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Diversity

Diversity

Diversity and inclusion – in all their forms – are key priorities in UvA policy.

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A.S.V.Gay protests at the Canal Parade: “Pride has sold its soul”

30 juli 2026 - 10:30

A.S.V.Gay’s colourful boat during the Amsterdam Canal Parade in 2017. This year, the student society’s boat will be decked out in black and white.

On Saturday 1 August, the boat parade will take place for the thirtieth year running as part of Amsterdam Pride. The LGBTQ+ student association A.S.V.Gay is taking part in a black-and-white protest boat to oppose the commercialisation of the event. “Pride is more than just a party.”

Crowdfunding for more queer initiatives at the UvA

22 juli 2026 - 12:30

Crowdfunding for more queer initiatives at the UvA

The UvA Queer Fund has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for queer/LGBTQIA+ initiatives within the UvA. The aim is to raise 25,000 euros in 50 days for "research, education and community activities". The organisers have noticed that the number of applications for such activities is inc...

The 2026 summer of sport | ‘We celebrate being queer by playing handball together’

22 juli 2026 - 07:30

Marinde van Dijk during (another) handball match

It is summer, which means the season of major sporting events is once again in full swing. UvA students are taking part in many of them too. What is at stake? That is the focus of Folia’s six-part series The 2026 Summer of Sport. This week: Marinde van Dijk (24) is participating in the Eu...

According to these UvA staff members, Ketikoti should be a day off

30 juni 2026 - 13:46

According to these UvA staff members, Ketikoti should be a day off

Should Ketikoti become a national holiday and therefore a day off? At the University of Amsterdam (UvA), this is not currently the case, but many would prefer it to be. For them, making Ketikoti a national holiday would not only be a logical next step in commemorating slavery, but would also be part...

Queer student association Spotlight distances itself from Amsterdam Pride

9 juni 2026 - 13:31

Queer student association Spotlight distances itself from Amsterdam Pride

Spotlight, the queer student association that is part of the UvA Pride network, says it is explicitly rejecting this year's Amsterdam Pride celebrations for the first time.

The free-spirited UvA department of gay studies paved the way for same-sex marriage

1 april 2026 - 07:45

The free-spirited UvA department of gay studies paved the way for same-sex marriage

On April 1, 2001, four same-sex couples said “I do” to each other in Amsterdam. It was a world first. Yet for Amsterdam it may have felt like a logical step: at the UvA, a department of gay studies had already spent a decade and a half working on what they called “the conceptualization of th...

A large proportion of Dutch young people believe you should not be allowed to fall in love with just anyone

24 maart 2026 - 12:00

A large proportion of Dutch young people believe you should not be allowed to fall in love with just anyone

More than forty per cent of Dutch young people do not consider LGBTIQ+ individuals to be equal to heterosexual individuals. This is revealed by a large-scale UvA study published today, the main conclusion of which is that Dutch young people are divided in their views on LGBTIQ+.

Why Dolle Mina is still needed, according to three UvA students and teachers

6 maart 2026 - 10:59

Dolle Mina’s protest in Utrecht against abortus legislation, 1972

Sixty-five years after the founding of the feminist action group Dolle Mina, women’s emancipation is still on the agenda. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, this coming Sunday, 8 March, three Dolle Mina members discuss why the movement is still relevant. “Abortion is sti...

Women’s network FNWI: “Science faculty at the UvA still an old boys’ network”

6 februari 2026 - 12:00

Science Park

Although the International Day of Women and Girls in Science is marked on 11 February, there is, according to Alessandra Candian – board member of the women’s network Women in the Faculty – little reason for celebration. “The numbers do not lie. Something is preventing women ...

The UvA wants ten percent more female professors in five years – how feasible is that?

16 januari 2026 - 10:00

The UvA wants ten percent more female professors in five years – how feasible is that?

From thirty to forty per cent female professors by 2030; that is the ambition the UvA recently set out. This means a great deal will have to happen in the coming years. “This is not something you can fix overnight.”

Little support from HR managers for explicit diversity policies

12 december 2025 - 12:00

It appears that HR-managers see little value in structured diversity policies.

HR managers and others involved in recruitment and selection are not very open to policies that explicitly focus on greater diversity, such as quotas or anonymous applications. They prefer less rigidly organised recruitment processes in which they retain a great deal of freedom to make their own dec...

“The Netherlands was progressive in terms of gay rights, but every year we slip further behind”

10 december 2025 - 15:30

A protest in Amsterdam

Although acceptance of members of the LGBTQIA+ community is less self-evident than it once was, A.S.V. Gay chair Danne Wolthuis believes that too little is organised around Purple Friday. “I think it’s a missed opportunity that it doesn’t get more attention.”

UvA meets target for female professors and aims even higher by 2030

8 december 2025 - 15:14

Over thirty per cent of professors are women

The proportion of female professors at the UvA has risen slightly to 30.5 per cent, according to the annual monitor by the National Network of Female Professors (LNVH). Last year, it was already clear that the UvA had met its own target of 30 per cent. By 2030, the UvA aims for at least 40 per cent ...

Marie du Saar (1860–1955) was the first woman to earn a doctorate at the UvA

3 december 2025 - 08:00

Marie du Saar around 1886

Marie du Saar (1860–1955) was the first woman to earn a doctorate at the UvA and the first female medical specialist in the Netherlands. Yet her name has almost disappeared from the collective memory, and many misconceptions about the scientist persist. Historian Tineke van Loosbroek aims to final...

Professor Chan Choenni on Surinamese independence being “imposed”

25 november 2025 - 08:00

Chan Choenni

During his childhood in Paramaribo, Chan Choenni (72) knew no different; Suriname was part of the Netherlands. But when the emeritus professor of history and Surinamese studies later moved to Amsterdam as a young man, he witnessed Suriname’s independence on 25 November 1975 as a student at the UvA...

Colonial past UvA | Preliminary research outlines involvement in slavery

7 november 2025 - 18:00

The former VOC room in the Bushuis/Oost-Indisch huis, now known as the Kartini room.

The UvA was involved in colonialism and slavery in its research and education. This is evident from preliminary research into the UvA’s colonial and slavery past, conducted by the NIOD. The report was presented to the Executive Board on 7 November.

Han van der Maas | Guilt and pride in the debate about the history of slavery

7 november 2025 - 12:00

One is proud of their national past, the other is ashamed of it.

Now that the formation of a new cabinet has begun, columnist Han van der Maas reflects on nationalism, colonialism and slavery in politics. “There is considerable polarisation surrounding this theme.”

Amsterdam UMC women’s health consultation successful: “waiting list of four to five months”

23 oktober 2025 - 08:00

Amsterdam UMC women’s health consultation successful: “waiting list of four to five months”

The women’s health consultation at Amsterdam UMC, set up to provide accessible advice on women-specific health issues, has proved more popular than expected. At present, 290 women are on the waiting list. “The number of registrations has been overwhelming.”

Simon(e) van Saarloos explored diversity in STEM fields as an artist

30 september 2025 - 15:52

Simon(e) van Saarloos: “What should and should not be present in an institute where curiosity is the driving force?”

What is the state of diversity in STEM? Philosopher and UvA alumnus Simon(e) van Saarloos spent months as a guest in a physics laboratory and sees room for improvement. “It is quite reasonable to question one’s own convictions.”

GP’s with a migration background more often receive a failing grade

29 september 2025 - 09:41

GP’s with a migration background more often receive a failing grade

General practitioners with a migrant background are more likely to get stuck during their training than their Dutch colleagues. This is not due to a lack of knowledge, motivation or talent, but because they face discrimination, microaggression and exclusion, according to general practicioner Nathanj...

The image of a “white bastion” does not do justice to the AUC reality

24 september 2025 - 15:41

The Main Building of AUC at Science Park.

In her opinion article, AUC student Thais Michon argues that diversity and inclusion are virtually non-existent at Amsterdam University College, but she links her opinion almost exclusively to skin colour. Cor Zonneveld believes this is far too narrow a perspective.

Diversity and inclusion are hard to find at the AUC

22 september 2025 - 13:30

The Main Building of AUC at Science Park.

“Excellence and Diversity” is the slogan of Amsterdam University College (AUC), but that term sounds rather ironic: the AUC is primarily a white institution. It’s time for action, says AUC-student Thais Michon.

A.S.V.Gay: for fifteen years a safe haven for LGBTIQ+ community

19 september 2025 - 13:36

A.S.V.Gay exists fifteen years.

Fifteen years ago, the queer community got its first student association in Amsterdam, but after years of progress, the emancipation of LGBTIQ+ people seems to be under pressure again. “In these times, it is especially important that A.S.V. Gay is a safe environment for personal development.&r...

Bruce Mutsvairo to initiate AUC transition process

16 september 2025 - 19:00

AUC on Science Park.

It took some time, but finally someone has been found to fill the position of interim director of Amsterdam University College. That person is Utrecht professor Bruce Mutsvairo.

Humphrey Lamur was one of the first Dutch people to research the history of slavery

25 juni 2025 - 12:55

Humphrey Lamur

Next Tuesday is Keti Koti, a Surinamese day of annual celebration. In recent years, there has been increasing attention in Amsterdam for this day commemorating the abolition of slavery. Emeritus professor at the UvA Humprey Lamur is among the first generation of experts in this field. “My great-gr...

UvA University Library employee writes feminist novel about toxic relationship

12 mei 2025 - 08:00

UvA University Library employee writes feminist novel about toxic relationship

The fifth novel by Diana Tjin (63) – an employee at the UvA University Library – is centred on women’s emancipation. With Scènes uit een giftige relatie (Scenes from a Toxic Relationship) she aims to express her concerns about women who are oppressed by their partners. “I have used my own...

Relatively many Dutch politicians with a migration background, “but still many obstacles”

10 april 2025 - 13:00

Dutch politics

The number of politicians with a migration background is relatively high in the Netherlands, according to research by UvA doctoral candidate Zahra Runderkamp. However, she argues that this is no reason to sit back and relax, because even in our country this group still faces major challenges: “The...

UvA student Tammie Schoots: “I advise people to go through their transition quietly”

7 maart 2025 - 09:00

The first gender clinic in Berlin opened over a hundred years ago. How has the emancipation of transgender people progressed in Europe since then? Pretty badly, as UvA student and trans woman Tammie Schoots says. “Journalists have given a big middle finger to transgender people.”

Why these UvA students and professor join the Feminist March

6 maart 2025 - 13:01

Why these UvA students and professor join the Feminist March

On Saturday 8 March, International Women's Day, participants of the Feminist March will stand up for women’s rights. The protest starts on Dam Square and ends on Museumplein. We asked a male and female UvA student, and an UvA lecturer why they are joining the march.

Words like ‘gender’ and ‘LGBT’ now banned at US health institute. What does this mean for academia?

6 februari 2025 - 12:15

Words like ‘gender’ and ‘LGBT’ now banned at US health institute. What does this mean for academia?

In the United States, Donald Trump’s ongoing fight against “woke” has now reached science. Terms like “gender” and “LGBT” are no longer allowed to be used in yet-to-be-published articles by public health institute CDC. How big is the impact of this political interference on science and...

UvA meets target: Thirty per cent female professors at UvA for first time

10 december 2024 - 15:23

UvA achieves own 2025 target.

A significant achievement for the UvA. By the end of 2023, for the first time more than 30 per cent of professors at the university is female. Those figures come from the annual report of the National Network of Women Professors (LNVH). With this, the UvA has met its own target for 2025.

Diversity Day | Fear for increasing resistance to societal diversity

1 oktober 2024 - 13:14

Diversity Day | Fear for increasing resistance to societal diversity

The Diversity Office of the UvA sees increasing resistance to diversity offices in politics and society. With the upcoming cuts by the new cabinet, the Diversity Office fears downsizing. “Diversity may be one of the first victims.”

New CSR chair Stefana Feciuc: “Students have little to say at UvA”

11 september 2024 - 13:24

New CSR chair Stefana Feciuc: “Students have little to say at UvA”

New Central Student Council president Stefana Feciuc wants the Executive Board to acknowledge “mistakes made” around Palestine demonstrations. “Students cannot focus on studies because the UvA is complicit in what is happening in Palestine.”

All the ‘shit’ women have to deal with: Damn Honey on the orgasm gap, catcalling and medical sexism

9 september 2024 - 10:20

All the ‘shit’ women have to deal with: Damn Honey on the orgasm gap, catcalling and medical sexism

For six years, Nydia van Voorthuizen and Marie Lotte Hagen have been discussing ‘all the shit women of our time have to deal with’ in the feminist podcast Damn Honey. The two girls, who by their own admission ‘didn’t know anything’, grew into feminists and activists who do not hesitate to ...

Free sanitary pads and tampons at four UvA locations

15 april 2024 - 13:33

Free sanitary pads and tampons at four UvA locations

Four locations at the UvA now offer free menstrual products. The CSR calls it a ‘step in the right direction’ but feels that six dispensers for the entire UvA is still too few and that they should be refilled more often. Right now the dispensers are empty all the time.

Hicham El Ouahabi | UvA does not provide free menstrual hygiene products – shameful

19 maart 2024 - 13:38

Hicham El Ouahabi | UvA does not provide free menstrual hygiene products – shameful

What do toilet paper, drinking water points, sanitary pads, and tampons have in common? Not much at first glance, except that you can consider them all basic amenities. Going to the bathroom, getting thirsty, and getting your period are things you just don't choose for yourself. So at the UvA, toile...

Ramadan starts again. What does a month of fasting do to your body?

7 maart 2024 - 14:50

Ramadan starts again. What does a month of fasting do to your body?

On Sunday, Ramadan starts again, a month during which Muslims traditionally do not eat, drink, or have sexual intercourse. How does fasting affect your body? “We overeat very easily, as it’s a biological urge.”

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Woke culture threatens academic freedom at social sciences

18 januari 2023 - 12:15

Woke culture threatens academic freedom at social sciences

Social scientist, UvA lecturer and entrepreneur Laurens Buijs thinks the teaching and research climate at social sciences is no longer tolerable under the influence of what he sees as a ‘woke culture’ within the department. ‘I am increasingly made to feel that I am a bad person.’

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