'Gender Equality in Universities: Lessons Learned from GenisLab - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

'Gender Equality in Universities: Lessons Learned from GenisLab Project'

Barbara DE MICHELI demicheli@fondazionebrodolini.it Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, Italy

www.fondazionebrodolini.it

www.ingenere.it/en

My presentation

• Structural/Institutional change and GEPs
• The Genislab case
• Challenges

Structural/Institutional change

Deep reaching change that alters/transforms the way authority, ressources, information and responsibility flows in an organisation It should be systemic, it is time and ressources consuming, it has great impact.

Structural/Institutional change

Why FP7 supports structural change to promote Gender Equality? Decades of gender positive actions did not have the expected impact on women scientist careers (Shefigures 2012, “scissor”) Structural changes in research organisations are needed in order to overcome the factors that limit the participation of women in research.

Genis Lab – gender equality and structural change

Main objectives

• to improve women researchers working conditions
• to improve women researchers carriers opportunities

in research organizations

• to improve organizational climate workplace, acting
• n organizational culture
• to fight against negative stereotypes, within research
• rganization but also in a more general context
• to contribute to the creation of positive models

GENIS LAB Consortium

GENIS LAB the approach

In the framework of Genis Lab structural and institutional change have been understood since the beginning as requiring a systemic approach, suitable to act on different

• rganisational dimensions and moving from an initial

(gender) assessment of the organisation. For these reasons the proposed approach to the definition

• f Gender Action Plans, (named TAP Tailored Action Plans

in Genis Lab) suggested three dimensions of action, to be taken simultaneously under consideration by scientific

• rganisations in approaching structural change

Three dimensions

1) Human an Reso sour urces ces Management ement and d Gender nder The he Par articipa icipatory tory Gender Gender Audit Audit leads eads to to the the id ident entif ific icati tion

• n of
• f

str strengths engths and and gaps ps and and of

• f

exis xisting ting good

• od and

and bad bad pr practic actices es in in rela elatio ion to to the the

• rganisations’

ca capac pacit ity to to tap th the full full po pote tenti ntial al of

• f the

the female emale wor

• rkf

kfor

• rce

ce, pr promote

• mote a

gend ender er balance balance at at all all le levels ls and and attr ttract act and and retain ain the best qualif alified ed tale lents nts.

Three dimensions

2) Or Organiza anizati tional

• nal Cul

ultur ure e and nd Ster ereoty eotypes es

Changing the perception of stereotypes in science and re-definition of excellence will be the two key issues

• f

training for managers.

Three dimensions

3) Ge Gende nder Bud udgeting eting

Financial choices reflect the dominating culture, as power is created through the concentration

• f

resources. It is then important when addressing gender equality to understand and monitor how resources are distributed and what effects the assignment has

• n

each gender.

Self-Tailored Action Plans

A systemic emic approac

• ach

h :

• a common methodology for 6 organisations
• 3 integrated dimensions
• a unique TAP for each organisation
• a unique GOAL for each TAP
• integrated actions to reach a common objective

in the framework of:

• rganisational change to promote women in

science carriers

• integration of the

actions in the framework of the awareness campaign

• implementation of

the action

• monitoring of TAP

implementation according to identified indicators

• support from

external experts

• identification of

priorities and strategies

• definition of actions

for each of the 3 dimensions

• description of the

actions

• definition of

monitoring indicators

• PGA Reports
• Interviews focusing
• n Gender budgeting
• mapping of the

stereotypes in the

• rganisation
• LABs: collection of

tools and practices

Assessment Planning

Implementation

Monitoring

Baseline

It is very important to start the change/innovation process from the creation of a baseline in order to be able to monitor developments concerning change and gender

• equality. Involving organization since the

beginning in creating the base line (ie via a participatory audit process) is already part of the process of change.

Assess gender competences

The baseline should include an assessment of existing gender competences or sensitivity in the organizational culture (mission and vision) and among the individuals.

Assess organisational analysis knowlegde

In the case of Genis Lab a lack of gender /organisational analysis knowledge among the participants has also been observed; this required a strong participation of technical partners in supporting the definition and implementation of the action plans.

Consider resistance to change and stereotypes

All organizational change projects face resistance towards the project, which is difficult to overcome in the relatively short time of the project’s implementation In order to deal with resistances it is crucial to identify the right stakeholders to act with and to define negotiating procedures in order to cope with resistances.

Consider research institutions

• rganisational specificies

Universities and Scientific Research center are “special forms of organisations”, in which the

• rganization specific level of autonomy has

continuously to struggle among different forces. The organizational level of autonomy and the identification of the different levels of power of different stakeholders have huge impact on determining structural change.

Change agents for sustainability

It is very important for the sustainability of the change process to invest internal change agents to continue the process. More in general, structural change process should involve and commit women and men in the organisations

• involve women and men

Evaluation and tailored indicators

The GEP experience has also shown that is very important to identify suitable qualitative and quantitative indicators to monitor “structural changes”. Discussion is open

Critical mass

The GEP experience has also shown that is crucial to build up a network/critical mass to promote culture change, international scientific community (eg: the issues of gender and excellence criteria cannot be solved at

• rgansational level but it has an impact on it)

To Know more: GENIS LAB GUIDELINES

Thank You!!!

• demicheli@fondazionebrodolini.it