New report shows that diversity varies at the University

“The purpose of the University’s Diversity Reports has been to contribute input to its work with widened access to higher education, internationalisation, equal opportunities, and opportunities for career development. The starting point has been the goals set out in the University’s goals and strategies for these matters,” says Hooshang Bazrafshan, an equal opportunities specialist within the University Administration, who produced the report.

This Diversity Report draws its data from 2023. In general, the proportions of employees, doctoral students and students with a foreign background have all increased, while the proportion with a Swedish background has decreased compared with the previous report, which showed the situation in 2016. These changes largely reflect corresponding developments in the Swedish population in relevant age groups during the same period.

Approximately 40 per cent of employees have a foreign background and 60 per cent have a Swedish background. Compare this with Sweden’s population as a whole in the age group 25–65 years, 31 per cent of whom have a foreign background and 69 per cent a Swedish background.
Italy tops the statistics with the highest increase since 2016 in the number of employees with a foreign background, followed by Germany and India. Staff within support services are largely recruited within Sweden, while staff within core activities are recruited internationally.

“Unlike employees, the proportion of students with a foreign background is smaller than the corresponding proportion of Sweden's population. Just over 27 per cent of the students at the University have a foreign background, and just under 69 per cent have a Swedish background. Of Sweden’s population in the age group 20–39, just over 34 per cent have a foreign background and just under 66 per cent have a Swedish background,” he says.

Women now in the majority

Women are now in the majority among employees as well as doctoral students and students. Of the total number of employees, 53 per cent are women and 47 per cent men, which is within the gender equality range.

The occupational group continues to have a low proportion of men, while the professor group continues to have a low proportion of women.
The proportion of women among doctoral students has increased by 7 per cent, which means that the proportion of men has decreased by the same amount. More than half of all doctoral students at the University are now women, which is still within the gender equality range.

In the case of students, the proportion of women has increased by 3 per cent since 2016, from 58 per cent to 61 per cent; and the proportion of men has decreased from 42 per cent to 39 per cent, which is just outside the gender equality range.

Big differences within the University

There are still big differences in diversity among employees as well as doctoral students and students when comparing departments, faculties, sections and disciplinary domains.

“Different types of measures are needed to achieve a more even gender distribution or better representativeness in relation to diversity in the wider community. Responsibility for the operational work is delegated in line organisations, which means that it is up to the relevant boards, departments and equivalent to make decisions on any measures,” says Hooshang Bazrafshan.

However, he argues that in general, the outcome in the Diversity Report can be seen as a first step in a systematic development project. Then you can try to identify the reasons why the figures look the way they do, and then take a third step in the form of the measures that might be needed to lead developments in the right direction.

“A systematic project of this kind also falls well within the framework of ‘active measures’, which are required under the Discrimination Act (2008:567), and can generally be positive for the University’s development based on its goals and strategies,” he says.

Persistent under-representation of certain population groups

Another persistent trend since the first Diversity Report was produced in 2010 is that native-born residents with two foreign-born parents, and residents born in Africa are under-represented.

“All Diversity Reports (from 2010, 2016, 2018 and 2023) show that these two population groups are under-represented among employees in all occupational groups in all areas of activity. Other foreign-born groups may be over-represented in some areas of activity and under-represented in others, but not these two groups,” he says.