For many years, the University of Girona has been leading the way in gender policies within the Spanish and international university systems. In this regard, it is worth noting that in 2023 the UdG was ranked first among Spanish universities and 24th worldwide in terms of contribution to SDG 5 (Gender Equality) in the prestigious international THE Impact ranking, which assesses the contribution in universities in terms of research, teaching, transfer and commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.

With the aim of strengthening the institutional structures aimed at promoting the value of equality, the Governing Council of the University of Girona no. 9/2025 agreed to create the Chair of the Observatory of Women's Studies at the University of Girona The agreement was conceived primarily with the aim of institutionally strengthening networking, in order to achieve shared objectives with administrations and organisations; creating synergies and opening up spaces for debate and critical reflection beyond the university environment; and strengthening knowledge transfer through the organisation of training, outreach and awareness-raising activities, designed to span the different areas of knowledge and focused specifically on women. In short, to bring to the public the interdisciplinary knowledge about women generated within the university community. And also to strengthen the incentives to promote the generation and advance of knowledge in this area and to disseminate the results, through the call for grants, recognition and awards.

With the creation of the Chair, the University of Girona aims to promote initiatives designed to raise the profile of women in the different areas of social, cultural, economic and political life; to encourage critical reflection and foster public debate on gender bias, discrimination, glass ceilings and obstacles that hinder real and effective equal opportunities for women; to promote the dissemination of studies on gender-based violence, in its various forms, and policies for the prevention, detection and tackling of such violence; contribute to cultural and scientific revitalisation; and recognise women’s contributions in the various fields of knowledge and in the transformation of society.

Our university community's commitment to the transfer of knowledge in this area was already made clear in the Second Equality Plan, which was unanimously approved by the Governing Council on 29 April 2021. The Plan set out an unwavering commitment to the value of equality, which, based on consensus, was reflected in all areas falling within the UdG’s remit and was given concrete form in a comprehensive catalogue of actions structured around six major strategic pillars. The last of these pillars, entitled "Social Commitment and Gender-sensitive Knowledge Transfer", envisaged, amongst other measures, institutional responsibility for promoting the establishment of links and collaborations with public and private administrations and organisations committed to gender equality. Other actions included in the Plan made progress in strengthening the commitment to a gender-sensitive transfer of university knowledge, thereby re-enforcing the culture of equality. To meet these commitments, at its 3/2024 meeting on 26 April the University of Girona’s Equality Committee approved the proposal to establish this institutional Chair in Women’s Studies, aimed at reinforcing a framework of stable collaboration with public and private administrations and organisations in the region.

It should be noted that many of these objectives constitute commitments made at the level of the Catalan university system, and the University of Girona has been working on them extensively for years within the framework of different inter-university forums. To put this into practice, various initiatives have been promoted, such as the General Framework for the Incorporation of the Gender Perspective in University Teaching and the Strategy for Gender Equality in Science (EIGEC). Among other things, these strategic planning tools set out a firm commitment on the part of the Catalan university system to giving women greater prominence in teaching, research, management and knowledge transfer. In the case of EIGEC, it addresses the duty of universities to promote coordination and cooperation initiatives with government bodies and institutions to highlight gender equality and the role of women, which is also reflected in knowledge transfer, innovation and social impact. Underlying this commitment is the recognition that the gender perspective constitutes a fundamental element in the quality of university education. And the realisation that universities must establish themselves not only as forums for denouncing inequalities, discrimination and violence, but also, and quite particularly, as forums for social transformation.

It is worth noting that, in its various forms, this commitment on the part of the Catalan university system has been bolstered by a number of recent, wide-ranging regulatory reforms which have developed the gender perspective within the universities’ areas of competence. In the case of the University of Girona, the new Statutes approved by Agreement GOV/2002/2025, dated 29 July, implement these provisions with the aim of defending them.. In this sense, the creation of this Chair is also in line with the strategic priorities of the University of Girona. More specifically, is in line with Strategic Objective 1.1 of the UdG 2030 Strategic Plan, which calls for the University to become a key player in the region, through an increased shared commitment between the University and businesses and institutions in Girona.

To this end, the University of Girona has extensive experience in the field of gender equality, spanning various fields of knowledge. The university also has various networks, entities, units and services (Equality Commission; Equality Unit; Gender and Diversity Delegations; Purple Points; the ICE’s Teaching Innovation Network on Gender Perspectives, Faculty Teaching Innovation Groups and more) that work, either directly or indirectly, to promote the transfer of knowledge from teaching, research and management to society, and bring together many committed members of our university community who actively collaborate on the design and implementation of gender policies promoted under the auspices of the Equality Plans.This expertise has played a decisive role in securing the University of Girona a leading position in international rankings in this field.With the establishment of the Chair of the Observatory of Women’s Studies, the University of Girona is reinforcing the institutional framework to further the university community’s unwavering commitment to the value of equality.