The second international conference of the Horizon 2020 GEARING Roles Project, supported by the European Commission, was hosted by Sabancı University's Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender). In the online conference organized on 9-10-11 November 2020 with the theme of Gender and Leadership in Higher Education and Research, the participants shared their views related to various subject from women's representation in universities, research institutions, civil society organizations, and local governments to gender equality action plans.

Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) hosted the second international conference of the Horizon 2020 GEARING Roles Project, supported by the European Commission. The conference, which took place online between 9-11 November 2020, discussed many topics to eliminate gender inequalities in representation and decision-making in higher education.

Professor Mangala Subramaniam, Butler Chair and Director at Purdue University, was the keynote speaker of the conference on Gender and Leadership in Higher Education and Research, and shared her experiences and suggestions related to gender equality in higher education under the heading “Leadership to Transform Institutions”. Stating that women make up the lowest-paid group among top executives at US universities, Professor Subramaniam added that the picture was even worse for non-white women. Pointing out to the importance of both institutional structure and process change for effective transformation, Mangala Subramaniam stated that structures lacking transparency slowed down institutional change. Subramaniam emphasized that the low number of women in leadership positions in higher education should be questioned, and also made suggestions on how women's voices and opinions could be included in decision-making processes.  According to Subramaniam, leadership for corporate transformation requires both emotional and intellectual labor, and on the way to inclusion, leaders need to “develop collaborations at the corporate level, not just at the individual level.” 

KAMALA HARRIS BECAME THE HOPE FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Subramaniam, who said that the election of Kamala Harris as Vice President in the last election in the United States created hope for the fight against gender-based, racial, and ethnic identity-based inequalities and opened the door to new opportunities, gave the following advice to women about leadership:

“Be clear about mutual expectations for a coherent vision. This makes independence possible. There is a fine line between transparency and privacy. You have to pay attention to that.  Aim for full promotion and build confidence. Research your role models, especially in the academic world, and do not give up on the role models you chose for yourself. And most importantly, make alliances for yourself and make men your allies.”

Ayşe Kadıoğlu, a faculty member at Sabancı University, said that this conference, which took place after Kamala Harris was elected Vice President of the United States, was a great hope for gender equality.

European Commission Project Officer Athanasia Moungou shared the following in her speech: “According to the EU Commission figures, 48% of doctoral graduates are women. However, as we climb the academic ladder a little further, gender inequality increases. At professor level, women make up just 24% of the workforce. This also applies to women authors, the ratio of female authors is just 32%. The ratio of female patent applicants is 9%. We want to fix the system, not just the numbers.” Addressing the growing importance of gender within the framework of European Commission projects, Mongou also mentioned that plans for institutional gender action would be among the conditions for applying to new framework programmes.

Prof. Dr. Meltem Müftüler Baç, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences of Sabancı University, stated that gender inequality was a serious problem in the academic world in Turkey, and said: “We see that the output of female researchers is less than that of men. The burden of female researchers is greater than that of male researchers. If a man submits 5 articles a year, that figure drops down to half for a woman. Because a woman has a lot of different things to do in her everyday life with her family. The pandemic has also created a very different situation. Female researchers are able to devote much less time to academic studies than before the pandemic. That is one of the reasons why men and women perform differently. We need leaders who recognize the challenges that women face.”

Hülya Adak, the Director of SU Gender, said: "As SU Gender, we are working to create an environment with pluralism and inclusiveness, where there is no discrimination. Instead of operating as a marginal and university-independent center, we want to radically transform the university. We aim to achieve gender equality at the university through the GEARING Roles Project.”

SU Gender GEARING Roles coordinators Ayşe Gül Altınay, Zeynep Gülru Göker, and İlayda Ece Ova stated that they created a Gender Equality Action Plan at the end of a participatory “co-creation” process at Sabancı University within the scope of the project and said: “About 100 faculty members, administrative employees, and students contributed to the preparation of this action plan. We created it together. We know that we will all own it together.”

The “Gender Equality Actions in Research Institutions to traNsform Gender Roles” (GEARING Roles) Project, in which SU gender is a project partner, is being carried out with 10 partner institutions in 6 European countries with EUR 3 million funding received from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Programme. The project, which started in November 2019, is expected to last 4 years.

FEMALE LEADERS MANAGED THE PANDEMIC PROCESS BETTER THAN MEN

Gülseren Onanç, President of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, stated that in countries with female leaders, the pandemic process was managed more successfully compared to countries run by men. Onanç said: “Female leaders have shown how they can take a good approach to solving clogged systems. From New Zealand to Germany, from Finland to Taiwan, these female leaders have certain characteristics in common: They are very competent and experts in their fields, they do not just look at the issue of equality on the female plane, they believe in holistic equality. Because they themselves come from the struggle, their ability to empathize with equality is high, and they can make decisions quickly. They have demonstrated how quickly they make decisions compared to numerous men and they have managed to protect their countries against the pandemic.”

In a session where the participants share information about projects carried out in various Turkish universities within the scope of European Commission projects; Ayşe Güneş-Ayata, Mary Lou O’Neil and Nurseli Yeşim Sünbüloğlu also shared information about the institutional efforts on gender equality at METU, Kadir Has University, and Özyeğin University. The importance of cooperation between universities was emphasized in this session.

Fuat Keyman, the Deputy Rector of Sabancı University responsible for Institutionalization and Social Contribution Processes, stated that SU Gender made very important contributions to creating a gender perspective in Sabancı University and universities could be patriarchal and male-oriented systems, but Sabancı University was among the best in terms of the implementation and internalization of gender equality.

Director of the Corporate Governance Forum of Sabancı University Melsa Ararat, who made a presentation entitled “Strategies and Solidarity for Leadership That Supports An Egalitarian Future from ‘He for She’ to ‘We for She’” in the second session held on 11 November, Wednesday with the theme of “Gender and Leadership in Higher Education and Research, said: “Studies conducted among female leaders in the field show that women are better at 17 of the 19 competencies required for leadership. Why is the change so slow when female leaders are so successful? Standardization and prejudice stand out as the reasons behind the low ratio of women.” Zehra Sayers, a faculty member at Sabancı University, emphasized that the real important issue related to gender equality was a change in mindset.

Maria Lucinda Fonseca, a Professor of Human Geography and Migration Studies at the University of Lisbon, Milica Antić Gaber, a Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Astrid Schloerscheidt, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean at the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, also participated in the session. Another participant of the session and a member of the Advisory Board of the GEARING Roles Project, Octavio Salazar, a Constitutional Law Professor at University of Cordoba, said that the contribution of men was very important for the positive transformation in universities which are masculine spaces.

The Study on Working From Home and Work-Life Balance under The Shadow of COVID-19, conducted by faculty members from Sabancı University and Istanbul University with the support of TÜBİTAK, investigated how those who live with their family and partially work from home during the pandemic in Turkey are affected by this situation and how they cope.

With the announcement of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March 2020, many private companies and institutions in Turkey as well as all over the world have started working from home in order to ensure social isolation. At a time when work-life balance is often discussed, institutions had the opportunity to observe the effects of working from home.

The Study on Working From Home and Work-Life Balance under The Shadow of COVID-19, conducted jointly by Mahmut Bayazıt, a faculty member at the Faculty of Management Sciences of Sabancı University, and İlknur Özalp Türetgen, a faculty member at the Psychology Department of Istanbul University, with the support of TÜBİTAK revealed how white-collar employees who live with their family and partially work from home during the pandemic in Turkey are affected by this situation and how they cope. The research addresses work-family balance; work-, health-, and life-related experiences of individuals, and the effects of individual differences on their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The majority prefer to work in the office a few days a week

Combining the data related to the time individuals dedicate to their home, to work, and to themselves, perceived social support and job security during the pandemic period, the study shows that the work from home experience differs depending on factors such as seniority, gender, marital status, and having children. Accordingly, many employees participating in the study prefer to keep working from home for at least a few days or more a week after the pandemic; the number of those who want to return to work is higher among top managers, senior employees, and men. In the process of working from home, the group that experiences work’s impact on family the most is composed of first-tier managers, while the group that experiences family’s impact on work the most is composed of faculty members.

Women are more likely to work from home despite having more difficulties

The research reveals that women are having more difficulties to cope with the pandemic period compared to men. Women are observed to experience the conflict caused by work roles preventing family-related responsibilities and family roles preventing work-related responsibilities more commonly in this work from home period. According to the results, women take on household chores more than they do, even when their career takes precedence over that of their partner's; they show more signs of physical stress such as body pain and fatigue, and more signs of psychological stress such as helplessness and resentment. Both work-family conflict and family-work conflict are the highest among the group of women with children under the age of 6. Despite all these results, women prefer to work from home as often as possible after the pandemic compared to men.

Married employees dedicated less time to themselves

Another result of the study is that married employees experience a number of difficulties more commonly than those who were single during the pandemic. Accordingly, married employees spend more time on household chores and dedicated less time to themselves, while they have more difficulty separating their areas of work from home. The results of the study indicate that marital status as well as having children are among factors which affect the desire to work from home. Among employees without children, the ratio of those who prefer to work from home as much as possible is close to 35%, while it is less than 20% for those with children.

It is observed that those who had work from home experience before the pandemic have more family-work conflicts than those who started working from home after the pandemic, had difficulty with transition from work to home during the day more frequently, and prefer to protect their working space from the rest of the home.

Levels of physical and psychological strain decreased over time

The 3rd report of the study shows that participants' levels of both physical and psychological strain and their conflicts between work and family areas decrease significantly over time during the pandemic. At the same time, during the pandemic period, there is a significant change in the individuals’ levels of satisfaction (in areas such as work, family, health) between weeks.

According to research findings, after June 1st, when the quarantine period ended, the time allocated to work and home increased rapidly, while the time allocated to self decreased. Another finding of the study is that those who receive high levels of social support from their manager and family have lower physical and psychological strain and higher satisfaction levels.

Please click here for the full study results

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About The Study on Working from Home and Work-Life Balance under The Shadow of COVID-19

This 8-week longitudinal study conducted with the support of TÜBİTAK investigated the work-life balance, various experiences related to work, health, and life, and effects of individual differences on experiences of salaried employees working a full time or part time job who had to work remotely from a house which they shared with others due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The research data of the study consisting of two phases was collected using the online survey method betwee 23 May-13 July. The fist phase of the study included 441 employees and the second phase of the study involving the longitudinal data included 163 employees.

Emre Selçuk, a faculty member at the Psychology Program of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), has received the TÜBİTAK Incentive Award.

According to the statement of TÜBİTAK, Emre Selçuk, who has received the incentive award in the field of Social Sciences, was given this award because of his “outstanding work at the international level on the effects of social relations on well-being and health in the field of psychology”.

Emre Selçuk conducts research in the fields of Social Psychology, Close Relationships, Attachment, Marriage, and Sensitivity. 

We congratulate our faculty member. 

The Times Higher Education (THE) announced the results of the World Universities Ranking 2021 by Region. Sabancı University ranked in four subjects this year: “Social Sciences”, “Computer Science”, “Engineering and Technology” and “Physical Sciences”. 

For the first time, Sabancı University ranked in the 201-250 bracket among 791 universities in Social Sciences, and ranked first among 10 universities in Turkey.

Sabancı University ranked in the 201-250 bracket among 827 universities in Computer Science, and ranked first among 7 universities in Turkey.

Sabancı University ranked in the 301-400 bracket among 1098 universities in Engineering and Technology, and ranked second among 29 universities in Turkey.

Sabancı University ranked in the 601-800 bracket among 1149 universities in Physical Sciences, and ranked third among 27 universities in Turkey.

THE World University Rankings by Subject are announced in 11 different subjects. These subjects include the following:

“Social Sciences”, “Business and Economics”, “Education”, “Law”, “Arts and Humanities”, “Life Sciences”, “Physical Sciences”, “Psychology”, “Clinical and Health”, “Computer Science”, and “Engineering and Technology.”

Although the methodology used for THE World University Ranking by subject is based on the World University Ranking indicators, the methodology is reorganized by making different weighting depending on the dynamics of the relevant subject.

The winner of the Hakan Orbay Research Award Competition 2020, commemorating Hakan Orbay, the late faculty member of Sabancı Business School, has been announced.

Dr. Umit Yılmaz (MA in Economics, Sabanci University and PhD in Finance,Swiss Finance Institute & USI) received 7th Hakan Orbay Research Award 2020 with his paper “Why do firms borrow from Foreign Banks?”.  

Dr. Yılmaz, Assistant Professor of Finance at Özyeğin University, received his award with a ceremony on 15 January 2021.

Mehmet Kuru, instructor at Foundation Development Directorate (FDD) , was found eligible for the TÜBİTAK 3501 Career Development Program fund. 

Mehmet Kuru’s project is entitled  “Aesop Alla Turca: A study on Turkish Translations of Aesop Fables From Pre-Tanzimat Era in the Context of Cultural Translation”

“Project scope that deals with various disciplines such as cultural history, cultural translation and literature history, involves the Turkish translation of Aesop fables from pre-Tanzimat era. In the fields of literature history and the translation history, the studies which are built upon the dominant paradigm, suggest that the first translated literary works from western languages into Turkish were prepared during the Tanzimat era as a repercussion of the social, cultural and institutional transformation observed in the nineteenth century. In the stage of the preliminary research, several manuscripts of Aesop translations that were located in the different European libraries, belong to the pre-Tanzimat era. As the main subjects of this project, these manuscripts challenge the dominant paradigm. Considering these discoveries, the early translated literary works from western languages date back to the seventeenth century. These texts which have a pivotal importance, may provide an alternative perspective for the literature and cultural history and the findings may stimulate a new discussion on these matters” said Mehmet Kuru about his project.

Sabancı University MBA program is a full-time program welcoming students without prior work experience and hands on training program offering Company Action Projects in top multinational and local companies in Turkey during their education. 

Program offers an international environment in our class and exchange programs abroad during summer term.  

Details about the program will shared on 23 January 2021, Saturday at 10:00 am (GMT+3) in the online information session. 

A brief presentation on the MBA Admissions process and scholarship opportunities will be available to students from all around the world. 

Date:  23 Ocak 2021, Saturday 

Time: 10:00 pm (GMT+3) 

Location:  Please click here for registration.

For more information, you can send an e-mail to mba@sabanciuniv.edu

The IICEC News Round-Up is a special bi-monthly product of IICEC to provide latest news and headlines about IICEC activities.

Please click to read. 

SU Gender is entering 2021 with four H2020 projects. As of January 2021, a new project has been added to its existing portfolio consisting of the GEARING-Roles (2019-2022) project, seeking to strengthen gender equality mechanisms,  and WHOLE-COMM (2021-2025) ve Re-ROOT (2021-2024) projects, examining migration and integration at different urban scales and layers. The RESISTIRE (RESpondIng to outbreaks through co-creaTIve sustainable inclusive equality stRatEgies) project, which was ranked 5th among 162 applications, has succeeded in securing over 5.2 million Euros funding under the H2020 COVID-19 call (with a Sabancı University budget of 247.975 EUR).

RESISTIRE brings together 10 institutions from 9 countries in a strongly multi-disciplinary and multi-sector consortium, being coordinated by the European Science Foundation (ESF) and including as project partners Örebro University (Sweden), Yellow Window (Belgium), Oxford Brookes University (UK), Knowledge & Innovation (Italy), Technical University Dublin (Ireland), Sabancı University (Turkey), Universidad de Deusto (Spain), Institute of Sociology of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) and Sciensano (Belgium).

The consortium integrates public health, humanities, STEM and social sciences; it is formed by a collaboration of experts from anthropology, computational anthropology, design, economics, education, employment research, environmental sciences, gender studies, health sciences, law, management science, political science, product development, psychology, social and health studies, sociology and statistics. In terms of geographic scope, the project is organized to cover 30 countries of which 8 are covered through the consortium members and 22 are covered by a network of national researchers. At Sabancı, the project will be led by Ayşe Gül Altınay ve Kristen Sarah Biehl, with Aslı İkizoğlu, Ayşecan Terzioğlu, Gülru Göker and Hülya Adak also taking part in the multi-disciplinary research team.

The overarching aim of RESISTIRE is to understand and work towards individual and societal resilience to the unequal impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and its policy responses on behavioural, social and economic inequalities in 30 countries, by designing devising and piloting solutions for improved new policies and social innovations to be deployed by policymakers, stakeholders and actors in the field in different policy domains. As early evidence already suggests, sex and gender influence COVID-19 outcomes in multiple aspects including, differential mortality rates, uneven distribution of care whether due to lockdown measures or as healthcare professionals and rising gender-based violence. It is also known that gender differences intersect with class, age, disability and other inequalities (e.g. race/ethnicity, religion/belief, sexuality, gender identity). Therefore, in meeting the project aim, the project builds around a 'gender+' lens that both highlights gender relations/inequalities and considers how it is related to other inequalities. Analytically, RESISTIRE will draw on an intersectionality-based policy analysis framework, which has emerged to advance understandings of the differential impacts of health policies to produce inclusive and socially just health outcomes. Empirically, RESISTIRE will use the policy domains in the Gender Equality Strategy (EC 2020), fundamental human rights and environmental justice (the latter from the Beijing Platform) to focus the areas for analysis of the impact on inequalities.

The overall methodology of RESISTIRE, which will run over 24 months between 2021-2023, is based on co-creative, solution and innovation driven design-thinking. Essentially, RESISTIRE uses a participatory approach, where stakeholders and end-users are involved throughout the process and cycles, with techniques that go from consultation to co-creation. The workplan is designed to split the project into three short (6-8 month) cycles devoting time and resources to researching the impacts of the outbreak policies (including both quantitative and qualitative data), translating results into insights in order to develop operational tools through co-design workshops, disseminating knowledge, developing policy recommendations and empowering stakeholders to exploit project results.

With its multidisciplinary research team, including anthropology, sociology, political science, geography, literature, cultural studies and gender studies, SU Gender will be researching the inequalities created or deepened as a result of the pandemic in Turkey through an intersectional gender lens, examining the ways in which the most vulnerable groups in society have experienced this process, and working with all stakeholders in the field towards developing creative strategies and effective policies. 

Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), faculty members Mert Moral ve Mustafa Oğuz Afacan, are the recipients of the 2020 TUBA (Turkish Academy of Sciences) Outstanding Young Scientists Award. The award is  given annually by the Academy.

The TÜBA-GEBİP Awards have been presented since 2001 to award and encourage the outstanding achievements of young scientists, to foster the continuation of their scientific studies in Turkey, the foundation of their own working groups, and the implementation of Turkish based international level, high quality projects and the resulting publications in the fields of nature, engineering, health sciences and social sciences. Within the scope of the program, besides the financial support of 20 thousand lira each year to the award winners for 3 years, an additional support of 6 thousand lira each year for doctoral students at the dissertation stage and consultancy by the academy members are also provided. Moreover, TÜBA-GEBİP Award winners abecome members of TÜBA Young Academy. 

We congratulate our faculty members who won the 2020 TÜBA GEBİP Awards on their success.