Gender Equality Standards for AHMSSBL institutions throughout Europe

Project Information

EQUAL4EUROPE

Grant agreement ID: 872499

DOI

10.3030/872499

Project closed

EC signature date 14 November 2019

Start date 1 January 2020

End date 31 December 2023

Funded under

• Promote gender equality in particular by supporting structural change in the organisation of research institutions and in the content and design of research activities

Total cost

€ 2 998 132,50

EU contribution

€ 2 998 132,50

Coordinated by

FUNDACION ESADE
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - EQUAL4EUROPE (Gender Equality Standards for AHMSSBL institutions throughout Europe)

Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The EQUAL4EUROPE consortium consists of 6 Research Performing Institutions (RPI), one international association of universities and one consultancy bureau who all have a clear focus on arts, humanities, medicine, social sciences, business and law (AHMSSBL). Whereas in the past gender equality was especially recognized as an issue by science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) RPIs, as is evident in the large number of research projects dedicated to this subject, it is now also more and more being recognized by AHMSSBL institutions. Within this project, we will develop free knowledge, tools and best practices for AHMSSBL institutions related to:

- Removing barriers to the recruitment, retention and career progression of female researchers;
- Addressing gender imbalances in decision making processes; and,
- Integrating the gender dimension in research and innovation content.

The overall assessment of the EQUAL4EUROPE project confirms that all objectives have been successfully reached. All research institutions participating in the project have successfully adopted and implemented a Gender Equality Plan (Objectives 3 and 4). The assessment of their implementation and impact (Objective 5) reveals that, although there are differences across the research institutions - given the importance of context, resources, and commitment in implementing gender equality measures - all institutions have engaged with relevant stakeholders (Objective 2) and increased gender awareness at organizational level (Objective 1), as there is a shared belief that institutions need to improve their policies and measures to guarantee equal opportunities for women and men and the need to act to achieve gender equality. Furthermore, the EQUAL4EUROPE consortium has adopted different measures to guarantee the transfer and sustainability of the results of the project, including knowledge exchange with the publication of many toolkits, reports and policy briefs and the elaboration of recommendations on the introduction of gender equality standards in accreditation agencies (Objective 6) and the creation of the Gender Equality and Diversity Officers Network (Objective 7).

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The first fifteen months of the EQUAL4EUROPE project were dedicated to establishing the baseline work for the generation and implementation of the Gender Equality Plans. This involved extensive in-depth analysis to establish measurable gender equality indices (GEI), surveys of faculty, staff, young researchers and students at each of the six research performing institutions (RPIs) - Esade, EUR-RSM, Comenius, IEDC, ESMT and INSEAD - and identifying a series of SMART objectives which will orientate our Gender Equality Plans.

Following the establishment of the EQUAL4EUROPE structures and analytical work in the first reporting period (January 2020 – March 2021), the second reporting period (April 2021 – June 2022) was primarily devoted to the development of the 6 institutional Gender Equality Plans, and developing tools and guides and training sessions under the 3 core pillars of the project (WPs 3-5): women and their career prospects, improving gender balance in decision-making bodies, and gender in social sciences and humanities research. During the final 18 months of the project (July 2022 - December 2023), the RPIs began the implementation of their GEPs and an assessment of their implementation and impact was carried out. The consortium also created and launched the LinkedIn Network for Gender Equality and Diversity Officers (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/9132227/) as well as a series of actions to disseminate our work including knowledge exchange through our Final Conference and participation in other academic conferences and workshops, the publication of many toolkits, reports and guides on our website and Zenodo, and the elaboration of recommendations on the introduction of gender equality standards in accreditation agencies.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The EQUAL4EUROPE project has delivered its promised outputs with significant immediate and potential future impact.

The most significant exploitable results are the tailor-made and sustainable Gender Equality Plans adopted and implemented in the six research-performing institutions, the creation of the methodological frameworks and approaches to GE assessment, implementation and evaluation - including the EQUAL4EUROPE Gender Audit Tool (GAT) -, the establishment of the Gender Equality and Diversity Officers Network on LinkedIn, a Handbook for the implementation of GEPs in AHMSSBL institutions, and position papers and policy recommendations on (among others) gender equality standards in internationally recognized accreditation frameworks. The full offer of resources for interested stakeholders is available both on the project website as well as on a dedicated Zenodo page for EQUAL4EUROPE.

These aspects contribute to the state-of-the-art and render EQUAL4EUROPE its added value and unique position among stakeholders and sister projects.

Project logo