Rethinking Institutional Responses to Gender-Based Violence in Academia as Forms of Care in the Nordic Context

This article examines institutional responses to gender-based violence (GBV) in higher education institutions (HEI) in three Nordic countries through the lens of care, to engage in critical discussion of how such caring practices are performed, in which conditions, and who actually “cares” about GBV in HEIs. The article is drawing on three in-depth case studies of implementation of GBV policies and practices in HEIs in Finland, Iceland and Sweden, conducted in 2022. Despite the reputation of the Nordic countries as global gender equality champions, implementation of policies and practices to prevent GBV in Nordic HEI still face several challenges. Institutional responses to GBV can be a way to demonstrate institutional care, yet the actual work of caring in practice is not always granted the same recognition or value. The care work is often either person- or position-dependent which impacts and may hamper long-term capacity building and institutional knowledge exchange.