Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 27th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG7: Public Administration Education Author(s) Alexandra Columban Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca Romania Macarie Cornelia Felicia, Mihail BUSEPhD Candidate, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 23 Marinescu Street, 400337, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Title Students’ Sense and Sensibilities. An Exploratory Study of Perceptions around Gender Equality and Violence against Women in Romania’s Largest University File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Alexandra Columban Abstract Gender continues to be under-researched in Romania. The present exploratory study aims to contribute to filling this gap by analysing perceptions about four gender dimensions among students at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, the largest university in Romania. The four dimensions that are examined are: gender equality (as perceived at a national level compared to at the university level), prevalence of gender stereotypes (in relation to characteristics associated to personal and professional life), gender-based violence and sexual harassment (in Romania and in the university), and workplace discrimination. A brief theoretical review of the aforementioned notions is followed by quantitative research in the form of a questionnaire which was applied online and offline between October 2018 and March 2019 to 275 students enrolled in Bachelor, Master and Doctoral studies at Babeș-Bolyai University. The study found that students had a rather high awareness about gender issues in general and held favourable views towards gender equality and its enforcement. They assessed the university to be more gender-equal than the country as a whole, were not generally prone to stereotype about male and female traits, however, women claimed more traits for themselves than men. Students also believed women were much more likely to be subjected to sexual harassment, and rather rarely experienced gender discrimination, with the exception of professional promotion. The study is a good starting point for representatives of Babeș-Bolyai University and its students to create action plans and procedures to foster gender equality and reduce sexual harassment and discrimination. In addition, the study has the potential to be replicated at other universities in Cluj-Napoca and across the country.
