Periodic Reporting for period 2 - LeTSGEPs (Leading Towards Sustainable Gender Equality Plans in research performing organisations)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-04-01 bis 2022-06-30
Across research institutions, gender imbalances still exist and are widely tolerated: few of the top positions in academia are occupied by women, and women still experience slow career progression. To tackle these issues, it’s important to define concrete objectives and employ measures on an individual, cultural and structural level.
Structural changes in particular ensure lasting and sustainable effects. A powerful tool for this kind of change are Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), that can play a key role in achieving gender equality in higher education and research organizations.
In this scenario, the EU-funded LeTSGEPs project aims at connecting six Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) in the design and implementation of GEPs. The project seeks to design actions and implement measures that will lead to systemic institutional change and address gender bias in RPOs at a very initial stage of gender equality measures implementation.
As a powerful instrument of detecting factors that make gender inequality persistent within institutions, besides the GEPs, the project will also foster the use of Gender Budgeting (GB), since budgets reflect real policy commitments. Gender equality plans and programs will succeed if accompanied with related specific fund allocation for the policy targets, and if the programs enacted are evaluated in terms of their gender equality impact by means of gender budgets leading to more sustainable and powerful GEPs. A robust methodological approach on the integration of GB in GEPs will be produced and shared with all partners.
For raising institutional awareness on the importance of GEPs and GB the administrative staff will be actively involved in the training to equip also them with the necessary knowledge for its application. A distinctive characteristic of LeTSGEPs is a continuous support during the implementation of GEPs, thanks to local mentors’ support, and by the high motivation expressed by partners in GEPs and GB implementation.
Structural changes in particular ensure lasting and sustainable effects. A powerful tool for this kind of change are Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), that can play a key role in achieving gender equality in higher education and research organizations.
In this scenario, the EU-funded LeTSGEPs project aims at connecting six Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) in the design and implementation of GEPs. The project seeks to design actions and implement measures that will lead to systemic institutional change and address gender bias in RPOs at a very initial stage of gender equality measures implementation.
As a powerful instrument of detecting factors that make gender inequality persistent within institutions, besides the GEPs, the project will also foster the use of Gender Budgeting (GB), since budgets reflect real policy commitments. Gender equality plans and programs will succeed if accompanied with related specific fund allocation for the policy targets, and if the programs enacted are evaluated in terms of their gender equality impact by means of gender budgets leading to more sustainable and powerful GEPs. A robust methodological approach on the integration of GB in GEPs will be produced and shared with all partners.
For raising institutional awareness on the importance of GEPs and GB the administrative staff will be actively involved in the training to equip also them with the necessary knowledge for its application. A distinctive characteristic of LeTSGEPs is a continuous support during the implementation of GEPs, thanks to local mentors’ support, and by the high motivation expressed by partners in GEPs and GB implementation.
The work performed during the first reporting period (M1 - M15) was mainly planned to carry out preparatory tasks for the development in the second reporting period (M16-M30) of the main objective of the project, i.e. the GEPs design and implementation strongly integrated with GB.
For this reason, at first the consortium was deeply committed to develop a specific METHODOLOGY aimed at integrating the GEP and the GB methodological framework.
Starting from a state-of-the-art report on GB initiatives in EU RPOs, raising awareness on how innovative GB still is, the consortium released a methodology manual, supporting GEPs sustainability through GB (see D2.3). Then the process of GEPs PLANNING started with a tailored selection of indicators useful to describe RPOs context with a gender equality perspective and to assess and evaluate GEPs measures in their gender equality impact. A shared set of 13 context indicators was then collected by all partners and represented the starting point for their Context and Budget Analysis that also included policies analysis, a feasibility study on GB implementation and a survey on gender implicit bias (see D2.4).
The context analysis started a process of GEPs Design and Implementation for each implementing partner that were completed in the second reporting period (see D4.1 and D4.2)
The third project objective of IMPLEMENTATION led the six implementing partners to effectively introduce the GEPs in their institutions, through the help of the mentors and the working groups established, as well as of the interested stakeholders.
Several training sessions were realised in both reporting periods to help academic and administrative staff to design and then implement their GEPs with the GB perspective.The second round of training (22 hours of training lessons between December 2021 and April 2022) also provided for individual sessions for the RPOs decision-makers (6 hours of one-to-one lessons for decision makers between April and May 2022), to have them “on board” in the crucial phase of implementation and then refinement of GEPs (see D4.3).
The core-objectives of LeTSGEPs, methodology, planning and implementation were also supported and enhanced in their potential by a powerful EVALUATION activity in both reporting periods. In particular, in the second reporting period, two monitoring reports were filalised (D5.2 and D5.3). Moreover, training activities were monitored with specific and tailored questionnaires and their efficacy discussed among implementing partners. A reflection workshop on this purpose was organised on 30/05/2022.
An intense PARTICIPATION process developed by each implementing partner led to the definition of the stakeholder maps, and to the stakeholders system implementation, with internal events and local/national external national stakeholder workshops.
The second international stakeholder workshop was organized successfully in January 2022 with a wide number of participants (123 people from 18 different countries attended the online event).
For this reason, at first the consortium was deeply committed to develop a specific METHODOLOGY aimed at integrating the GEP and the GB methodological framework.
Starting from a state-of-the-art report on GB initiatives in EU RPOs, raising awareness on how innovative GB still is, the consortium released a methodology manual, supporting GEPs sustainability through GB (see D2.3). Then the process of GEPs PLANNING started with a tailored selection of indicators useful to describe RPOs context with a gender equality perspective and to assess and evaluate GEPs measures in their gender equality impact. A shared set of 13 context indicators was then collected by all partners and represented the starting point for their Context and Budget Analysis that also included policies analysis, a feasibility study on GB implementation and a survey on gender implicit bias (see D2.4).
The context analysis started a process of GEPs Design and Implementation for each implementing partner that were completed in the second reporting period (see D4.1 and D4.2)
The third project objective of IMPLEMENTATION led the six implementing partners to effectively introduce the GEPs in their institutions, through the help of the mentors and the working groups established, as well as of the interested stakeholders.
Several training sessions were realised in both reporting periods to help academic and administrative staff to design and then implement their GEPs with the GB perspective.The second round of training (22 hours of training lessons between December 2021 and April 2022) also provided for individual sessions for the RPOs decision-makers (6 hours of one-to-one lessons for decision makers between April and May 2022), to have them “on board” in the crucial phase of implementation and then refinement of GEPs (see D4.3).
The core-objectives of LeTSGEPs, methodology, planning and implementation were also supported and enhanced in their potential by a powerful EVALUATION activity in both reporting periods. In particular, in the second reporting period, two monitoring reports were filalised (D5.2 and D5.3). Moreover, training activities were monitored with specific and tailored questionnaires and their efficacy discussed among implementing partners. A reflection workshop on this purpose was organised on 30/05/2022.
An intense PARTICIPATION process developed by each implementing partner led to the definition of the stakeholder maps, and to the stakeholders system implementation, with internal events and local/national external national stakeholder workshops.
The second international stakeholder workshop was organized successfully in January 2022 with a wide number of participants (123 people from 18 different countries attended the online event).
With reference to the three main impact areas of the call, LeTSGEPs expected results and impacts may be summarized in:
1- INCREASE IN THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CAREERS PROSPECTS
LeTSGEPs directly supports six (6) RPOs to implement Gender Budgeting and GEPs and influences a wider number of research institutions through dissemination and exploitation activities. The initial budgeting and auditing phase provides the base knowledge to better understand in each institution how to remove barriers preventing women to advance in their career.
2- IMPROVEMENT OF GENDER BALANCE IN DECISION-MAKING BODIES IN RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
LeTSGEPs pays specific attention to GEPs’ measures aiming at removing barriers that generate discrimination against women in the academic environment to improve gender balance in scientific boards and decision-making bodies. On this issue, a first successful example has been MISANU.
3 - INCLUSION, WHERE RELEVANT, OF THE GENDER DIMENSION IN RESEARCH CONTENT AND INCREASE IN THE QUALITY AND SOCIETAL RELEVANCE OF PRODUCED KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS
LeTSGEPs implements actions aimed at raising awareness of training staff about the inclusion of the gender dimension in research design and in the analysis of research outcomes.
LeTSGEPs contributes in the medium to long term to ERA priority number 4 on “gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research and innovation”, by increasing the numbers of RPOs that implement GEPs. This supports reaching ERA’s objective “to foster scientific excellence by fully utilising gender diversity and equality and avoiding an indefensible waste of talent”.
1- INCREASE IN THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR CAREERS PROSPECTS
LeTSGEPs directly supports six (6) RPOs to implement Gender Budgeting and GEPs and influences a wider number of research institutions through dissemination and exploitation activities. The initial budgeting and auditing phase provides the base knowledge to better understand in each institution how to remove barriers preventing women to advance in their career.
2- IMPROVEMENT OF GENDER BALANCE IN DECISION-MAKING BODIES IN RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS
LeTSGEPs pays specific attention to GEPs’ measures aiming at removing barriers that generate discrimination against women in the academic environment to improve gender balance in scientific boards and decision-making bodies. On this issue, a first successful example has been MISANU.
3 - INCLUSION, WHERE RELEVANT, OF THE GENDER DIMENSION IN RESEARCH CONTENT AND INCREASE IN THE QUALITY AND SOCIETAL RELEVANCE OF PRODUCED KNOWLEDGE, TECHNOLOGIES AND INNOVATIONS
LeTSGEPs implements actions aimed at raising awareness of training staff about the inclusion of the gender dimension in research design and in the analysis of research outcomes.
LeTSGEPs contributes in the medium to long term to ERA priority number 4 on “gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research and innovation”, by increasing the numbers of RPOs that implement GEPs. This supports reaching ERA’s objective “to foster scientific excellence by fully utilising gender diversity and equality and avoiding an indefensible waste of talent”.