The professors from the University of Cauca, Isabel Muñoz Zambrano and César Jesús Pardo Calvache, alongside Elizabeth Suescún Monsalve from EAFIT, present some conclusions from this publication. "There is a group of students who perceive gender inequality, limited inclusion, and leadership in the university environment, observing a 'preferential treatment', somehow taking advantage of gender gaps, which is concerning as it undermines a fundamental human right of equality."

"This book stems from the researchers' motivation to narrate the most relevant reflections and in a passive voice, the perception that students have regarding gender in the different academic activities that are part of their daily lives and embedded in their education."

Professor César Jesús Pardo Calvache from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications, together with Isabel Muñoz Zambrano from the Faculty of Health Sciences and Elizabeth Suescún Monsalve from the Product Design and Experiences area at EAFIT University, are the authors of the book "Equality, Inclusion, and Gender Leadership: Perception of University Students", published by the Editorial Seal of Uniautonoma del Cauca.

This work is the result of a pilot research project that allowed reflecting on the perception in the gender dimension: inclusion, leadership, and equality in the university environment, specifically in analyzing the perception of students from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications at the University of Cauca. The students' perception was obtained through the application of a tool consisting of 34 questions related to the established variables (inclusion, leadership, and equality), which was evaluated by experts in gender issues in higher education and applied to 266 students from academic programs such as Systems Engineering, Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications, Industrial Automation Engineering, and Telematics Technology.

As a result of applying the perception tool, it was found that 70.7% of the students were male. Regarding equality, 70.3% considered that there were no preferences; however, 29.7% perceived that there were preferential treatments in academic activities. On the other hand, 77.4% consider that there is fair and equal treatment; nevertheless, 22.6% perceive otherwise. Concerning inclusion, 44% affirmed having perceived a different and less inclusive treatment in the development of activities in the university environment; meanwhile, 56% indicated the opposite. About leadership, it was possible to observe that the predominant level of self-confidence was a "medium level" at 53%.

"With the results, it was concluded that there is a group of students who perceive gender inequality, limited inclusion, and leadership in the university environment, observing 'preferential treatment', somehow taking advantage of gender gaps, which is concerning as it undermines a fundamental human right of equality."

The authors of the work wish to express their gratitude to the students of the University of Cauca who have shared their perceptions and experiences, vital for the development of the research project and the construction of this book. Likewise, they want to thank the following students for their support and collaboration in carrying out some activities:

Darly Liliana Burbano Delgado, Laura Camila Narváez Jiménez, Francy Idaly Muelas Muelas, Juliana Hurtado Carmona, Fernanda Marcela Melo Villamarín, Aura María Tombé Morales, Beyilised Palechor Gómez, and Jennifer Daniela Lasso Martínez.

Similarly, they express their gratitude to students from EAFIT University in Medellín, who accompanied them in various meetings with their enthusiasm, perception, and ideas. They are: Josué Daniel Bustamante Serrano, Laura Sofía Muñoz Montoya, and Professor Silvana Montoya from the Civil Engineering program.

Similarly, the professors extend their thanks to the Dean of the FIET, M.Sc. Alejandro Toledo, who supported the project's realization within the faculty.

'The book arises because, although contradictory and despite the constant reduction in the gender gap, in the 21st century, it remains a challenge to integrate different societal actors into gender equality issues and processes due to the evident gender disparities. Even though studies on gender perspectives have significantly increased in South America and Colombia over the last few decades through various research methods, it is imperative to continue delving into gender studies, primarily because discriminatory situations persist during academic activities that can affect coexistence, professional development, and promote harassment and violence in university settings,' the authors stated.

They add that within academic contexts, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) must declare themselves as bodies for intellectual development that promote human rights, knowledge advancement, peace, and equality among men, women, and diverse genders. 'In HEIs, similar to other societal settings, a hierarchical and subordinate-based system is envisaged, which by its very nature could conceal discrimination towards women or other non-masculine genders, which are not always visible. Therefore, studying gender perception allows the visibility of different forms of discrimination concerning equality, inclusion, and leadership, which are not always the result of malicious attacks, but rather indirect actions, sometimes barely noticeable or shrouded in an aura of neutrality. Nevertheless, these scenarios result from social structures that sharply divide between the masculine and the feminine, consequently reproducing social inequalities, negative effects of discrimination, and disadvantage for some of its individuals.'

The work does not require the reader to have prior knowledge in the field of gender equality, inclusion, and leadership. On the contrary, it is intended for those interested in addressing these issues. In this regard, there is a theoretical framework with related concepts, related work, and an instrument designed to assess gender equality, inclusion, and leadership. Additionally, the results obtained in a real case within the programs of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications at the University of Cauca are presented.

Furthermore, the work has been reviewed and endorsed by international references in gender issues in engineering, including Ph.D. Gabriela Marín Raventós, a professor and researcher at the University of Costa Rica (UCR), coordinator of the Gender Equity and Inclusion Committee at the UCR's Faculty of Engineering (CEGIFI), also coordinator of the Latin American Women in Computing (LAWC) Community of CLEI and director of the Graduate Program in Computing and Informatics at UCR.

'This work seeks to raise awareness and promote actions to advance gender equality, inclusion, and leadership in university settings. It is a pioneering book that describes a research project on the perception of gender in Colombian university students. It offers a theoretical framework and the results of the pilot test of the proposed instrument. Due to its focus and the depth of its analysis, it can become a reference for those of us who dream of gender equity in the Latin American region,' highlights Professor and Researcher Gabriela Marín Raventós.

Similarly, it features the evaluation and review by Ph.D. Yenory Rojas Hernández, the rector of the Universidad INVENIO, Costa Rica, an active member of the board of directors of the IEEE Costa Rica Section and a member of the board of the IEEE Costa Rica Computing Chapter, alternate representative of the rectors of private universities in Costa Rica before the National Council of Private University Education.

'... the study conducted and recorded in this book focusing on the perception of students at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications of the University of Cauca regarding the gender gap in their education, as well as gender equality, inclusion, and leadership, is of paramount importance. This book presents a formal study with significant findings that will serve as a basis to build solutions and approaches not only at the University of Cauca but also at other institutions wishing to contribute to reducing this gap. Consequently, it will have a direct impact not only on the professional training of students but also on the influence each of them will have in their professional practice and their contributions to improving the world.'

Finally, the authors express their gratitude for the support of Ph.D. Ramsés López Santamaría, director of the editorial imprint of the Universidad Autónoma del Cauca, for his interest and support during the editing and publication process of the work. The book will be available with open access in the current year's October and will be published on the portal of the Universidad Autónoma del Cauca. For those wishing to obtain the printed work, it will also be available through the portal of the Universidad Autónoma del Cauca or by contacting professors Ph.D. César Pardo or M.Sc. Isabel Zambrano.

 

The summarized version of the book can be accessed at the following link. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374053613_Igualdad_inclusion_y_...)

About the Authors:

César Jesús Pardo Calvache is a Full Professor at the University of Cauca (Unicauca - Colombia) and a member of the Information Technology Research Group - GTI, Colombia. He holds a degree in Systems Engineering from Unicauca (2006), a PhD (2012), and a Master's (2009) in Computer Engineering from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain. More information about Professor César Pardo's productivity can be found at the following links: https://bit.ly/3AHiwW9 and https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cesar-Calvache.

Isabel Muñoz Zambrano is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FCS) at the University of Cauca, Colombia. She is a specialist in health projects, epidemiology, and holds a Master's in Epidemiology from the University of Valle. She is a member of the Communication, Health, and Social Development research group and coordinates research area subjects in the Speech Therapy program. She is also a director and co-director of undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Elizabeth Suescún Monsalve is a research professor in the area of Product and Experience Design at the Universidad EAFIT, Medellín, Colombia. She is a member of the GIDITIC research group at the same university. She holds a degree in Computer Engineering (2004) from the Politécnico JIC Colombia, a Master's in Computer Science - Software Engineering Emphasis (2010), and a Doctorate in Computer Science - Software Engineering Emphasis (2014) from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.