Gender Equality Plans and post-binary perspectives in Academia: Institutional conformations and transformative potentials

The contribution analyses Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in Italian Universities as instruments through which gender is simultaneously regulated, made (in)visible, and called into question. The study adopts a philosophical-political perspective inspired by genealogy and feminist theory, integrated with a sociological approach focused on cultural practices and institutional transformations, with particular attention to the gender dimension. The analysis shows how these plans contribute to defining which gender identities gain recognition within university policies: the metrics, procedures, and categories employed tend to reproduce the binary distinction between “women” and “men”, pushing non-conforming subjectivities to the margins. At the same time, elements emerge that challenge these assumptions, such as the use of inclusive language, the recognition of chosen names, and initiatives aimed at an intersectional reading of inequalities. This dynamic reveals a structural ambivalence. While remaining anchored to logics of conformity, the plans can become spaces in which the institution problematizes its own assumptions and initiates processes of gradual change. From a post-binary perspective, they therefore do not appear as static documents, but as evolving practices that open spaces for reflexivity and the redefinition of belonging within the university. In this direction, their adoption may offer universities the opportunity not only to comply with regulatory requirements, but also to question the norms that govern merit, leadership, and participation in academic life, opening up the possibility of developing more inclusive and self-aware institutional cultures.