20 years of WANT: ‘There’s still work to be done’

Congratulations on the anniversary. How did it all begin?

‘Thank you. The goal is to encourage female leadership so that the entire UT community benefits. It started in 2005 as the Female Faculty Network Twente (FFNT). At the time, UT was still very much a men’s stronghold. There were only eight female professors, around six percent of the total. The founders felt that wasn’t a fair representation. Society is roughly half men and half women, so ideally, the university should reflect that balance too.’

Why is that important?

‘Because we believe the university should mirror society. Without proper representation of women, it’s harder to make structural changes. Moreover, research consistently shows that diversity, through the integration of multiple perspectives, leads to better outcomes in both research and education.’

Has it helped?

‘In some aspects, yes. The share of female professors is now 24 percent, and the network has about four hundred members. That’s a significant improvement. When we talk about representation, however, the ‘critical mass’ will be achieved only when we reach 33 percent. This threshold can provide a strong foundation for structural change and influence. Moreover, the distribution remains very uneven. At the BMS faculty, about fifty percent of professors are women, while the situation is very different at S&T, for example. On the other hand, diversity is not sustainable without an inclusive culture. So, there’s still work to be done.’

Such as?

‘We believe the UT community as a whole, including the Executive Board, could show more commitment. Many people often say that they find these issues important, but when it’s time to put words into actions, it rarely happens. That’s why, on 13 November, our workshops will focus on concrete goals and measures for inclusivity.’

Why did the name change in 2025?

‘The English acronym WANT was chosen deliberately because it conveys that there’s still something left to wish for. It reflects an active mindset. We also wanted to move away from the word ‘Female’ to clarify that all women are welcome in our network.’

Are men welcome at WANT?

‘Of course! This question always comes up at our events. We actually want to encourage men to be seriously involved. They make up the other fifty percent of society, so what affects one half also affects the other. This isn’t something only women should ‘do’; men should be actively involved as well. It would be wonderful if, one day, we could say that our network is no longer needed.’