Isabel Braga da Cruz at the Order of Engineers event to share Católica's commitment to gender equality
Isabel Braga da Cruz, Pro-Rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, was present at the lunch meeting on the theme "There is Diversity, There is Engineering", organised by the National Board of the Order of Engineers (OE) and the Board of Directors of the Northern Region.
The event, which took place on 21 June in Porto, was part of the OE Year for Gender Equality in Engineering and brought together professionals in the field to discuss good organisational and business practices in terms of diversity. The event was attended by Lídia Santiago, national vice-president of the Order, Bento Aires, president of the Northern region of the OE, Maria João Correia, vice-president of the Northern Region, and Carla Mouro, assistant secretary of state for equality.
Isabel Braga da Cruz was part of the round table panel along with Benedita Martins, CEO of Conduril, Liliana Ferreira, director of Fraunhover Research Centre, and Carla Melo, CEO of Roudolph Arié. Moderated by the Commissioner of the Year for Gender Equality in Engineering, Ondina Afonso, the round table allowed for the sharing of experiences and perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that each speaker faces in their fields.
Isabel Braga da Cruz emphasised the University's commitment to gender equality, not least because of the presence of a female Rector at the head of the institution, a fact that is seen as positive for promoting equality.
The Pro-Rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP) highlighted the creation of the UCP's Gender Equality Plan, which is structured in three dimensions: defining policies, analysing and monitoring institutional data on gender equality. Examples of some of the actions carried out include the creation of an ombudsman for equality and inclusion in each of the regional centres, the promotion of measures that make it easier to reconcile study with family responsibilities, the implementation of the complaints channel and the provision of psychological support for students, teachers and staff. During her speech, Isabel Braga da Cruz also had the opportunity to highlight some actions that are underway, such as the creation of mentoring programmes to support the career development of the under-represented gender and, in terms of research, the Human Development Research Centre is currently working on seven projects that address the issue of gender equality.
Maria João Brochado Correia, vice-president of the Northern Region, and Ana Teodoro, also a member of the Region's board of directors, marked the end of the event whose main objective is to reinforce the commitment to promoting gender equality in the field of engineering.
