Equality, diversity and inclusion
Development of equality, diversity and inclusion policies at the university
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
- Addressing violence
About the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit
With the aim of promoting a more intersectional approach in its field of action, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit was created in 2025. It replaced the old Equality Unit, which was established in 2008. Part of the Office of the Vice Rector for Alliances, Community and Culture, the new unit's mission is to ensure a more equitable, inclusive and respectful university committed to diversity.
Action lines
Its work involves the following strategies:
- Developing the UOC's equality, LGBTI, diversity and inclusion plans, ensuring they are implemented, and monitoring and evaluating them, as well as carrying out the preliminary assessments required to prepare these plans.
- Producing reports within its area of responsibility in accordance with its purpose.
- Advising the various academic and administrative bodies, services and units on EDI policies, and proposing and promoting corrective measures to address identified inequalities and non-compliance.
- Proposing and promoting measures to facilitate teaching, research, knowledge transfer, administration and communication from an EDI perspective.
- Promoting the collection of statistical data across the institution to ensure continuous improvement in the area of EDI.
- Carrying out and promoting awareness-raising, information and training activities on EDI.
- Ensuring that the communication and dissemination of news articles incorporate an EDI perspective.
- Handling suggestions, enquiries, complaints and reports relating to EDI within the UOC university community, except for enquiries and complaints from students, which are managed through their own dedicated channel.
- Preventing and working towards the eradication of all forms of discrimination and harassment on the grounds of sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, cultural diversity or disability occurring within the university context, through the design and implementation of prevention protocols and procedures for handling enquiries, complaints and reports in these areas.
- Proposing measures to promote the balanced representation of men and women across all areas of the university.
- Promoting the coordination of EDI initiatives within the UOC university community and network and in organized civil society in these fields.
- Participating in interuniversity networks specializing in EDI, with the aim of promoting coordination between universities, policy influence and the UOC's strategic positioning within these networks.
- Carrying out any other functions assigned by the university's governing bodies, as well as those inherent to its purpose.
Useful links
Members of the Unit
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit comprises a team of six members of staff, alongside its president.
The Equality Unit works in the following areas
Inter-university networks
- The Women and Science Committee of the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia (CIC)
- The Social and Community Engagement Committee.
- The Gender Equality Working Group of the Vives Network of Universities.
- The Network of Gender Equality Units for University Excellence (RUIGEU)
- The Network of Universities for Diversity (RUD).
- The CRUE Gender Equality Policy Group.
About the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
The UOC's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan 2026-2029 is the university's roadmap for ensuring an equitable institution free from violence. Through the publication and implementation of this strategic document, the UOC reinforces its commitment to EDI by incorporating cultural diversity and disability for the first time.
This plan has not only been developed through a participatory process, but is also based on an evaluation of the previous plan and on the 2024 EDI assessment, which analysed the state of EDI across all areas of the university. To address all the challenges identified, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Unit coordinated the development of this plan, which is structured around four strategic pillars: coordination, organization, teaching, and research and knowledge transfer.
The approval of the organization pillar of this action plan, as well as the assessments on which it is based, was carried out within a negotiating committee involving legal representatives of employees, thereby ensuring institutional consensus.
Strategic areas
Organization
Area 1 of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Teaching
Area 2 of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Research and knowledge transfer
Area 3 of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Coordination
Area 4 of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan
Documentation
Addressing gender-based and LGBTI-phobic violence
Gender inequalities are a structural problem to which the university is not indifferent. As in other spaces for socialization, behaviours and situations that constitute violence have also been normalized at universities.
As an agent in society generating knowledge, universities can play a key role in eradicating gender violence, transforming the system and the social relationships on which it is based.
The UOC is committed to making its university a space that is free of violence against women and LGBTI people.
How do we do it?
01
Policy on sexual harassment and discrimination on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, and gender expression or identity.
02
Protocol for the prevention, detection, handling and resolution of situations of sexual harassment and harassment on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression at the UOC.
03
As a member of the university community, it is possible that at some point someone will tell you that they are experiencing gender violence outside the university environment, which means the situation cannot be dealt with via the UOC's Protocol for the prevention, detection, handling and resolution of cases of sexual harassment and harassment on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity and/or expression.
News
Resources
- Dealing with gender violence outside the university environment
- Collection: The UOC Equality Unit
- The gender perspective in research
- Good practices for gender equality in scientific journals
- Guide to gender-neutral language
- Guide to teleworking and shared responsibility for work-life balance in the COVID-19 era
- Kit with tools and resources for the design of courses and teaching that include a gender perspective
- Guides for university teaching with a gender perspective
- Kit for UOC authors to include a gender perspective in their content
- Collection of gender-related final projects
- UOC Gender Equality Plan 2020-2024
- UOC gender in the workplace analysis 2021
