Equality between women and men is one of the goals of Instituto Superior Técnico, and a clear proof of this is the approval for teaching relief during post parental leave. This measure aims to better combine working life and family life.

“All faculty who have been on leave for at least 100 days will be granted teaching exemption for one semester”, explains professor Helena Geirinhas, responsible for the working group that promotes gender balance at Técnico. “We are aware that the days are not what they used to be and that a lot was left behind after we come back from parental leave. That’s why we thought of this measure”, she adds.

This measure, which main goal is to make up for lost time in research, can be enjoyed by both men and women. In the case of both of them carry out research at Técnico, only one will be covered by this measure. “It is our way of reaffirming our commitment to gender equality”, pointed out professor Helena Geirinhas. This measure will also be extended to the other Técnico employees, but the conditions are still being defined.

According to professor Helena Geirinhas, this is a pioneer measure: “as far as I know, no institution adopted such measure and therefore we are innovating and safeguarding the interests of people who work at Técnico”. The group Gender Balance@IST intends to carry out many other measures in the near future. “We will continue to work so that men and women feel comfortable to work and study here. We want to attract more women to Técnico. Diversity is the key to success”, she noted.