Gender Perspective in Teaching and Research

Gender Perspective in Teaching 

The Fourth Action Plan for Gender Equality at the UAB (2019-2023) strengthens the gender perspective in teaching and research throught 8 measures. 

The Observatory has created the "Handbook to include gender perspective in teaching" (in catalan).

 Gender Perspective in Research 

“Gender Sensitive Research” is overcoming the covert andocentricity in research projects. Quality research should remove andocentric bias from the design, content, and results (Avramov, Dragana, 2011: 11; Schiebinger, Londa & Schraudner, Martina, 2011: 155), be socially inclusive, and guarantee gender balanced research teams and at all decision-making levels.

 

Red de Proyectos Europeos para la Igualdad de Género en Ciencia e Innovación con participación de entidades españolas

The UAB through the EGERA project, affiliated with the Observatory for Equality, is part of the network constituted by the MINECO on March 8th, 2017. At the time of its constitution, there were 19 projects funded by the UE on gender equality in research and science. These are projects in which Spanish institutions participate or take the lead. The network, coordinated by Unidad Mujer y Ciencia and Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología (FCYT), is perceived as an information and resource sharing space on equality policies in research and science from the viewpoint of European projects.

More information

 

Vives Network
 
Guides for university teaching with gender perspective is a collection of 11 works of different fields and areas of knowledge. The Guides offer guidelines to review subjects from a gender perspective, from recommendations and indications regarding goals, contents, examples, the language used and selected sources, as well as teaching, evaluation and learning environment management methods their results.
 
The goal of the collection is to offer resources allowing university teaching staff to pay attention to the gender dynamics which take place in the learning environment and to adopt measures ensuring that the diversity of students is cared for. This way, students will have new tools to identify gender stereotypes, norms and social roles, develop their civic spirit and acquire competences which will allow them to avoid gender blindness in their future professional practice.
 
More information about guides click here.

The introduction of the gender perspective in research, understood as “Gender Sensitive Research”, heeds gender and its multiple social, theoretical and methodological dimensions in all stages of research projects, thus contributing to further accuracy and innovation (Schiebinger, L. Schraudner, 2011; Gender in EU-funded research Toolkit, 2009;). This approach fosters innovative research because it pays attention to unusual points of view and raises awareness of the power relations that exist in research processes and in the realities analysed, providing elements for empowerment to its participants (Leduc, 2009). Mainstreming the gender perspective contributes to create projects that are scientifically thoughtful and socially responsible (UN-UNSTRAW, 2009; Gender in EU-funded research Toolkit, 2009, Schiebinger & Schraudner, 2011). Moreover, the gender perspective understands that women and men are not homogeneous groups (Schiebinger & Klinge, 2013), and therefore includes not only the sex-gender dimensions, but also multiple complexities that relate to gender, such as social class, race or ethnic origin, age, and other indicators of differences and inequalities. The main items of the Gender Sensitive Research are:

• Gender equality in the composition of research teams.
• Gender as a relevant dimension in all the stages of research: design, theoretical framework, methodology and techniques, data analysis, and dissemination of results (Leduc, 2009; Gender in EU-funded research Toolkit, 2009, Schiebinger & Schraudner, 2011).
• Take into account the interest and impact of the research on the individuals conceived as research subjects.
• Give voice to the experiences of women and minoritised social sectors, to facilitate social empowerment.

The gender perspective in research is positively assessed when evaluating projects’ proposals for the calls of the Horizon 2020 programme (Fact Sheet: Gender Equality in Horizon 2020, 2013).

The Spanish Law 14/2011 of 1 June on Science, Technology and Innovation, describes in its preamble the gender perspective as scientific innovation: “Prominent amongst these measures to a «science of the 21st century» are the mainstreaming of the gender perspective with a transversal approach”. It states how to “Mainstream the gender perspective” in its Thirteen Additional Provision. https://www.boe.es/buscar/pdf/2011/BOE-A-2011-9617-consolidado.pdf The mainstreaming of gender perspective by means of its inclusion in scientific research contents is also one of the main principles of the Spanish Strategy on Science and Technology (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, 2013: 5).

For Catalonia, in terms of aids of collective nature, and in accordance with directives by the Directorate General for Research, AGAUR finds it positive the number of women in applicant research groups, that women lead research groups, and that the research deals with gender issues. http://universitatsirecerca.gencat.cat/ca/03_ambits_dactuacio/ciencia_i_societat/dones_i_ciencia/actuacions_en_materia_de_genere

Document created by the Observatory for Equality that describes the key items to mainstream the gender perspective in the design and the implementation of research projects, including the composition of research teams, the dissemination of results, and the evaluation of the impact of gender.

Document


Avramov, Dragana. (2011). Initiating and sustaining Structural Change. Reflection on the outcomes of the workshop on Structural Change in order to improve Gender Equality in Research organisations in Europe. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/document_library/pdf_06/structural-changes-workshop-report_en.pdf

Donoso-Vázquez, Trinidad.; Montané, Alejandra; Pessoa, Maria Eulina. (2014). Género y calidad en Educación Superior. Revista Electrónica Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 17 (3), 157-171. 

European Commission (2009) Toolkit Gender in EU-funded Research. Available at: http://www.yellowwindow.be/genderinresearch/downloads/YW2009_GenderToolKit_Module1.pdf

European Comission (2013). Factsheet Gender Equality in Horizon 2020. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/sites/horizon2020/files/FactSheet_Gender_2.pdf

Leduc, Brigitte. (2009). Guidelines for Gender Sensitive Research. Nepal: Icimod (International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Schiebinger, Londa. & Klinge, Ineke. (2013). Gendered Innovations. How Gender analysis Contributes to Research. Directorate General for Research & Innovation. European Comission. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/genderedinnovations/index_en.cfm

Schiebinger, Londa & Schraudner, Martina. (2011). “Interdisciplinary Approaches to Achieving Gendered Innovatons in Science, Medicine, and Engineering”. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, vol.36. No 2. June, 2011, 154-67. Available at: https://genderedinnovations.stanford.edu/ISR_07_Schiebinger.pdf

United Nations-INSTRAW. (2007). Gender research: A how-to guide United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of women. Available at: http://www.iiav.nl/epublications/2007/gender_research_a_how_to_guide.pdf