CONSTANTA MARITIME UNIVERSITY GENDER EQUALITY PLAN

Gender equality is a basic value of the European Union, a fundamental right and a key principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights. Universities and institutions of research from the European Research Area and the European Higher Education Area are committed to strengthen themselves as inclusive and excellent institutions promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination, equity and equality, being a support for open, democratic and fair societies, as well as for sustained growth, entrepreneurship, integration and employment.

Gender equality is enshrined at a universal international level through the Development Goals Sustainable Development of the United Nations included in the UN 2030 Agenda and aims to reduce inequalities and eliminating discrimination in all areas, including education. Also, we mention the main national anti-discrimination normative acts in the field of education:

• The Romanian Constitution;
• Government Ordinance n 137/2000 on the prevention and sanctioning of all forms of discrimination;
• Law 48/2002 for the approval of Government Ordinance no. 137/2000 regarding preventing and sanctioning all forms of discrimination;
• Decision n 1194 of November 27, 2001 regarding the organization and functioning of the Council

National for Combating Discrimination;

• Law 202/2002 on equal opportunities and treatment between women and men;
• Decision n 1258 of August 13, 2004 regarding the approval of the National Action Plan for combating discrimination;
• Law 324 of July 14, 2006 for the amendment and completion of O.G. no. 137/2000 regarding

preventing and sanctioning all forms of discrimination;

• Law 27/2004 regarding the approval of O.G. 77/2003 for the amendment and completion of O.G. no. 137/2000 regarding the prevention and sanctioning of all forms of discrimination;
• Law 612 of November 13, 2002 for formulating a declaration regarding recognition by Romania of

the competence of the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Racial, in accordance with art. 14 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All forms of racial discrimination, adopted by the General Assembly of the Organization of Nations United in New York on December 21, 1965, published in the Official Gazette no. 851/26 November 2002.

The Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is based on a series of objectives along the guidelines of the European Institute for Gender Equality (European Institute for Gender Equality -EIGE), which aim to identify and implement innovative strategies for promoting cultural changes and equal opportunities within universities and others research centers:

• promoting the equal development of women’s and men’s careers to capitalize on the maximum potential of each human resource, talents and abilities;
• improving the decision-making process by addressing possible imbalances in the matter of gender to

adapt to new requirements and opportunities in terms of excellence;

• the inclusion of gender variables in the research;
• diversification of approaches/opinions and methodologies in research and teaching processes;
• stimulating cultural changes for gender awarene

 

The institutional context

The mission of any university should be to develop and spread knowledge, education for the exercise of professions and functions, as well as promotion of society’s ideas free for the purpose of development and in accordance with the following principles: university autonomy, academic freedom, free and equal access without any discrimination of sex, age, race, ethnicity, religion or political option. The mission can be accomplished through institutional commitment to the principles gender equality.

Constanta Maritime University GEP is in line with the European Commission’s Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and with Romanian legislation in force.

It must address five fundamental areas:

• Domain 1: Gender balance in senior management positions and decision-making bodies;
• Domain 2: Gender equality in recruitment, career development, career advancement and staff retention; Domain 3: Integrating the gender dimension into teaching and research programs;
• Domain 4: Work-life balance;
• Domain 5: Combating gender-based violence, including sexual harassment.

For each of these five areas of action can be set more objectives correlated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the UN 2030 Agenda, especially the SDG 5.

For Domain 1, the established objectives can be:

1. The creation of specialized structures that support gender equality;
2. Promoting gender equality in institutional culture, processes and practic

Regarding Domain 2, the targeted objectives may refer to:

1. Promotion of measures to support gender balance in recruitment, development careers and staff retention;
2. Dissemination and promotion of good career practices;
3. Ensuring the visibility of women’s contributions in education and resear

Domain 3 can aim to achieve the following objectives:

1. Integrating the gender dimension in teaching, research and innovation processes;
2. Promoting the integration of a gender perspective in teaching progra

For Domain 4, the established objectives can be:

1. Promoting the balance between professional and private life;
2. Implementation of ICT-based systems to increase working time flexibility and the mobility of students and staff of the higher education institut

Domain 5 can focus on achieving the following objectives:

1. Raising awareness on the importance of equality issues and strengthening positive attitudes towards diversity;
2. Creation of tools for investigating and solving situations at an institutional level of sexual harassment

and discrimination.

 

In the category of actions that will take place for the five fundamental areas, we can mention the following:

1. Regular updating of gender statistics on women’s access to education superiors in the maritime field;
2. Periodic evaluation of the existence of an anonymous incident reporting mechanism of discrimination, sexual harassment or gender inequality at the level of the Student League from Constanta Maritime University (CMU);
3. Ensuring physical accessible facilities in CMU locations for people with disabilities;
4. Review of internal reference documents (Gender Equality Plan, Plan of improving equity in education, Institutional Social Equity Strategy in education) in relation to the good practices of similar institutions

in the field;

5. Establishing partnerships with representatives of the civil society (professional associations, non- governmental organizations, trade unions or federations) for the organization of joint projects and events that address issues of discrimination and gender equali

 

In the spirit of the European values and requirements, Constanta Maritime University’s Gender Equality Plan is a strategic document through which the institution assumes at the institutional level its commitment for the promotion and monitoring of gender equality, for the integration of gender equality in institutional culture and practices. GEP is an institutional commitment, a plan that is revised periodically according to the dynamics and needs of the university environment and society.

By adopting the Gender Equality Plan, based on the internal review and policies and national and European requirements, the aim is to expand the concrete and effective application of the principle of non-discrimination and gender equality at the level of the entire CMU academic community and to raise awareness among UMC employees and students regarding the content and importance of gender equality, in order to prevent contrary conduct.