libra - boosting gender equality in research

09/13/2016 LIBRA @ VITAE Conference 2016 1

LIBRA - Boosting gender equality in

researchSonja Reiland, Natalia Dave Coll @CRG Barcelona

Laura Norton @The Babraham Institute, Cambridge

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 665937.

Follow us: http://www.eu-libra.eu/Twitter: @libra_science

http://www.eu-libra.eu/




DataAll data presented at the conference were deleted in this version. Once the whole consortium agreed on the dissemination of those data, they will be made available on our website. Thanks for understanding.


LIBRA & EU-life

Gender Expert organisation

Areas of intervention• Recruit without Gender Bias• Support Career Development• Increase Work-Life Balance • Integrate Sex & Gender

Dimension in ResearchHow1. Assess Gender Equalities 2. Tailor Gender Equality Plans3. Implementation4. Sustainability

Horizon 2020, Science with and for Society Work Programme, call for “Promoting Gender Equality in Research and Innovation”.


LIBRA - assessmentInstitutional data assessment

Implicit Association Test

Staff survey

Diagnostic Report (not public)

Staff bias

Staff perceptionCareer Dev.WLBSex/Gender dimension in research



Analysis how quickly and accurately you were able to categorize…

Gender-Science Task Gender-Career Task

… Natural science words with male compared to female

ANDLiberal arts words with female compared to male

…. Career words with male compared to female

ANDFamily words with female compared to male

Are you gender biased? To the test… www.eu-libra.eu


Science

Men

Women


Career

Men

Women

All participants


Staff Survey


Staff Survey - Career Development

1. Where do you see yourself working after your current position?

2. Based on your experience, what do you think makes a career in academia attractive?

3. Based on your experience, what do you think makes a career in academia challenging?

4. If you were to consider leaving academia, what might encourage you to remain?

5. What do you think is the one initiative that would enable a more equal gender representation in science?

6. Please answer the following statements on a scale of strongly agree to strongly disagree (see next slides)

7. Do you feel encouraged to pursue a career in academic research - if yes by whom?


Sex and Gender dimension in Research

Sex is a biological variant.

This is often overlooked,

resulting in the result of

data that either has no been

segregated for sex, or is

representative of only one

sex. This hinders the

usefulness of data.


Staff Survey - Work Life Balance


LIBRA Survey- Work and Personal Life Integration


WLB case study


Methods for assessing WLB at Babraham Institute

• Civil service survey• Athena SWAN staff consultations• LIBRA staff survey• Uptake of facilities and policies• 6 monthly analysis of data• Committees (e.g. Post Doc committee, graduate committee, Athena

SWAN committee)


LIBRA Data - Work and Personal Life Integration

In groups discuss what actions you could take forward to improve WLB

after looking at this data.


Awareness: • Blog, internet, social media• Poster Campaigns• Role models• My life in Science seminar series• All GLs including a my life in science aspect to

seminars • Working with schools, nurseries, public

engagement • Sharing good practicePolicies, Entitlements• Reducing hours/increasing hours• Flexible working policy• Job sharing• Parental leave policies• Return to work policies• Funding (carers, conference travel- childcare)• Meeting times (core hours)

Actions- Work and Personal Life IntegrationFacilities:• Nursery, after school club, holiday clubs• Emergency childcare (recommendations, nanny, funding)• On site housing (subsidies, loans)• Remote access to computing facilities (support)• Food, canteen, healthy options• Sport, gym, clubs• Social clubs, bars, book clubs, • Shower facilities, • Bike sheds (travel to work loans, funding)• Shop/cash machine• Nappy changing facilities, lactation room • Allotments• Gardens


LIBRA – Gender Equality PlansInstitutional data assessment


Staff survey

Diagnostic Report (not public)

Staff bias

Staff perceptionCareer Dev.WLBSex/Gender dimension in research

Gender Equality Plan (GEP)


LIBRA – Gender Equality Plans1. Template developed by ASDO

2. “Menu” of actions provided by WP

leader

3. Actions selected by institutional

GEP teams

4. Planning and implementation of

actions at the institutes

12

3


LIBRA – Gender Equality PlansMenu of 84 actions categorized in 4 areas of intervention

0

5

10

15

20

25

30 # recommended# coordinated# optional


LIBRA – Gender Equality PlansArea of intervention

“Optional” actions frequently chosen by LIBRA partner institutes

Recruitment • Information sheet/brochure about work-life benefits, dual career opportunities etc. to be included when sending out offers or handed to candidates during on site interviews (7)‐

• Present statistics about gender relevant recruitment data to the Faculty of the institution (6)

Career Development

• Seminars for PhD students and postdocs about opportunities in non academic scientific sectors (7)‐• Participate in the mentoring program for young female PIs (6)

Work-Life-Balance

• Hosting “My life in science” seminars, highlighting challenges and benefits of maintaining a good WLB (4)

• Providing rooms for breastfeeding/milk pumping/nappy changing (4)

Sex/Gender dimension of research

• Identify research groups with experience on gendered research, in the field of the institute’s research topic. Organizing visits and working seminars for researchers to learn how to integrate sex/gender dimension into their project planning (4).


LIBRA – Athena SWAN


Athena SWAN


LIBRA

• Collaborative


LIBRA v Athena SWAN – Structural similarities


LIBRA and Athena SWAN – benefits


Discussion 2LIBRA achievements

1. Increased awareness2. Assessment of where we are

regarding Gender Equality3. Engagement of directors and

action plan to improve the situation for Gender Equality

Challenges we still face

1. Feedback from colleagues that they are saturated with the topic “Gender”

2. Less participation of men in survey and gender related events

3. Engagement of scientists

How can we address these challenges?


The LIBRA - TeamAdvisory Board


Thanks for your attention

Sonja ReilandLIBRA project [email protected]

Laura NortonLIBRA/Athena SWAN [email protected]

Natalia Dave CollLIBRA project [email protected]

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 665937.

Follow us: http://www.eu-libra.eu/Twitter: @libra_science


