New policy brief: tools for gender-conscious research
Diverse research teams are good for science. However, the systems in place tend to favour male researchers over female. In a new policy brief, MINDtheGEPs present recommendations on how to look at research projects and outputs through a gender lens, and provide tools for gender-conscious research across various fields and organisations.
The policy brief promotes inclusive research, and empower researchers to work towards gender equality: both on their own and in their teams and organisations. The recommendations include brainstorming, research proposals, research terms, dissemination, how to be a gender-aware researcher and promote gender-conscious research and research practice.
Key recommendations from the brief
- Craft gender-sensitive research proposals: Be mindful of gender-sensitive hypotheses and objectives, and formulate research questions that challenge gender biases.
- Equality proof your research: For quantitative studies, samples, variables, and questionnaires need to be sex and gender sensitive. For qualitative studies, interview and observational methods need adaptations to avoid bias and encourage the embedding of gender equality in research.
- Be aware of the difference between sex and gender: Recognise that sex refers to biological characteristics while gender refers to socio-cultural processes, and the fact that they do not necessarily match.
- Be gender-conscious in your research dissemination: Include a sex and gender dimension in the presentation of findings.
Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza., Dziedzic, Marta., Raszczyk, Izabela., Drecun, Aleksandra., Jovanovic, Kosta., Trumic, Maja., & Solera, Cristina. (2024). Research through a gender lens: Tools for gender-conscious research across various fields & organisations. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13884171
About the recommendations
This brief is based on a MINDtheGEPs deliverable with guidelines on planned actions for gendering research & teaching. The recommendations in this brief is for researchers, PhD candidates, scientific project incubators, and research teams.
Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza., Dziedzic, Marta., Raszczyk, Izabela., Drecun, Aleksandra., Jovanovic, Kosta., Trumic, Maja., & Solera, Cristina. (2024). D6.1 – Guidelines on planned actions to gendering research & teaching. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10591738