Dutch university loses case over sex discrimination after posting female-only job ads

This appeared in The Millennial Source

In June 2019, Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands announced it would restrict new job vacancies to women in an attempt to balance out the staff’s gender disparities over an 18-month period.

At the time, it said that up to 150 vacancies could be filled under the policy and that the policy would be reviewed after the 18-month window had expired. If no suitable female candidate could be found after six months for any given job posting, it would then open up for male candidates.

At the time, reports indicated that only 16% of full time professors, 15% of associate professors and 29% of assistant professors were women.

“We attach great importance to equal respect and opportunities for women and men and it has long been known that a diverse workforce performs better. It leads to better strategies, more creative ideas and faster innovation,” said the university’s rector Frank Baaijens at the policy’s announcement.

After implementation, however, the decision was met with legal scrutiny.

In September of last year, an anti-discrimination organization called Radar submitted a formal case against the university over the policy…