{"id":110488,"date":"2020-03-09T17:05:53","date_gmt":"2020-03-09T16:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=110488"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:59:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:59:46","slug":"council-looking-into-gender-quota-for-senior-positions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/03\/09\/council-looking-into-gender-quota-for-senior-positions\/","title":{"rendered":"Council looking into gender quota for senior positions"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University Council is examining whether it is feasible to establish a gender quota for senior positions within Erasmus University Rotterdam. The Council is thinking of deans, the members of the Supervisory Board and the Executive Board. Under this quota, at least 30 percent of the top-level positions at EUR would be filled by men; and 30 percent by women.<\/p>\n

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Jasper Klasen is besides a medical student also a member of the University Council.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

The initiators drew inspiration from a recommendation formulated by the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER). The SER proposes requiring listed companies to adopt an \u2018ease-in quota\u2019 of 30 percent for their board-level positions. An \u2018ease-in quota\u2019 means that you don\u2019t have to immediately satisfy this requirement \u2013 rather, you keep a vacancy open until it can be filled by the right female candidate. \u201cThis isn\u2019t an obligation for semi-public organisations, but the SER recommends adopting it nonetheless,\u201d says Klasen.<\/p>\n

Quota is already met<\/h2>

Incidentally, Erasmus University already meets the suggested quota. \u201cWe have one woman on the Executive Board \u2013 and until quite recently, two even,\u201d notes Klasen. And three out of ten deans are women: exactly 30 percent, in other words. It should be noted that the deans in question work for EUR\u2019s two smallest institutes: Gabriele Jacobs at Erasmus University College and Inge Hutter at the International Institute for Social Studies. Suzan Stoter is the only woman dean found at a larger faculty: Erasmus School of Law. EUR\u2019s main traditional faculties \u2013 Economics, Business Administration and Medicine \u2013 have always been \u2018run\u2019 by men. So there\u2019s still room for improvement there, in Klasen\u2019s view. Until recently, EUR\u2019s Supervisory Board also met the 30 percent quota. But this is once again up in the air, now that a number of seats have fallen vacant.<\/p>\n

Explicit bias<\/h2>

Klasen recognises that a compulsory quota may have its drawbacks, but the student believes these are outweighed by the advantages. \u201cIn the old days, we always had an implicit bias \u2013 which we now propose replacing with an explicit one. At the very least this will be more transparent.\u201d According to Klasen, a better mix of men and women would help break down implicit prejudices. \u201cAnd this also applies to ethnic prejudice and other forms of bias. That should be the next step.\u201d<\/p>\n

The quota proposal is intended to complement EUR\u2019s \u201825\/25 initiative\u2019: by 2025, the university aims for at least 25 percent of its professors to be women. Incidentally, the proposal still needs to be approved by the full University Council.<\/p>\n\n\t

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