About us

 

The Research Institute for Gender and Equality of the University of Málaga (IGIUMA), is an organization mainly dedicated to the investigation, education, dissemination and counselling to organizations and institutions on gender and equality matters.

Its aim is the development and dissemination of studies regarding the construction of gender roles and their social manifestation and eradicating inequality as well as violence based on gender discrimination. The Institute is committed to promote equal opportunities, to apply the knowledge to improve people’s quality of life and partaking in the culture and improvement of social coexistence, thus laying the foundations in which a more equal and innovative superior education is build. 

The Institute was approved by the Government Council on the 26th of February of 2020 and it started functioning on September that same year. It originates from the Women’s Interdisciplinary Studies Seminar (WISS), the Association of Women’s Historical Studies (AWHS), the Coeducation Seminar of the UMA and also from research groups, projects and staff from the University of Málaga that have worked and still working on Gender and Equality subjects.  

The object of its activity is clearly interdisciplinary and specialised, with its own features and differentiated from the UMA’s departments, and comprehends multiple areas of knowledge. The ultimate goal of all the researchers participating in the submission has been to combine efforts in order to become a recognised centre on this field and continuing the work carried out previously by groups constituted as such, and by researcher staff as individuals.

For this purpose, and considering social and scientific needs, the Institute has set as general objectives, the following Goals of Sustainable Development (GSD):

• Guaranteeing that all inhabitants of the planet have the same rights (ODS1).
• Guaranteeing a healthy lifestyle and promote wellbeing for everyone from all age groups (ODS3). 
• Guaranteeing an inclusive and egalitarian primary education of quality, and a complete, free and equal secondary education of quality (ODS4).
• Achieving gender equality and empower all girls and women eradicating all forms of violence (ODS5).
• Promoting sustainable and inclusive sustained economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work conditions for everyone (ODS8).
• Encouraging innovation in order to support economic development and universal wellbeing providing egalitarian and attainable access for everyone (ODS9).
• Achieving inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements (ODS11).
• Encouraging peaceful societies and better access to justice in order to eradicate abuse, exploitation, human trafficking, torture and any manifestation of violence (ODS16). 

 

Considering the former objectives, in order for the Institute to achieve its goals, the following specific objectives are outlined: 

• Creating knowledge through research in the field of study of gender and equality.
• Directing scientific advancement towards the achievement of equality between women and men and the eradication of discrimination, aiming to improve social living standards and encouraging a continuous exchange of experiences and thoughts.
• Contributing to the interdisciplinary training of researchers in gender and equality studies through discussion, critical reflection, and sharing knowledge and information in collaboration with the departments of the University of Málaga.
• Developing the innovation in equality matters and placing special emphasis on the relationships with technological companies and entrepreneurship with gender perspective in order to promote change in STEM disciplines.
• Integrating the research areas, groups and projects about gender in the UMA.
• Promoting of new areas of investigation, team formation and the realisation of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary projects that, from a non-androcentric perspective, will research about women, masculinities, sex, gender identities, relationships between genders and the discrimination that women suffer.
• Integrating the results of the investigations in the proposal, coordination and impartation of teaching on gender and equality subjects, as well as on the different curriculum university levels.
• Providing continued education, capacitation and recycling of professional specialists in economic and social activities regarding effective equality between men and women.
• Disseminating the activities and studies of the Institute through publications and scientific events that allow the communication of the results to the social environment.
• Establishing relationships of scientific cooperation among Centres, Institutes, and national and international research networks.
• Elaborating agreements and forging relationships with the different academic and social institutions, public and private entities as well as with associations and non-governmental organizations, that focus their activities around gender equality.
• Developing and promoting actions aiming towards diversity, the eradication of discrimination and sexist education, as well as contributing to the implementation and development of coeducation and equality policies in any social sphere.
• Collaborating in cooperative and associative actions for development, with the ultimate goal of promoting the improvement of women’s living conditions and effective equality between genders.
• Enhancing women’s opportunities of reaching positions of responsibility and leadership, promoting a balanced presence of men and women in jobs that encourage social change.