G-VERSITY – Achieving Gender Diversity is a European training network for early-stage researchers. Yirou Fang and Kezia Olive have worked as PhD fellows at the University of Helsinki.
The network comprises 15 different research projects tackled by seven universities across Europe. Non-academic partners are also included.
"The aim of the network has been two-fold. First, to address the need for new ways of training doctoral students. Second, to develop new expertise in Europe to improve gender diversity and equality, benefiting employers and schools."
Multidisciplinary research on gender issues
Fang and Olive joined the G-VERSITY programme in 2021 and relocated to Finland. Both are supervised by Academy Professor Katariina Salmela-Aro at the Minds Hub research group for motivation, learning and well-being in digital era. Within the network, they have received training, participated in bi-annual conferences, and networked within the multidisciplinary programme.
“We both come from psychology, but there are also people from anthropology, media studies, and political studies. The multidisciplinary nature of the network is invaluable because we learn from each other's perspectives.”
The unique aspect of the programme’s research projects is the age span they cover. “There are two work packages: Pathway and Workplace. Pathway focuses on younger children and their development before employment, while Workplace addresses improvements in gender equality within working life.”
Olive’s doctoral research falls under the Pathway package. “I study students from primary to upper secondary school, using longitudinal data to understand how school experiences might lead to gendered pathways. For example, do children’s interests in math and languages reflect their preferences, or are they influenced by societal expectations?”
“It seems there is more to gender than where we achieve better – you’re expected to do something if you’re a girl or a boy.”
Fang’s research, part of the Workplace package, focuses on career setbacks with a gender perspective. “I examine how different genders experience the workplace, focusing on psychological well-being, burnout, and job satisfaction. Women are more likely to experience burnout due to their dual roles as caregivers and professionals.”
Real-life solutions to improve gender equality
One unique outcome of the training has been implementing real-life interventions to improve gender equality. Fang worked with a non-academic partner, the Finnish Aviation Academy, to address the low percentage of female pilots, which is globally around eight percent.
“Post-COVID, pilot applications had dropped - there’s a global pilot shortage.”
“The Finnish Aviation Academy wanted to encourage more women to apply to their Pilot programme. I conducted a two-phase intervention,” Fang explains. “First, we sent a survey to Finnish high schools, school advisors, and Finnair employees.”
The survey revealed that the image of pilots is very masculine, and that students and advisors were unaware of the skills pilots need, like being sociable and a team player, highlighted by Finnair employees.
The second stage was to create a role model. “We created a five-episode video series featuring women in aviation, including trainees and Finnair pilots.”
The video series was released before the 2022 application round, resulting in the highest percentage of female applicants in the past 10 years.
Academic collaboration and new friends
In addition to academic collaboration, Fang and Olive have formed important friendships within the cohort. “Everybody comes from international backgrounds. We are happy to be together and collaborate. Those who study gender studies often share a deep commitment to equality and diversity.”
Doctoral candidates usually start with no network. “Being embedded in this network has been a privilege. It has provided numerous training opportunities, the chance to interact with professors from various fields, and to connect with other PhD students from different institutions. It's inspiring to see that we all care about the same societal issues.”
As the three-year G-VERSITY network programme concludes, Fang and Olive are preparing to finish their doctoral theses in their final, fourth year at the University of Helsinki. “We are grateful to receive support from the Faculty to finish our thesis.”
“Everyone has been so welcoming at Minds Hub research group. Language has played a huge part, as everyone is comfortable speaking English. We have enjoyed the Finnish nature and the work culture.”