Re-visiting Gender Equality Policy and the Role of University Top Management

How did gender mainstreaming and the introduction of sex quotas in management affect the gender equality project in higher education? After 20 years of establishing gender equality structures and monitoring the proportion of women in decision-making, persistent gender inequality in universities confirms a paradoxical situation: while the number of women in decision-making has increased, institutional policies in universities have had minimal effects in eliminating gender inequality. By discussing two main components of gender mainstreaming—the representation of women and its transformative claim—our analysis points to two missing and interlinked factors that help explain the paradox. We argue that ensuring the empowerment of gender structures and building gender competence are prerequisites for overcoming the status quo.