In addition to negative stories, there is also room for positivity – Algemeen Nijmeegs Studentenblad

Over the past year, Radboud University (RU) has often received negative attention when it comes to women's liberation and transgressive behaviour. However, there are also positive voices: the Revolutionary Union has a relatively large number of female professors, and a pilot project against period poverty is scheduled to start soon.

It's March 8th and that means it's International Women's Day. On this day, widely celebrated since the 1960s, we commemorate the rights women have gained in recent years. Despite the negative stories – published as such Guilderlander Piece about it in September 2023 Unacceptable behaviour Among others, the university president, and it became clear two weeks ago that women are in the Faculty of Management systematic Being intimidated and discriminated against – there is also a positive voice in the Revolutionary Union.

Relatively good

In terms of numbers, Radboud performs well across the entire academic ladder. For example, with the appointment of José Sanders as Grand Rector on October 17, 2023, the face of the university will be a woman, as will four of the seven deans. At the national level, the Revolutionary Union also has a relatively large number of female professors. The Observatory for Female Professors shows that this percentage is 31.5% at RU. Although this provides room for improvement, the national average is lower at 27.6%. Delft University of Technology comes at the bottom with 18% of female professors. Even at the bottom of the ranking, the male-to-female ratio is doing well. For example, 48.6% of teachers, as well as 50.1% of teachers, are women.

Not only are the songs positive, but there are also a lot of initiatives that benefit women. Sanne Wallerbos (20, history) is a member of the USSR on behalf of the student union AKKU and talks about a pilot program offering free menstrual products. “In a few weeks, a pilot will begin with lockers containing free menstrual products for people within the university community who cannot afford them themselves.” She adds: “Menstruation is not an option. It costs a lot of money.” Although she is positive about the pilot initiative, she would like to see Radboud expand its distribution of menstrual products in the future. I hope they see the added value of that. At other universities, for example in Groningen, the products are already available to everyone.'