Integrating Gender+ Perspectives in Hydrology Education ^†

Abstract

UniGe’s hydrology course emphasises the importance of resilience in overcoming climate challenges. It is in line with the SDGs, integrates considerations of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), and promotes climate resilience and nature-based solutions. This initiative, included in the UniGe Gender Equality Plan (GEP), represents a concrete step towards the inclusion of a gender+ perspective in research and teaching in STEM disciplines, one of the five mandatory GEP areas that the Horizon Europe programme requires from all public research institutions applying for funding. The sustainability and replicability of the initiative at EU level will be discussed.

1. Introduction

Water is a fundamental good for life, and the scarcity of water resources affects many of its aspects, linked to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.

Droughts and floods are severe events within the water cycle that have the potential for long-lasting and devastating consequences for ecosystems and communities. A better understanding of the characteristics and impacts of these events could improve our ability to predict and mitigate their effects in both the immediate and long-term future. Preventing further deterioration in the climatic conditions and social vulnerabilities that are their root causes is of utmost importance.

Multidisciplinary approaches play a crucial role in tackling the complexities of climate change as they bring together diverse perspectives, expertise, and methodologies to address the multifaceted challenges posed by environmental issues. By integrating various disciplines such as hydrology, climatology, ecology, sociology, and economics, a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected nature of climate change can be achieved.

An inclusive course on hydrology can provide students at least with a broader perception of the intricate web of factors involved in climate change, encouraging them to consider the social, economic, environmental, and ethical dimensions of the issue. The awareness of this holistic approach equips students with the basic knowledge necessary to understand that to devise innovative, sustainable solutions that account for the diverse implications of climate change for communities and ecosystems is a complex challenge. By fostering the understanding of the need for a multidisciplinary and inclusive research environment, students are empowered to approach climate change mitigation and adaptation with a comprehensive and nuanced perspective, ultimately contributing to more effective and equitable solutions in combating this global challenge.

The Sustainable Development Goals, the importance of adding a gender+ dimension to Gender Equality Plans, in particular to the fourth area, by adding a gender dimension to research and teaching, and the ERA objective “promote gender equality and foster inclusiveness, taking note of the Ljubljana declaration” are at the origin of the empirical case study work presented. The hydrology course at the University of Genoa, Italy, which focuses on the management of water resources and, consequently, the role of climate change in natural extreme events, has been modified, with an inclusive dimension being added to its contents. The initiative is a pilot action of Area 4, “Integrating the gender dimension into research and teaching content”, of the UniGe GEP that supports a gender+ understanding where gender is the primary axis of intervention, extended to address—where appropriate—other simultaneously intersecting dimensions, such as nationality, ethnicity, race, class, age, sexuality, dis/ability, etc. [1,2].

2. Previous Structure of the Course

The course, titled “Hydraulic Structures and Hydrology Course”, is designed for undergraduate students in their third year and gives six ECTS credits, each corresponding to around 25–30 h of student workload, including lectures, seminars, independent study, and examinations. In previous years, the course focused on estimating rainfall and flow data with significant return periods to analyse extreme events (

Table 1. Training objectives and contents before adding the gender+ perspective and the SDG reference.

Training objectives

Analysing a historical series of rainfall data to estimate ground effects in different territorial contexts using data processing software; utilising mapping software to estimate key parameters necessary for a hydrological analysis of a basin; drafting a technical report on the discussed topics, including basin-scale assessment of the minimum vital flow and ecological flow for an environmental and economic impact analysis of existing and/or proposed water diversions.

Contents

General hydrology concepts; statistical methodology applied to hydrological studies; the hydrological cycle; geomorphological, hydrological, and topographical characteristics; precipitation analysis and estimation; precipitation measurement—intense short-duration rainfall; synthetic hyetographs and flood hydrographs; estimation of flood discharge; appropriate use of water resources; elements of diversity and inclusion regarding the themes addressed.

).

3. Inclusive Course Contents

The initiative involved a collaborative effort between the hydrology professor and a gender studies expert. Over a period of 4 months, regular meetings, research of appropriate documents and resources, and exchange of data enabled the identification of aspects of the course that could be integrated with SDG objectives and a gender+ dimension, and how an inclusive language could be adopted. The materials used included scientific articles and books, European Commission reports, websites, deliverables, and reports from EU-funded projects related to the course, as well as reports from international organisations (WHO, OECD). Accessing the UE CORDIS database was essential for tracking projects and their publications, aiding in the identification of research projects funded by Marie Skłodowska-Curie grants and European Research Council grants.

The course now includes references allowing the students to understand the significant impact of natural disasters such as droughts and floods on diverse populations. Incorporating these elements not only reflects the real needs and challenges faced by communities affected by such events but also plays a vital role in shaping policies that prevent and mitigate these occurrences in the medium and long term.

The course now emphasises the need for promoting a culture of individual adaptation to climate change and identifying innovative solutions, such as nature-based solutions [3]. The link between the technical and scientific aspects of the course and the potential impacts on populations and their diversity are always considered, focusing on the most vulnerable populations.

The course also emphasises that the study, research, and analysis of extreme events such as river, urban, and coastal flooding are closely related to the SDGs, in particular, the following items: 5. Gender Equality; 6. Clean Water and Sanitation; 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities; 13. Climate Action.

Students receive information about the various models [4] that in the literature estimate the economic damage and the social and environmental impacts [5]. All these factors impact significantly on vulnerable groups such as elderly people, children, women, and people with disabilities [6].

Finally, it is underlined that any proposed solution considering the different projections of climate change must also be assessed in terms of resilience to shocks and climate stress, i.e., the ability to survive, recover, and thrive under changing climate conditions [7].

Last but not least, Italian is not a gender-neutral language; in other Romance languages, gender is marked as binary—masculine or feminine—in nouns, adjectives, and pronouns. Additionally, by grammatical convention, the masculine can function as a sort of “neutral”, promoting the use of the so-called “masculine generics” (maschile sovraesteso). The language related to the course and its description have therefore also been revised, aligning with the “Guidelines for the Use of Inclusive Language” approved by UniGe in March 2023.

The new course was tested in the second semester of the academic year 2022–2023. By promoting inclusivity and diversity in the study of hydrology, the course can empower students to become more aware of the multifaceted nature of water-related challenges and the importance of addressing these issues through a lens of equity and social justice. Data on the impacts of the course are not yet available. Nevertheless, student interest has been demonstrated through the choice of eight students (3 female out of 17 participants, 7 female and 10 male) to prepare their final papers on the gender+ aspects covered during the lectures. Interviews and questionnaires are planned for the second edition of the course to assess short-term impacts. It will only be possible to determine whether the inclusive aspects of the course have had positive repercussions on other courses and students’ choices in two years.

4. Conclusions

Since the late 1990s, also thanks to developments in hydrology, which uses increasingly detailed data at a spatial and temporal level, models have been introduced to develop measures and solutions to mitigate climate change locally. In the past, drought was considered a problem that did not directly affect Italy, but several studies show that we are all exposed to this critical problem. Last spring, in 2023, in Italy, after a significant period of lack of rainfall—which led the government to publish an emergency law on drought—a series of storms caused significant damage and fatalities in various Italian regions. In the North Italian region of Emilia-Romagna (ER), the floods and landslides caused by the rainfalls on 2, 10, and 16 May caused 17 fatalities and displaced roughly 50.000 people [8,9]. As a result, a law on urgent measures to address the emergency caused by the flooding events occurring from 1 May (Law 31 July 2023, n. 10) was passed. Similar phenomena are becoming more common in Italy and in many European countries; we also need hydrological engineers capable of understanding the social and economic complexities of droughts and floods in European regions.

The inclusive dimension of hydrology courses is an aspect that can be easily replicated in universities across various countries. The initiative was implemented taking into consideration the European Alliance, of which UniGe is a part, and Ulysseus, serving as the first dissemination ground at the international level for the initiative. Furthermore, the concept of an inclusive syllabus, encompassing gender+ dimensions, aligns with the European Union’s requirements for public entities to enhance the inclusive dimension of GEPs, particularly in relation to one of the five recommended thematic areas, Area 4, “Integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content”, as well as one of the European Research Area (ERA) priorities.

The integration of a gender+ approach in hydrology education fosters a more holistic and comprehensive approach to water management, taking into account the social, economic, and environmental impacts of hydrological events on communities. By fostering a more inclusive and equitable learning approach, hydrology education can contribute to building a more resilient and compassionate society that values diversity and prioritises the well-being of all individuals.