Inma Pastor-Gosálbez

Despite more than three decades of European Union (EU) initiatives promoting gender equality in science and higher education, and the more recent positioning of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) as key instruments of institutional transformation, structural inequalities remain deeply embedded within academic institutions. This article examines the limits of the EU’s structural change agenda in the context of Spanish universities, focusing on the persistent gap between formal policy compliance and substantive organisational transformation. The analysis draws on fifteen semi-structured interviews with academics and institutional actors involved in gender equality policies in higher education and science. The findings show that formally institutionalised gender equality policies often enhance institutional legitimacy while leaving entrenched power relations and epistemic hierarchies largely intact, contributing to processes of gender-washing within university governance. This article contributes to feminist institutionalism by conceptualising compliance artefacts as the organisational function that gender equality policies may acquire under conditions of compliance-oriented governance. The study further highlights that meaningful structural change requires more than regulatory mandates; it depends on adequately resourced equality infrastructures, the integration of gender equality into institutional governance, cultural and epistemic change, robust evaluation mechanisms, and institutional arrangements that value gender expertise and redistribute responsibility for gender equality across the academic system.

Pornography use during adolescence is a relevant issue from social, educational, and public health perspectives. As with other behaviours, its correlates may involve complex and nonlinear relationships. This study uses data from the 2023 Spanish Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES), a major source for analysing potentially addictive behaviours among adolescents in Spain because of its large sample size (original sample: N = 42,208; complete-case analytical sample: N = 33,543). Pornography use was modelled as a binary outcome using logistic regression, XGBoost, LightGBM, and CatBoost. The models included sociodemographic characteristics, family-related factors, parental control, substance use, selected sexual behaviours, indicators of mental well-being, and addictive Internet use. The four methods showed similar predictive performance. CatBoost achieved the highest AUC and the lowest Brier score and log loss, whereas LightGBM obtained the highest accuracy, specificity, and precision. Logistic regression yielded the highest sensitivity, negative predictive value, balanced accuracy, and F1-score. SHAP analysis identified sex as the most influential predictor, followed by addictive Internet use, cannabis and alcohol use, family conflict, and selected risky sexual behaviours. The findings suggest that pornography use among adolescents forms part of a broader behavioural and psychosocial profile. Whereas sex operated mainly as a strong direct predictor, problematic Internet use showed substantial interactions with age and cannabis and alcohol use. This study demonstrates how explainable machine learning can complement conventional regression by identifying the main correlates, nonlinear patterns, and interactions associated with adolescent pornography use.

Gender inequality in higher education persists despite formal equality frameworks, as structural and cultural barriers continue to constrain women’s academic trajectories. These barriers extend beyond under-representation in leadership to include precarious employment, unequal access to resources, and biased evaluations of academic merit. This study examines how male and female academics at Spanish universities differ in their perceptions of the structural causes of gender inequality and in their assessments of factors influencing career advancement. A total of 1,358 responses were collected through a nationwide survey. The findings reveal significant sex-based differences in the recognition of institutional barriers embedded in gendered norms, particularly regarding promotion practices, occupational segregation, and exclusion from leadership roles. Female academics consistently report greater awareness of these inequalities and identify more frequent barriers across their career progression. While female academics rely more extensively on a support ecosystem to navigate their careers, male academics appear to depend less on such support. These results highlight the importance of incorporating gendered perspectives into the design of university policies. Addressing the differing ways in which inequality is perceived and experienced by men and women is essential for fostering structural transformation and creating a more equitable academic environment.

Dos décadas después de la aprobación de la Ley Orgánica 1/2004, la violencia de género sigue constituyendo un problema de gran magnitud en España: tres de cada cuatro mujeres jóvenes afirman haberla experimentado. Numerosos estudios han señalado la relación entre la violencia de género y las actitudes sexistas, subrayando la necesidad de estrategias preventivas. Este artículo propone ampliar el conocimiento existente centrándose en el estudiantado universitario, un colectivo escasamente investigado en el contexto español. Para ello, se realizó una encuesta en diez universidades españolas con una muestra de 10.524 estudiantes. Los resultados evidencian la persistencia del sexismo entre la juventud universitaria y su asociación con la justificación de la violencia de género. Asimismo, se observan diferencias significativas entre hombres y mujeres en cuanto a los niveles de sexismo hostil y benevolente, así como en la adhesión a mitos sobre la violencia de género.

El alcohol es la sustancia neurotóxica más consumida por los adolescentes. Así, se trata de un tema relevante en la sociología de la salud debido a las consecuencias negativas en esta etapa de formación. Este estudio, basado en una encuesta a 1307 adolescentes de 15 a 17 años en Tarragona, analiza factores individuales, ambientales e informativos que influyen en tres modalidades de consumo de alcohol. La edad y la influencia de los pares aumentan la probabilidad de consumo, pero no el género. Contrario a lo esperado, aquellos adolescentes que se sienten mejor informados sobre los efectos del consumo no presentan menores tasas de consumo, revelando una "paradoja de la información". Además, se encontró que la información de amigos facilita el consumo, mientras que la información de fuentes formales, como medios de comunicación, inhibe dicho consumo.

El tabaco es la segunda sustancia psicoactiva más extendida entre los estudiantes de 14 a 18 años después del alcohol. El presente artículo examina las motivaciones de los adolescentes para fumar, a través de sus propios discursos en grupos de discusión semidirigidos. Los sujetos de estudio fueron 131 jóvenes de entre 15 y 17 años escolarizados en nueve institutos de educación secundaria de Tarragona (España). Los motivos identificados para consumir tabaco giraron en torno a ocho dimensiones fundamentales: búsqueda de diversión y nuevas sensaciones, contagio social y presión de grupo, consumo como rito de paso, uso de cigarrillos para ligar, influencia del microsistema familiar (p. ej. tener padres fumadores), fácil acceso al tabaco, adicción y baja percepción de riesgo. En contraste con estudios anteriores, no se observaron importantes diferencias de género en las motivaciones para fumar. Este hecho podría explicarse por el desarrollo de nuevos modelos de feminidad construidos a partir de la imitación por parte de las chicas de algunos de los valores asociados a la masculinidad.

Tobacco is the second most prevalent psychoactive substance after alcohol among students aged 14–18. This article examines adolescents’ motivations for smoking through their own discourses in semi-directed discussion groups. The subjects in our study were 131 young people aged 15–17 from nine secondary schools in Tarragona (Spain). The motives identified for tobacco use revolved around eight main dimensions: the pursuit of fun and new sensations, consumption as a rite of passage, consumption due to social contagion and peer pressure, smoking as a form of flirting, influence of the family microsystem (e.g. having parents who smoke), availability and ease of access, addiction and dependence, and low risk perception. Unlike in previous studies, no significant gender differences in smoking motivations were observed. This may be explained by the emergence of new models of femininity constructed on the basis of girls’ imitation of certain values associated with masculinity.

Background: Mental health has a special relevance in adolescence. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the possible association between emotional distress and suicidal ideation among adolescents. Methods: The article presents the results of a survey of secondary school students (N=1419) in the city of Tarragona, Spain. The aim of the analysis was to verify the existence of an association between suicidal ideation and risk factors such as emotional distress and low self-esteem. All the data were also analysed to determine the existence of statistically significant differences between girls and boys. Bivariate analyses were performed with chi-square, point-biserial coefficient and non-parametric tests for independent groups. Logistic regression analysis was also performed to calculate the probability of suicidal ideation. Results: These analyses showed that both emotional distress and low self-esteem increase the likelihood of suicidal ideation among adolescents. This was more evident among boys with high levels of emotional distress. Conclusion: Schools should develop suicide ideation prevention programs for adolescents based on situations that cause emotional distress.