Ella Ghosh

User profile

Senior Adviser

Ella

Ghosh

Norway

Area of expertise, interest, main activities...: 

academic careers, ethnic diversity, Action Plan, intersectionality, Gender equality, indicators

About you (please use English): 

I have been working in the field of gender and diversity in academia since 2011. Now I work for the Commitee for Gender Balance and Diversity in Research, in direct contact with institutions of higher learning and research on a daily basis. At the University of Oslo, I coordinated a mentorship scheme for female post-docs and qualification programme for associate professors to become professors. From 2007-11 I led a centre for ethnic minority women in the inner city where womens rights, health and protection from violence were key issues. For ten years I worked with antidiscrimination and human rights - at the Equality Ombud, the Centre for Combating ethnic Discrimination and a national disability rights organisation. I have also worked in the Ministry of Social affairs and the Ministry of Education with gender issues and international affairs just after I took an M.phil. in Political Science.

Scientific discipline: 

Social sciences

Stakeholder group: 

Policy stakeholders, Gender equality stakeholders

GenPORT Gender Expert2Expert Directory

Would you like to form part of the GenPORT Gender Expert database?: 

Yes

Area of Gender Expertise: 

Gender

Country coverage: 

Norway

Skills and track record: 

My main interest is in ensuring that the abstract principles of equality and non-discrimination are put into practice. I have worked with gender in academia, but also with legal rights (and new legislation) regarding women, ethnic minorities and disabled people. In the HE and research sector, people are great at writing and speaking about human rights, representation, social justice and equality. Most people at top level are puzzled by the paradox that despite open and meritocratic recruitment and career development systems, there still is so much inequality in practice. Few women in science, few women professors, few visible minorities at top level (e.g persons of immigrant origin from the global south). My focus is therefore on helping people defining the problems, formulating goals that are ambitious but still doable, engaging leaders and making them see that they can engender change. That involves making sure that both authorities and leaders take responsibility and monitor progress. This can not happen without putting together relevant research, documentation and statistics.