Introduction

Institutional focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) affects all parts of higher education management. Most academic institutions are, for example, required to have a strategy for DEI, and DEI standards have become a yardstick for an institution’s internal evaluation and external ranking. Dealing with DEI-related aspects are, in some places, a top-down policy, which interlaces all levels of local institutional policies. Gender equality has, for example, been a political top priority at the EU level sparking a myriad of policy changes at lower levels of governance. DEI debates in academia have moved from focusing on individuals to focusing on how social and cultural structures systematically place people in a disadvantaged position due to group-based prejudices. In research, the relationship between diversity and gender has been explored both in terms of adversity and complementarity. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.