Dutch university allowed to use gender quota in aerospace degree

A Dutch human rights watchdog has ruled that Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) can reserve 30 per cent of places in its aerospace engineering programme for female students, a decision that comes two years after authorities initially blocked the proposal. 

The Netherlands Institute of Human Rights said that the university’s plan to allocate 132 of its 440 places to women in the programme is allowed under Dutch equality laws because women are significantly under-represented on the course.

Women make up about 20 per cent of students in the bachelor’s programme, which the university says has suffered from a low intake of female students for decades. 

Under the scheme, female applicants would still have to meet the course’s admission requirements. 

The watchdog’s ruling only clears the policy under equal treatment law, and it now must be agreed by the government as the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) prohibits universities from having preferential policies based on gender. 

TU Delft welcomed the ruling, describing it as an “important step” towards equality. 

“We feel greatly strengthened by this ruling from the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights. This ruling gives our faculty the opportunity to truly address structural inequality between men and women in our degree program,” said Henri Werij, the dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, in a statement. 

But he added that the university had a “long way to go” and urged the minister of education to act quickly on the board’s recommendation. 

TU Delft first announced its proposal for a quota for female candidates in 2024. But the Dutch Inspectorate of Education, which operates under the purview of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, rejected the plan, ruling that it violates the WHW. 

The decision prompted TU Delft’s aerospace engineering faculty to ask that the policy be reviewed by the human rights watchdog in the country to assess whether it was allowed under equal treatment laws. 

The Netherlands Institute of Human Rights has now asked the minister to examine how the affirmative action policy can be implemented under the WHW to improve gender equality.  

“We understand that this policy raises questions. We take that disappointment seriously,” Werij said.

“The ranking is based on all results from the selection phase and indicates the likelihood of successfully completing the programme. At the same time, it is true that we have received more than 4,000 applications and can state unequivocally that the best 1,500 candidates who go through the selection process are, in principle, suitable for the programme.”

The faculty said it intends to introduce the policy in the 2027-28 academic year and “will enter into discussions with the ministry regarding this in the near future”. 

seher.asaf@timeshighereducation.com