Universiteit Leiden

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Film Going Beyond Gender

‘Going Beyond Gender’ reveals how diverse women's experiences and backgrounds can be and how this diversity can affect their opportunities and career in academia. The entire film was recorded in and around the Kamerlingh Onnes Building as well as the Academy Building. The five women featured in the film are all staff, or former staff, of our faculty.

Going Beyond Gender- English subtitles

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Starting point for more awareness and conversations

The film shows that multiple factors, besides gender, affect the extent to which these women feel welcome and secure in the academic world. Their accounts will perhaps resonate with many people, regardless of gender.

The film can serve as a starting point for more awareness and conversations: awareness of the ingrained systemic structures that can halt the progress of those who do not fit the (often unspoken) ‘norm’; and conversations about how to make academia a safe place for ALL talent.

Kick-start awareness and conversations

For the film to also get the ball rolling when it comes to awareness and initiating conversations, the makers have come up with a number of questions to put to the film’s audience.

  • Are certain situations in the film familiar to you?
  • Who helped you get where you are today?
  • What would help you feel welcome and safe at the university?
  • Do you yourself help create an inclusive and safe work environment? If so, in what ways?
  • What do you think the faculty could do to attract more talented people (students and staff) with different backgrounds?

‘Going Beyond Gender’ was made with support from an NWO Aspasia grant that aims to promote the advancement of women in academia. Nadia Sonneveld, Associate Professor at Leiden Law School, was awarded the grant and got the ball rolling to make the film. Together with Susanne Deen (former advisor on diversity and inclusion at the faculty), she devised the concept and arranged for its production by Mals Media.

Do you have ideas or suggestions?

Or would you like to include the film in your own work? Let us know by emailing Nadia Sonneveld at n.sonneveld@law.leidenuniv.nl. The film can be shown freely and prior approval is not needed from the makers. We would, however, like to hear how you plan to use it and how the audience responds.

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