United Nations Launches New Effort to Track Gender Equality at Universities

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has published its inaugural HeForShe Impact 10x10x10 University Parity Report.

The HeForShe program includes 10 heads of state, 10 business leaders, and 10 university presidents or chancellors who have pledged to work for gender equality in their respective fields or institutions. All 30 individuals are men.

Among the 10 university presidents are two from the United States: John J. DeGioia of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Samuel Stanley of Stony Brook University of the State University of New York System.

The first University parity report establishes baseline figures for women in faculty and administrative posts as well as for undergraduate and graduate students. These figures will be used to measure the progress toward gender equality made by these institutions in the years to come.

Emma Watson, the actor and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador who participated in the formation of the HeForShe initiative, stated that “a good university is like a tiny utopia – it’s a miniature model of how the whole of society could look. All our IMPACT Champions have chosen to make gender parity a central part of the way they educate their students.”

Below is a video discussing the HeForShe campaign.