Certifications in Gender Equality in Science: Activism and Institutional Change

• Grant number: 24/13745-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Sociology - Other specific Sociologies
• Principal Investigator: Ana Maria Fonseca de Almeida
• Grantee: Tsamiyah Carreno Levi
• Supervisor: Aditya Bharadwaj
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Educação (FE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Switzerland
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/12923-5 - Certifications in gender equality in Science: activism and institutional change, BP.DR

Abstract

This doctoral research examines the production and worldwide diffusion of the British certification for gender equality in higher education, Athena Swan. It combines institutional isomorphism theory and the sociology of activism, incorporating a gender perspective to analyze the role played in these processes by women activists working as gender experts in multilateral organizations and the non-profit sector. During the visiting fellowship at the Gender Centre of the Geneva Graduate Institute, I will collect documentation regarding the Athena Swan development and diffusion, interview a selected group of European experts/activists involved in these processes, and analyze and discuss the data. The Institute's global and multidisciplinary environment will support broader debates and comparative analysis, situating the research within the larger context of international governance and justice models. The fellowship in Switzerland will enhance research quality through networking and access to diverse perspectives, strengthening the study's findings on how gender equality is addressed in higher education globally.