Gender Equality Plan
1
Women’s participation in research: career progression and development
Objective
To foster a gender-balanced research culture that promotes gender equality in scientific careers and allows capitalization on the talent of the ICM staff, both female and male.
Overcoming the glass ceiling: Advancing women’s researcher careers
Measure 1.1
To address the so-called “glass ceiling” phenomenon within ICM, the invisible barriers that keep women from reaching leadership positions must be removed, enabling women to access to the same resources as their male colleagues and to participate in decision-making. ICM needs to capitalize on the talents of both female and male researchers.
This measure will tackle this issue with a double approach:
To strengthen the professional skills, expertise, and leadership of women researchers, by providing them with tools for their development based on their needs (gender-sensitive career support).
To integrate the gender perspective in institutional changes, as to guarantee equal and fair career advancement, professional development, and gender balance in project teams.
Main actions:
- Coaching/training in leadership skills to female senior researchers
- To encourage female candidates for promotion and/or leadership positions, including leadership as PIs of research projects.
- To conduct two case studies on the functioning of research groups, to identify factors affecting women's limited leadership, distribution of tasks, funding, etc.
- To define guidelines by the management team to comply with gender parity in research project teams according to the Horizon Europe framework.
Professional career development plans for female young researchers
Measure 1.2
Despite as many women as men begin their marine science careers in ICM, many more men than women go on to senior research positions. The reasons for this are complex and multifaceted, but from an institutional viewpoint it is important to ensure that the best scientists have opportunities to pursue a career, and that gender is not a factor determining the chances of success.
In order to increase employment opportunities for female scientists in their next career phase (and to retain talent), and also to further develop a gender-balanced research culture, ICM will implement professional career development plans for female young researchers.
Main actions:
- To conceptualise, design and implement a mentoring programme in ICM
- To implement specific training on integrating gender dimension in research content.
- To support the research work of young researchers in research groups.
Integration of gender aspects in internal funding
Measure 1.3
The issues of (potential) gender bias and associated gender inequalities in grant allocation processes have been proved empirically. Even the formal selection standards towards gender equality might be properly implemented, there are multiple ways in which the notion of gender inequality may occur.
Considering that gender biases in grant decisions may lead to gender differences in the subsequent careers of women and men, this measure aims to guarantee that the granting of funds by internal calls will be gender sensitive.
Main actions:
- To carry out further analysis about the factors that cause gender imbalances in funding application behaviour at ICM and selection criteria that introduce gender bias.
- To establish guidelines and set out an equality criteria to guarantee gender equality, such as affirmative actions, in the internal calls.
- To include the gender dimension in analysis reports for each of the internal calls (target audience, nominations, beneficiaries, and funds granted).
