadership at the International Business School (IBS) – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stella Baltova, Vice-Rector for Research and International Cooperation, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daniela Georgieva, Dean of IBS – also addressed the guests. They expressed their support and described the goals, priorities, and activities of the SPEAR project as enriching and complementary to the field of academic interests and research pursued at IBS.

The plenary session was opened by Prof. Dr. Miglena Temelkova, Rector of the University of Telecommunications and Post, who delivered a keynote presentation on the topic: “A Study of the Leadership Styles of Men and Women in Senior Positions at Bulgarian Higher Education Institutions.”

A special invited lecture on the topic “Gender-Based Violence and Its Impact on Gender Equality, Including in the Field of Education” was delivered by Attorney Milena Kadieva – Founder and Executive Director of the Gender Alternatives Foundation, international human rights lawyer, and recipient of the 2019 “Women of Europe” Award in the category “Woman of Action.”

The business sector was also represented with a special invited presentation titled “Inspirational Share on the D&I Initiatives Towards Becoming a More Gender-Balanced Workplace from Paysafe, One of the Top Fintech Companies”, delivered by Ms. Zhelyana Doneva, a manager at the company. Paysafe Limited (“Paysafe”) – Bulgaria, part of the Paysafe Group, is the recipient of two first-place awards in the categories “Best Employer – Fintech” and “Innovation in Employee Training”, granted by the Career Show Awards 2022.

The conference program continued with presentations showcasing gender-equality plans that have already been drafted and are being implemented in academic and research organisations across Bulgaria. In two papers—by Prof. Dr Elena Somova of Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv and Chief Assist. Prof. Dr Atanaska Cholakova of the International Business School—the SPEAR project and the gender-equality plans of the two universities were outlined. The speakers addressed the fact that research organisations and higher-education institutions often assign roles that are closely linked to gender. They also presented studies on mechanisms used in the United States to encourage women in the STEM sector, the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the digital world, and related topics.

During the discussion panel, participants examined the state of gender equality in Bulgaria—particularly within research organisations and universities—and the challenges involved in drafting, adopting, implementing, and monitoring Gender Equality Plans in academia. The debate covered both good practices and poor examples of gender-equality plans that had been inappropriately copied, thereby undermining the very purpose of achieving institutional change. Such change is a strategy aimed at removing gender-based barriers embedded in the research system itself and at adapting institutional practices accordingly.