The Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice respects and supports the role of women in society, which is underlined by the participation of the Vice-Rector for Undergraduate and Lifelong Learning, JUDr. Ľudmila Elbert, PhD, University Associate Professor, at the panel discussion “The Role of Women in the 21st Century”. It was organised by the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 30 May 2024 with the aim to present women working in business, industry, economic diplomacy, science, research and education and to show opportunities for mutual networking.
The topics discussed included, among others, the stereotypes of women’s position in society, the important support from men in women’s careers, as well as the obstacles that women themselves impose on other women in their career development. Experiences were shared not only by successful women from Slovakia, but also by foreign personalities working in our country – including the ambassadors of North Macedonia, Palestine, the Republic of India, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Canada, and the youth advisor for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the United Nations.
During the discussion, Vice-Rector Ľudmila Elbert highlighted the equal conditions for the employment of both women and men at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, the support for women in academia, including on the basis of the Gender Equality Plan or the Human Resources Strategy in Research (HRS4R), and the creation of the position of the UPJŠ Ombudsman overseeing, among other things, the equality of employees. She also pointed out the social stereotypes that need to be eliminated in mutual communication. “These cannot be eliminated just by changing the rules, but rather by changing the setting of the society and culture – with more humility, fairness and openness,” stated the Vice-Rector.
