1.
Understanding and
Tackling Resistances
to Structural Change
for Gender Equality in
Higher Education
10th February 2022

2.
Presenter and Authors
Lucy Ferguson,
Yellow Window
(presenter and co-author)
Lucy Fe
Lut Mergaert, Yellow
Window (co-author)

3.
Questions for self-reflection throughout the
presentation
➔What kinds of resistances to structural change for
gender equality have you experienced?
➔How do you currently deal with resistances?
➔How could you deal with resistances differently?
➔What role do resistances play in the structural
change process?

4.
Quotation for Discussion
“We should celebrate as a success cases where the
status quo has to start to work hard to reproduce
itself and has to invest resources and energy in
resisting gender change. The need for visible
resistance to positive change is a success. It is
evidence of the chipping away of patriarchy; it might
be chipping away really slowly, but it is changing.”
(Fiona Mackay, quoted in Aruna Rao, Joanne Sandler,
David Kelleher, Carol Miller, Gender at Work: Theory and
Practice for 21st Century Organizations, Routledge 2016)

5.
Do you agree with this
quotation?
Please answer in the
chat

6.
Presentation draws on
SUPERA Resistances
Toolkit

7.
The SUPERA partners:

8.
Background to Resistances Toolkit
● Collaborative efforts – SUPERA, GE Academy,
Gender-SMART and GEARING-Roles
● Three in-person and two online workshops
● SUPERA project webinar which followed up on
the resistances toolkits developed

9.
Outcomes of participation in resistances
workshops
● Participants reframed their thinking by
acknowledging that resistances are a normal and
necessary part of change.
● Resistances something which can be managed
● Encouraged to be subversive and strategic

10.
Content of Toolkit and Presentation
● PART 1 - Categorising and theorising resistances
● PART 2 - Common guidelines for dealing with
resistances
● PART 3 - Resistances Action Plan

11.
PART 1
CATEGORISING
RESISTANCES -
WHY, HOW, WHO?

12.
Why?
● Specifically about gender equality, or other issues
altogether?
● Limited resources – both human and financial
resources
● Conflicting interests and priorities for funding
● Growth of the discrimination/diversity agenda

13.
Why?
● Lack of capability
● Gender blindness
● Gender fatigue
● Assumptions regarding what is behind
resistances may at times be arbitrary

14.
Can you identify
any of these
reasons for
resistances in your
context?

15.
How? Active or explicit resistances
● Hostility, sexist humour, devaluation and disparaging
women’s accomplishments or professional commitment,
interrupting, denial of access to resources, etc.
● “Essentialist” discourses about gender inequalities
● Depoliticising and marginalising gender inequality
arguments and data as a matter of contrasting opinions,
rather than “facts”.

16.
How? Passive or implicit resistances
● Negative body language, foot dragging, inertia,
chilly climate, making the procedures more
difficult, giving less attention, uncomfortable social
atmosphere
● Giving less access to institutional resources,
discomfort, inappropriate treatment, providing
mere lip-service support but nothing else, etc.

17.
Can you identify
any of these forms
of resistances in
your context?

18.
Who?
● Individual resistances come from a single
person, more often from men, although not
exclusively.
● A group resistance emerges from a collection of
individuals
● Institutional resistances are more difficult to
address, as they tend to be a product of
institutional culture or an institution’s legal or
administrative procedures.

19.
Who?
● The superficial or preliminary manifestation of
resistances may be seen differently as the
project develops.
● It should be noted that in some workshops,
participants found it more difficult to identify
institutional resistances compared to
individual

20.
Can you identify any of
these forms of resistances in
your context?
Do you find this a useful
categorisation?

21.
PART 2
Common guidelines
for dealing with
resistances

22.
Caring for the “core team”
 Lack of recognition of “academic care work”.
 While core teams of change agents work hard to
implement GEPs, this is often not acknowledged
in any formal manner or reflected in workloads or
promotion opportunities.

23.
Caring for the core team
 Demotivation, exhaustion and burnout
 The work is hard and the battles are fierce, as
well as expectations around presenting gender
equality in a “friendly, non-threatening manner”
 Sometimes, structural change is being promoted
by one person or small group

24.
Four Ss (for us)
➔Success – celebrate small wins to help motivation
➔Sanity – use energies where they can have most
impact
➔Self-care – look after each other’s well-being
➔Sustainability – bear in mind this is a long-term
process

25.
APR
Within the ‘For Us’ approach, participants developed
the Anticipate – Prepare – Rehearse strategy.
Rehearsal involves practising arguments and
counter-arguments and learning to communicate
politically - for example, use of role plays has been
particularly useful.

26.
Role Play Scenarios
Can you think of a specific example of a
scenario which you often face that could be
helped with the use of role play with your
team?
Please share an example in the chat

27.
Tackling resistances
to implementation

28.
Acting politically
 Develop tactics and strategies
 Networks and alliances
 Dealing with bureaucracy
 Improving arguments and communication

29.
Do you have any
examples or
experiences to share?
Please do so in the
chat.

30.
PART 3
Resistances Action
Plan

31.
Stage 1 – Identify Resistances
Identify a resistance
Categorise the resistance
Acknowledge alternative reactions to this
resistance
Identify the techniques and strategies
required to deal with this resistance

32.
Stage 2 – Prioritise
How easy/difficult is each example of
resistance to address?
How important is this example of resistance toto
the overall implementation of the gender
equality plan?
Prioritise which resistances are to be addressed
and in what order

33.
Stage 3 – Follow up Session
How has the toolkit been applied?
Share initiatives and actions undertaken
to address the resistances prioritised
Identify persistent and emerging
resistances

34.
Stage 4 – Revision of Action Plans
Revise Action Plans, taking into account the feedback
from peers
Share initiatives and actions undertaken to
address the resistances prioritised
Identify persistent and emerging resistances
Action Plans become living documents which respond
to the changing circumstances of institutions

35.
Would you be
interested in
developing an Action
Plan for your
team/institution?

36.
Thank you for your
attention!
Any questions?

37.
Please read and share
the SUPERA
Resistances Toolkit
https://www.superaproj
ect.eu/resistances-to-
structural-change-in-
gender-equality/