Gender Equality Commission
The meeting will take place in October of this year with the purpose of learning about the progress of the CRUCH universities in incorporating the gender perspective into the curricula and educational models.
The members of the commission met in the plenary session organized by the University of Antofagasta (UA) and the Catholic University of the North (UCN).
One of the priorities of the 2024 work agenda of the Gender Equality Commission of the Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities (CRUCH) is to advance the mainstreaming of the gender perspective in training processes and, in that line, a seminar will be held on October 17 to address experiences, opportunities and proposals in that area.
The initiative was analyzed during the plenary meeting of the commission on May 16 and 17 in Antofagasta, which was organized collaboratively between the University of Antofagasta (UA) and the Catholic University of the North (UCN).
“This is a very important seminar because it will allow us to highlight that gender equality is a quality aspect of university education,” said Angélica Marín, coordinator of the CRUCH Gender Equality Commission.
The seminar is expected to bring together curriculum teams from CRUCH universities that have been working on incorporating a gender perspective into their curricula and educational models. “The idea is to learn about these experiences and identify the lessons learned, the challenges we face, and, based on that, generate joint actions to accelerate this process,” explained Angélica Marín, who also serves as Executive Secretary of the Gender and Sexuality Office at the Metropolitan University of Educational Sciences (UMCE).
In organizing the seminar, “our intention is to work jointly between the Gender Equality Commission and the Commission of Academic Vice-Rectors of the CRUCH (Council of Rectors of Chilean Universities). We have discussed this with the rectors in charge of both commissions, Rector Fernanda Kri and Rector Elisa Araya, respectively,” Marín explained. She added, “We hope it will be a fruitful collaboration, since universities are called upon to incorporate a gender perspective into institutional accreditation processes.”. 
It is worth mentioning that at the beginning of the plenary session, greetings were received from university authorities of the host universities. Wilson Cortés, Director of Curriculum Development, was present at the UA, and Rodrigo Alda, Rector of the UCN, was present.
“In recent years we have made significant progress in establishing a different culture,” stated Rector Alda. “I want to express my gratitude for the work of the gender offices and the network, because it is fundamental in the times we live in today. Our university realities are so different, but at the same time we have many problems in common, and undoubtedly, our work is enriched by the experiences of other universities,” the rector maintained.
Other advances and challenges
During the plenary session, the main advances and challenges in three areas were also addressed: regarding gender equality policies in universities, in training processes and institutionalization, and in terms of eradicating violence.
“This plenary session has allowed us to learn about the progress of equality policies, which is a strategy to mainstream the gender perspective in universities, to transform gender inequalities.”.
According to what was expressed by the representatives of the gender offices of the CRUCH universities, the state
Progress is uneven. According to Angélica Marín, “some universities already have their policies and plans in place, while others are still developing them. However, all gender equality offices are implementing measures aimed at achieving gender equality.”.
In the area of training, "we have been looking at the state of the art of Chilean universities in the field and also at the research that exists at the international level.".
Regarding the eradication of gender violence, “we analyzed how universities are preparing to reconcile what is required by Law 21.369 and Law 21.643, which will be in effect from August 1st and which, in addition to considering sexual harassment, addresses workplace harassment and mistreatment,” recalled Angélica Marín.
For the gender directors of the host universities, the meeting was valuable.
Elizabeth Álvarez, Director of the Equity and Inclusion Unit at the University of Antofagasta, stated that “networking is always important for all institutions, and when our university hosts the network, it demonstrates our commitment to gender issues. Furthermore, it allows us to advance as an institution through the exchange of experiences, challenges, and best practices with other universities.”.
For her part, Yhurka Yáñez, Director of Gender Studies at the Catholic University of the North, said that because of their location in the far north of the country, “we often have difficulty accessing more collective forums where highly relevant issues are discussed, agreements are reached, and decisions are made.” She emphasized that “for us at the Catholic University of the North, this is tremendously valuable and also has an impact on the community. What we are doing does not go unnoticed, and at the same time, it is clear that many universities throughout the country are also on the same page,” Yáñez concluded.
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