Abstract
Introduction. Funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, the CHANGE project –Challenging Gender (In)Equality in Science and Research– aims to create and implement tailor-made gender equality plans (GEPs) in research performing organisations (RPOs). To make GEPs more sustainable, efforts are being made to stimulate institutional cultural change towards gender equal work environments and foster the gender dimension and inclusive research and innovation programmes in research funding organisations (RFOs) as well. The promotion of a gender equality culture is thus a key requirement for RPOs to maximise their potential. The CHANGE consortium is composed of seven institutions from six countries –Austria, Germany, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Israel– of which five are GEP implementing partners and two are experienced partners (one coordinator and one internal evaluator). Objectives and Methodology. This paper approaches the methodology of the project and the structural and cultural challenges faced by the implementing partners so far, looking more specifically to the similarities and differences in the different national and institutional contexts. Results and Discussion. In all the five implementing partners organisations, successful steps have been taken in the implementation of GEPs. Regardless of these first successes, even with increasing women’s representation in management and decision-making positions in some specific cases, implementing partners and coordinators fear that this change may be merely circumstantial or only due and during the project duration. Contribution. The challenges and barriers faced so far to stimulate institutional and cultural change towards gender equal work environments in RPOs are diverse. While there are important social, cultural, and institutional differences among the partner institutions, there is a great similarity in the difficulties faced in implementing GEPs. Resistances and challenges that emerge during processes of change when gender equality policies are implemented in RPOs are more transversal to different national and organisational contexts than one could expect.
Highlights
Funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, the CHANGE project –Challenging Gender (In) Equality in Science and Research– aims to create and implement tailor-made gender equality plans (GEPs) in research performing organisations (RPOs)
By analysing evidences of all the implementing partners in the CHANGE project, it was possible to identify the existence of four different types of resistances which are independent from the institutional and/or national contexts: 1) fear of feminism; 2) assumption of gender neutrality in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and a dominant discourse on excellence and merit; 3) devaluing of knowledge on gender equality; and 4) lack of institutional or personal support
In order to understand resistance to gender equality and to the implementation of GEPs in academics and scientific settings, national and organisational contexts have been considered along this study
Summary
Funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, the CHANGE project –Challenging Gender (In) Equality in Science and Research– aims to create and implement tailor-made gender equality plans (GEPs) in research performing organisations (RPOs). An important step towards the promotion of a gender equality culture in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and RPOs lies in the creation of the European Research Area (ERA), as the European Union stipulated targets to increase women participation in industrial research and technology and to significantly increase the number of women in leading positions. Since gender equality and gender mainstreaming in research has been identified as one of the key priorities for the ERA and a key requirement for HEIs to maximise their potential, specific funding was assigned to researchers to promote gender equality in HEI Along these efforts, several projects have been approved to design and implement Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in HEIs and RPOs, with many European organisations taking initiatives to develop and implement GEPs
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