UCT Sustainability and the SDGs 2022 - Magazine - Page 16
SDG 5
GENDER
EQUALITY
Advancing gender equality is central to UCT’s Vision
2030 and its commitment to fostering an inclusive,
equitable and diverse university community. UCT strives
to ensure that it provides the space and structure to
allow women to thrive academically and professionally,
supported by policies, programmes and a campus
culture that promote equity, safety and opportunity.
Institutional initiatives
On-campus childcare to support working mothers
The scholarships are awarded in the form of Entrance Merit
Scholarships, with 60% reserved for women to encourage
gender diversity. In 2024, 24 scholarships were awarded
Despite women being a part of the workforce for several
decades, in most societies the primary responsibility for
Empowering African women leaders in global health
childcare still usually rests on the mother and South Africa
The Women in Global Health Leadership Fellowship
is no different. One of the most signi昀椀cant barriers women
(WGHLF), a part of the Healthy Futures South Africa project
in higher education face is balancing the demanding roles of
within UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences, kicked off its
caregiving and professional responsibilities.
inaugural in-person training in 2024.
Accessible, on-campus, childcare enables parents, especially
This training is part of a hybrid year-long fellowship for 12
mothers, to continue studying, teaching and conducting
remarkable fellows from Kenya and South Africa who hail
research without having to step back from their careers.
from diverse backgrounds in academia, government and
Recognising this, UCT has been the proud home of an
health practice.
early childhood development centre, UCT Educare, for over
40 years. The centre provides a safe, loving and stimulating
environment to babies aged from three months to children of
昀椀ve years. UCT’s Educare Centre contributes to a supportive
work environment for parents and signals institutional
recognition that caregiving is a shared social responsibility
rather than a private burden.
Community engagement
Engineering and Built Environment
scholarships
Only 11% of engineers globally are women, demonstrating
a gross imbalance in the 昀椀eld of Engineering and the Built
Environment. To remedy this, UCT, through the Faculty
of Engineering & the Built Environment offers entrance
scholarships to women applying for degrees in the faculty.
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