Progress and challenges of gender mainstreaming in Spanish university cooperation for international development: the technical staff’s viewpoints
International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education
ISSN: 1467-6370
Article publication date: 26 August 2024
Issue publication date: 15 October 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Considering the critical role of higher education institutions in the advancement of the 2030 Agenda, this paper aims to analyse the incorporation of the gender perspective (Sustainable Development Goal 5) in the University Cooperation for International Development.
Design/methodology/approach
Following a qualitative methodological strategy, this paper identifies the potentialities and challenges of this perspective from the point of view of the technical staff of the cooperation units of seven Spanish universities.
Findings
Results show a strong intention to incorporate gender principles, in accordance with the SDGs framework. However, the findings also point to certain divergences in the forms of understanding and implementing gender equality in practice. Finally, this paper uncovers a variety of strategies to navigate the resistances, still existing in the university community.
Originality/value
Spain is orienting the legal framework of its cooperation and international relations towards the ambitious horizon of a feminist foreign policy. Universities are key actors in international development cooperation and the implementation of the SDGs. This is an issue that has received little research attention, particularly from a gender perspective.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all the participants in this research who generously shared their time and insights on this important issue. We would also like to thank the Jose Castillejo Scholarship for supporting the principal investigator’s research stay at the School of International Development and Global Studies (uOttawa). Finally, we would like to thank Dr Rebecca Tiessen (uOttawa) for her guidance and support during this residency, for facilitating the author’s collaboration, and for her valuable insights into the research project.
Citation
Castellsagué, A. and Szyszlo, P. (2024), "Progress and challenges of gender mainstreaming in Spanish university cooperation for international development: the technical staff’s viewpoints", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 25 No. 7, pp. 1484-1498. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2024-0078
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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