8th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education

The Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy has adopted the organisation of the 8th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education. Assigned by the Ministry the Vienna University of Technology invites in September 2014 researchers, university teachers, administrators, policy makers and practitioners and students to attend the 8th European Conference on Gender Equality in Higher Education.

Almost 20 years after the World Conference on Women in Bejing and after 15 years of Gender Mainstreaming in the European Union it is time to reflect critically on the status quo and to develop new strategies for the future. Numerous initiatives have been taken aiming to contribute to gender equality in higher education in Europe and beyond. At the same time globalization, neoliberalism, and new public management have significantly changed academia, leading to new challenges for equality policies.

The conference aims at systematically analysing the status quo and recent experiences with policies promoting gender equality in higher education. The conference addresses different policy levels - organisational, national, European. We want to particularly encourage theoretical and practical dialogues and debates throughout the conference by reflecting upon practical impacts of theoretical discussions and theoretical framing of practical experiences.