Gender equality plans. The Polish Science Contact Agency "PolSCA" Guide
Scientific institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) are introducing gender equality plans (GEPs). Departments entrusted with the preparation of these documents will find help in the guidebook prepared by the Polish Science Contact Agency "PolSCA" of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels. Implementing gender equality plans in research institutions will soon be mandatory for all Horizon Europe competitions, including MSCA and ERC.
The plans are intended to improve recruitment and staffing policies, and thus to reduce obstacles to academic and personal development of all staff and doctoral students. They also aim to assist in combining work and family life for both female and male employees as well as for doctoral students by allowing flexible working hours and telecommuting, for example. Establishing GEPs is essential as they will soon become a formal requirement for those Horizon Europe grant competitions where calls for proposals end in 2022 or later.
Positive attitudes towards diversity
A similar plan was introduced in July this year at the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wrocław. “The foundations of the plan include raising awareness of the importance of equality issues and strengthening positive attitudes towards diversity, building positive relations within the institute's community, as well as supporting the development of scientific careers of all members, regardless of gender,” explains Magdalena Wieczorek, chief project specialist at the institute.
The plan intends to support achieving the gender balance in the recruitment of employees and (prospective) participants of doctoral programmes and to increase gender balance in the institute's bodies, including committee chairs, management teams, expert and review panels, and leadership positions of scientific and dissemination events. The institute is in the process of appointing a gender equality officer.
Employment overview
An equality document is being introduced at the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Sopot. “Work on the plan has shown that our current personnel policy, which has been conducted for many years in accordance with clear principles, is optimal. The guiding principle applied at the Institute during the recruitment process (not only for scientific positions) is that the qualifications and the quality and efficiency of the work of an employee are the basis for the assessment. This employment policy, which is in line with ethical standards and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, has resulted in many years of balanced employment of women and men, and a general balance in managerial positions,” explains Joanna Przedrzymirska-Ziółkowska, deputy director for organisation and development.
The chairperson of the team overseeing the implementation of the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers is responsible for the implementation of the gender equality plan at the institute.
Key to equal opportunities
The staff of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, where the plan is under development, has recognised that the equality measures are a key element in supporting scientific careers. The principles of equality, diversity, and accessibility are intended to help value staff and doctoral students solely on the basis of their qualifications and to provide them with information regarding competitions, conferences, seminars, and the institute's internal policies. “Our activities are guided in part by good practices gained during the development of documents necessary to apply for the HR Excellence in Research Award, which we received in 2017,” says Marta Godzwon of the Office of Scientific Information at the institute.
“In our view, gender equality policy is the key to equal opportunities. Members of a community where no one feels discriminated work better together. Cooperation on equal terms, necessary in the world of science both at local (joint research in internal projects) and international level (multi-author publications, scientific conferences), shows how important it is to ensure the availability and openness of a diverse labour market for researchers, so that all potential is used to improve the quality of R&D,” she argues.
Staff of the institute is comprised of individuals from all around the globe, therefore the most important documents have been made available in English.
Gender equality plan – how to do it? PolSCA Guide
Which elements should be included in the GEP? Where do we turn for inspiration? The basic issues related to the preparation of such documents are discussed in the study “Gender equality plan – how to do it?”, prepared by the Polish Science Contact Agency "PolSCA" of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Brussels.
The study provides practical information on components required by the European Commission and the thematic areas which should be included in the document, such as work-life balance and gender balance in management and decision-making bodies, and in the recruitment process. It also contains several Polish (and European) examples of gender equality plans, reports, tools, training, and projects funded by Horizon 2020 dedicated to strengthen the gender equality in science and research.
The guide can also be used by other Polish research institutions for whom the adoption of a gender equality plan will facilitate application for Horizon Europe, the EU framework programme for research and innovation.
The study has been prepared by Dr Justyna Kramarczyk of the PolSCA Office and is available in PDF format.
