At the University of Namur, we've been pursuing a deliberate and reasoned gender policy for several years now. As early as 2011, a working group on this theme was set up. Since 2014, the University of Namur, like all French-speaking universities in Belgium and the F.R.S.-FNRS, has had a Gender Committee. This follows the policy line defined by the vice-rectorate in charge of gender.
The Gender Committee
Since 2014, the University of Namur, like all French-speaking universities in Belgium and the F.R.S.-FNRS, has had a Gender Committee. This committee has three main missions covering all aspects of gender issues specific to its institution: informing, raising awareness and networking. Through these, it contributes to the implementation and development of gender policy within its institution. He/she follows the policy line defined by the vice-rectorate in charge of gender.
Missions
- Edit an annual report on the state of gender equality within the institution
- Ensure greater visibility for the gender issue within the institution, by advising the authorities of its institution on the policies to be pursued for greater equality of women and men, by informing and raising the awareness of the university community and its stakeholders, and by monitoring the implementation of the actions set out in the respective action plans
- Participate in institutional, regional, national and international networks related to gender issues
- Propose an action plan to increase gender equality within the institution
Composition
- Xavier Devroey - Professor at the Faculty of Computer Science and member of the Namur Digital Institute (NADI). His research focuses on software reliability and quality within the SNAIL team. Xavier is a PHARE relay person and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community.
- Jérémy Dodeigne - Professor of political science at the EMCP Faculty, Jérémy is also a member of the Transitions research institute. As part of the institute's democratic transformations cluster (TRANSDEM), her research focuses in particular on women's political representation and changes in gender stereotypes in politics (POLSTYLE project).
- François-Xavier Fiévez - A graduate of the Université Catholique de Louvain, he carried out research work in the "Women's studies" department on feminist readings of contemporary African-American authors. Maître en Didactique des Langues Etrangères at UNamur, he is working on issues related to "Queering the English language classroom" (Paiz, 2020).
- Nathalie Grandjean - Doctor of Philosophy (UNamur, 2018), her areas of research include feminist and gender philosophy and ecofeminisms. She is a professor in the Master of Specialization in Gender Studies. She is the author of the monograph "Donna Haraway's Genealogy of Bodies. Féminismes, diffractions, figurations", published by Presses de l'ULB in 2021. She is an associate member of the Centre Vulnérabilités et Sociétés (V&S). She is administrator of Sophia, the Belgian gender studies network. She served as PCG for UNamur from October 2017 to January 2020.
- Julie Henry - Doctor of Informatics and STEAM project leader. Her work focuses, among other things, on gender stereotypes and their influence on career guidance, particularly with regard to STEM professions. She represents UNamur in the Women in Digital group (SPF - Economy).
- Coline Leclercq - As PCG of the University of Namur, Coline ensures that the university's commitments to gender equality are implemented. Alongside this, she is also the point person for the PHARE (Protection Harcèlement Etudiant) scheme. In this capacity, she welcomes and accompanies students who are victims or targets of harassment, which contributes directly to combating the phenomenon of the leaky pipe, i.e. the gradual loss of women as the curriculum progresses.
- Romain Mertens - Assistant-doctoral student at the UNamur Faculty of Law. His research interests include non-discrimination law. He is a member of the Femmes et Sciences Committee.
- Alyssa Sales - A graduate of UCLouvain in French and Romance languages and literatures, she works at UNamur's Education Administration as a study offer and student path referent. She is also a student in the Master of Specialization in Gender Studies and is writing a dissertation on ecological masculinities.
- Stéphanie Wattier - Full-time professor at the Faculty of Law, she teaches the "Law, Gender and Society" course in particular. She is co-director of the Centre Vulnérabilités et Sociétés (V&S) and Vicepresident of the Transitions research institute. Stéphanie Wattier is a member of the Management Committee of the Specialized Master in Gender Studies and of the Women and Science Committee. She served as PCG from January 2020 to September 2022.
- Alexandre Wery - Doctoral Assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters since 2023. His research focuses on masculine identities and gestures in rural life in the 16th century in the former Southern Netherlands.