{"id":4740,"date":"2016-03-08T09:59:41","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T08:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/03\/08\/het-probleem-zit-bij-ons-allemaal-niet-alleen-bij-witte-mannen\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:17","slug":"het-probleem-zit-bij-ons-allemaal-niet-alleen-bij-witte-mannen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/03\/08\/het-probleem-zit-bij-ons-allemaal-niet-alleen-bij-witte-mannen\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The problem lies with all of us, not just with white males’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hanneke Takkenberg<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tErasmus Universiteit<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Ask Hanneke Takkenberg why she assumed the position of Chief Diversity Officer in the autumn of 2015 so as to help make Erasmus University a more diverse institution, and she\u2019ll be quick to bring up the name Don Quixote. Because it\u2019s true \u2013 at this university, which is pretty much at the bottom of the list of Dutch universities in terms of diversity, and where many faculties hardly seem to recognise that they have a problem, she feels like she\u2019s tilting at windmills sometimes.<\/p>\n

The percentage of female professors working at EUR has been stable for several years. Worse, there has been a downward trend in recent years, but this year the numbers have gone up, Takkenberg optimistically reports. \u201cOur 2015 Annual Report will see us exceed ten percent, even if only just.\u201d However, this does not hold true for the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) and the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), which have zero and two female professors, respectively (2014 Annual Report).<\/p>\n

Sticking your neck out<\/h3>

It is no coincidence that Takkenberg should have been appointed Chief Diversity Officer to this university. She began actively to try and promote the position of women at Erasmus MC in 2007. When she was appointed Professor of Thoracic Surgery \u2013 \u201ca field of medicine dominated by men,\u201d Takkenberg notes with a smile \u2013 in 2012, she began to supervise talented female scientists, among other things, and was elected Chairwoman of the Erasmus Network of Women Professors, ENVH. \u201cAs a woman in this kind of position, I owe it to others to stick my neck out,\u201d Takkenberg says. \u201cOne must try to be a role model.\u201d<\/p>\n

20 percent by 2020<\/h3>

Her dream, which is to create a critical mass<\/em> of at least 30 percent female professors, is no more than a pipe dream at present. \u201cIf we don\u2019t act now, we won\u2019t achieve that percentage until 2050,\u201d Takkenberg states. For now, she has set herself a more modest target: 20 percent by 2020. This is 5 percent less than most other Dutch universities. \u201cBut take Nijmegen, for example. They want to achieve 25 percent, but they\u2019re already at 23 percent. As far as that\u2019s concerned, we\u2019re considerably more ambitious. Realistic, though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lots of things happening<\/h3>

It\u2019s not as if nothing is being done. Much is being done to promote diversity at EUR, ranging from establishing a working group to help bi-cultural students move up the ranks to establishing contact with the business community, government agencies and other universities in order to collect knowledge on the subject of diversity. \u201cErasmus MC and the Faculty of Social Sciences are conducting great research into cultural diversity within the education system, and the Erasmus School of Law (ESL) has already attained the target of 20 percent female professors.\u201d Even RSM is heading in the right direction: the school recently appointed an Associate Dean of Diversity. Things are also being done at the university-wide level: \u201cFor instance, we will develop interventions designed to show EUR people how important diversity is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cWe expect people to meet strenuous requirements, but mainly with regard to qualities we tend to associate with men\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

She seeks to apply this idea to her work as a professor. \u201cMy study team is made up of men and women from the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, refugees from Afghanistan and Iran, and students of Turkish or Moroccan descent. That way, we\u2019re getting an innovative approach, as everyone has radically different points of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture clash<\/h3>

At the same time, she can tell that students from a bi-cultural background are running into problems. \u201cThey often feel they don\u2019t really belong, more often than you might think. We may sometimes be unaware of how they feel. And sometimes, various cultures will clash.\u201d Students from non-Western backgrounds continue to obtain fewer credits than students from Western backgrounds, Risbo\u2019s N=N study<\/a> recently showed. \u201cWe do a lot to increase awareness, but we also undertake very specific projects, such as the Pre-Academic Programme. Students from non-Western backgrounds who take part in this programme tend to get much higher marks during the course of their studies. Then again, the same is true for students from Western backgrounds. So the gap still persists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u201cThe problem lies with all of us. Research has shown that women rate other women less highly, as well.\u201d\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Start with yourself<\/h3>

The solution to the problem of women being underrepresented, or of students of bi-cultural extraction being less successful, is not to be solved by white males<\/em> alone, Takkenberg is keen to emphasise. \u201cThe problem lies with all of us. Research has shown that women rate other women less highly, as well. I noticed this in my own letters of recommendation, where I found myself emphasising women\u2019s social skills, while emphasising men\u2019s scientific skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

So it is up to Takkenberg to go and change an entire society, a task even Don Quixote probably would have baulked at. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to start at a lower level, with yourself. That\u2019s the main problem \u2013 many scientists, educators and policy makers tend to externalise the problem. But it pervades everything,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Emphasis on masculine qualities<\/h3>

But if this is a problem in society at large, then why does the problem appear to be more pervasive at EUR than at other Dutch universities? Takkenberg thinks she knows the answer to this question. \u201cI suspect it\u2019s due to Rotterdam\u2019s enormous emphasis on excellence. We expect people to meet strenuous requirements, but mainly with regard to qualities we tend to associate with men: producing a lot of output, obtaining lots of funding. For instance, establishing long-lasting networks is a skill which is relatively underappreciated here. In the past, when pre-eminent professors retired, they would leave behind a big black hole. But the science of lone pioneers isn\u2019t the science of the future. The future belongs to networked science.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is ironic that one of these masculine<\/em> traits, namely the ability to attract funds, will result in greater diversity, after all, through an EU funding programme called Horizon2020. \u201cGrant applications under Horizon2020 are subject to many requirements. Studies must take into account diversity, but your own study team must be diverse, as well. Consulting firm McKinsey wrote ten years ago that Fortune-500 companies with more women in high-ranking positions performed better. So RSM should have known better even then,\u201d Takkenberg says with a slightly cynical smile.<\/p>\n

Bold confrontations<\/h3>

Takkenberg herself refuses to give up the fight, and is calling on all her female colleagues to do the same. \u201cWe must be more visible, at the Dies Natalis celebrations, at the official opening of the new academic year. And if a woman is appointed professor, we must attend the ceremony to show her that she\u2019s not alone. And every once in a while we must be bold enough to confront others.\u201d<\/p>\n

She expects the bold confrontations to come from the university\u2019s Executive Board. \u201cPauline van der Meer Mohr was very disappointed with the extent of the progress made, but if you\u2019re very ambitious about this matter, you must be bold enough to undertake far-reaching steps at times. As far as I\u2019m concerned, she could have been a bit tougher on others sometimes.\u201d The new Chairwoman of the Board, Kristel Baele, has inspired some hope in Takkenberg. \u201cI think she and the Rector are progressive leaders who highly value diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

More women at EUR<\/h2>