Inclusivity in Gender Equality Plans: A Cross-European Assessment

This research analyzes the Gender Action Plans (GEPs) of a total of 27 higher education institutions from 12 EU member states and Turkey in terms of inclusivity. While GEPs have become an institutional requirement within the Horizon Europe framework, the literature on the extent to which these plans incorporate intersectionality and LGBTQI+ dimensions beyond gender is limited. This study aims to contribute to more inclusive GEP designs by identifying gaps and best practices in current implementations. The analysis is based on an assessment framework consisting of 21 indicators, developed using the EIGE GEAR model, the ERA Policy Agenda (2022-2024), national equality legislation, and the FRA LGBTI Survey (2023). The plans were scored on a scale of 0-3, and qualitative and quantitative data were interpreted together. The average Inclusivity Index is 1.41/3, indicating that institutional commitment remains at a procedural level in most institutions. The findings indicate that Western European institutions (e.g. Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, and Belgium) conduct their equality studies more systematically, set measurable goals, and implement inclusive practices more systematically. While universities in Southern Europe (e.g. Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Croatia) demonstrate a similar institutional commitment to the processes, it has been observed that the steps translating into practice in the LGBTQI+ field remain limited. In Eastern European examples (e.g. Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia), there is a noticeable silence on intersectionality, particularly on LGBTQI+ issues, and low institutional capacity. In Turkish examples, intersectionality is conceptually present, but LGBTQI+ expressions are absent and resource allocation remains limited. From an intersectionality perspective, only three institutions were found to collect systematic data beyond gender and the LGBTQI+ dimension showed the lowest performance across all areas. This study contributes a unique evaluation scale to the gender, academia and GEP literature, making the gap between European policy goals and institutional practices visible and offering data-driven, measurable policy recommendations that strengthen stakeholder participation for the institutionalization of inclusion.