L’Accademia allo specchio. Uno studio sulle policy adottate dalle università italiane per riconoscere, prevenire e contrastare la violenza di genere al proprio interno

Journal title WELFARE E ERGONOMIA
Author/s Tindara Addabbo, Carlotta Barra, Ester Cois, Ilenia Picardi
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/2
Language Italian Pages 18 P. 121-138 File size 95 KB
DOI 10.3280/WE2025-002009
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The incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) in the academic sector has increasingly come under scrutiny in recent years, both as a result of international denunciation movements within the broad constellation of #MeToo, and due to anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies included among the thematic areas of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), now required by the European Commission for access to research funding. A growing body of literature (Tutchell and Edmonds, 2020; Bondestam and Lundqvist, 2020a; 2020b) has highlighted the pervasiveness of GBV in the university system, and the issue has become a policy priority for higher education institutions globally, particularly in terms of ensuring organisational well-being. This paper aims to investigate the policies implemented by Italian universities to combat GBV, with the goal of assessing their effectiveness. The dataset draws on two primary sources: a) the full set of GEPs adopted by a sample of 47 Italian universities (out of the 99 institutions that make up the Italian higher education system, including universities and equivalent institutions), analysed through content analysis techniques, in light of their role as tools for “structural change” (Council of the European Union, 2015); b) semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in academic GBV prevention and response policies (such as Confidential Advisors, members of Ethics Committees, representatives of listening and anti-violence centres, members of Equal Opportunities Committees, student representatives, and the Rector’s delegates for gender equality, among others).

Keywords: Gender-based Violence; Universities; Welfare; Gender Equality Plan; Organizational Wellbeing.

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Tindara Addabbo, Carlotta Barra, Ester Cois, Ilenia Picardi, L’Accademia allo specchio. Uno studio sulle policy adottate dalle università italiane per riconoscere, prevenire e contrastare la violenza di genere al proprio interno in "WELFARE E ERGONOMIA" 2/2025, pp 121-138, DOI: 10.3280/WE2025-002009