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  • Menu
  • Gender mainstreaming
    • What is Gender mainstreaming
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    • Toolkits
      • Gender Equality Training
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Gender Equality Training
        • Why invest in Gender Equality Training
        • Who should use Gender Equality Training
        • Step-by-step guide to Gender Equality Training
            • 1. Assess the needs
            • 2. Integrate initiatives to broader strategy
            • 3. Ensure sufficient resources
            • 4. Write good terms of reference
            • 5. Select a trainer
            • 6. Engage in the needs assessment
            • 7. Actively participate in the initiative
            • 8. Invite others to join in
            • 9. Monitoring framework and procedures
            • 10. Set up an evaluation framework
            • 11. Assess long-term impacts
            • 12. Give space and support others
        • Designing effective Gender Equality Training
        • Gender Equality Training in the EU
        • Good Practices on Gender Equality Training
        • More resources on Gender Equality Training
        • More on EIGE's work on Gender Equality Training
      • Gender Impact Assessment
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Gender Impact Assessment
        • Why use Gender Impact Assessment
        • Who should use Gender Impact Assessment
        • When to use Gender Impact Assessment
        • Guide to Gender Impact Assessment
          • Step 1: Definition of policy purpose
          • Step 2: Checking gender relevance
          • Step 3: Gender-sensitive analysis
          • Step 4: Weighing gender impact
          • Step 5: Findings and proposals for improvement
        • Following up on gender impact assessment
        • General considerations
        • Examples from the EU
            • European Commission
            • Austria
            • Belgium
            • Denmark
            • Finland
            • Sweden
            • Basque country
            • Catalonia
            • Lower Saxony
            • Swedish municipalities
      • Institutional Transformation
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is Institutional Transformation
          • Institutional transformation and gender: Key points
          • Gender organisations
          • Types of institutions
          • Gender mainstreaming and institutional transformation
          • Dimensions of gender mainstreaming in institutions: The SPO model
        • Why focus on Institutional Transformation
          • Motivation model
        • Who the guide is for
        • Guide to Institutional Transformation
            • 1. Creating accountability and strengthening commitment
            • 2. Allocating resources
            • 3. Conducting an organisational analysis
            • 4. Developing a strategy and work plan
            • 5. Establishing a support structure
            • 6. Setting gender equality objectives
            • 7. Communicating gender mainstreaming
            • 8. Introducing gender mainstreaming
            • 9. Developing gender equality competence
            • 10. Establishing a gender information management system
            • 11. Launching gender equality action plans
            • 12. Promotional equal opportunities
            • 13. Monitoring and steering organisational change
        • Dealing with resistance
          • Discourse level
          • Individual level
          • Organisational level
          • Statements and reactions
        • Checklist: Key questions for change
        • Examples from the EU
            • 1. Strengthening accountability
            • 2. Allocating resources
            • 3. Organisational analysis
            • 4. Developing a strategy and working plan
            • 5. Establishing a support structure
            • 6. Setting objectives
            • 7. Communicating gender mainstreaming
            • 8. Introducing methods and tools
            • 9. Developing Competence
            • 10. Establishing a gender information management system
            • 11. Launching action plans
            • 12. Promoting within an organisation
            • 13. Monitoring and evaluating
      • Gender Equality in Academia and Research
        • Back to toolkit page
        • WHAT
          • What is a Gender Equality Plan?
          • Terms and definitions
          • Which stakeholders need to be engaged into a GEP
          • About the Gear Tool
        • WHY
          • Horizon Europe GEP criterion
          • Gender Equality in Research and Innovation
          • Why change must be structural
          • Rationale for gender equality change in research and innovation
          • GEAR step-by-step guide for research organisations, universities and public bodies
            • Step 1: Getting started
            • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
            • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
          • GEAR step-by-step guide for research funding bodies
            • Step 1: Getting started
            • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
            • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
            • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
          • GEAR action toolbox
            • Work-life balance and organisational culture
            • Gender balance in leadership and decision making
            • Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
            • Integration of the sex/gender dimension into research and teaching content
            • Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment
            • Measures mitigating the effect of COVID-19
            • Data collection and monitoring
            • Training: awareness-raising and capacity building
            • GEP development and implementation
            • Gender-sensitive research funding procedures
          • Success factors for GEP development and implementation
          • Challenges & resistance
        • WHERE
          • Austria
          • Belgium
          • Bulgaria
          • Croatia
          • Cyprus
          • Czechia
          • Denmark
          • Estonia
          • Finland
          • France
          • Germany
          • Greece
          • Hungary
          • Ireland
          • Italy
          • Latvia
          • Lithuania
          • Luxembourg
          • Malta
          • Netherlands
          • Poland
          • Portugal
          • Romania
          • Slovakia
          • Slovenia
          • Spain
          • Sweden
          • United Kingdom
      • Gender-sensitive Parliaments
        • Back to toolkit page
        • What is the tool for?
        • Who is the tool for?
        • How to use the tool
        • Self-assessment, scoring and interpretation of parliament gender-sensitivity
          • AREA 1 – Women and men have equal opportunities to ENTER the parliament
            • Domain 1 – Electoral system and gender quotas
            • Domain 2 - Political party/group procedures
            • Domain 3 – Recruitment of parliamentary employees
          • AREA 2 – Women and men have equal opportunities to INFLUENCE the parliament’s working procedures
            • Domain 1 – Parliamentarians’ presence and capacity in a parliament
            • Domain 2 – Structure and organisation
            • Domain 3 – Staff organisation and procedures
          • AREA 3 – Women’s interests and concerns have adequate SPACE on parliamentary agenda
            • Domain 1 – Gender mainstreaming structures
            • Domain 2 – Gender mainstreaming tools in parliamentary work
            • Domain 3 – Gender mainstreaming tools for staff
          • AREA 4 – The parliament produces gender-sensitive LEGISLATION
            • Domain 1 – Gender equality laws and policies
            • Domain 2 – Gender mainstreaming in laws
            • Domain 3 – Oversight of gender equality
          • AREA 5 – The parliament complies with its SYMBOLIC function
            • Domain 1 – Symbolic meanings of spaces
            • Domain 2 – Gender equality in external communication and representation
        • How gender-sensitive are parliaments in the EU?
        • Examples of gender-sensitive practices in parliaments
          • Women and men have equal opportunities to ENTER the parliament
          • Women and men have equal opportunities to INFLUENCE the parliament’s working procedures
          • Women’s interests and concerns have adequate SPACE on parliamentary agenda
          • The parliament produces gender-sensitive LEGISLATION
          • The parliament complies with its SYMBOLIC function
        • Glossary of terms
        • References and resources
      • Gender Budgeting
        • Back to toolkit page
        • Who is this toolkit for?
        • What is gender budgeting?
          • Introducing gender budgeting
          • Gender budgeting in women’s and men’s lived realities
          • What does gender budgeting involve in practice?
          • Gender budgeting in the EU Funds
            • Gender budgeting as a way of complying with EU legal requirements
            • Gender budgeting as a way of promoting accountability and transparency
            • Gender budgeting as a way of increasing participation in budget processes
            • Gender budgeting as a way of advancing gender equality
        • Why is gender budgeting important in the EU Funds?
          • Three reasons why gender budgeting is crucial in the EU Funds
        • How can we apply gender budgeting in the EU Funds? Practical tools and Member State examples
          • Tool 1: Connecting the EU Funds with the EU’s regulatory framework on gender equality
            • Legislative and regulatory basis for EU policies on gender equality
            • Concrete requirements for considering gender equality within the EU Funds
            • EU Funds’ enabling conditions
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 2: Analysing gender inequalities and gender needs at the national and sub-national levels
            • Steps to assess and analyse gender inequalities and needs
            • Step 1. Collect information and disaggregated data on the target group
            • Step 2. Identify existing gender inequalities and their underlying causes
            • Step 3. Consult directly with the target groups
            • Step 4. Draw conclusions
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 3: Operationalising gender equality in policy objectives and specific objectives/measures
            • Steps for operationalising gender equality in Partnership Agreements and Operational Programmes
            • General guidance on operationalising gender equality when developing policy objectives, specific objectives and measures
            • Checklist for putting the horizontal principle of gender equality into practice in Partnership Agreements
            • Checklist for putting the horizontal principle of gender equality into practice in Operational Programmes
            • Examples of integrating gender equality as a horizontal principle in policy objectives and specific objectives
          • Tool 4: Coordination and complementarities between the EU Funds to advance work-life balance
            • Steps for enhancing coordination and complementarities between the funds
            • Step 1. Alignment with the EU’s strategic engagement goals for gender equality and national gender equality goals
            • Steps 2 and 3. Identifying and developing possible work-life balance interventions
            • Step 4. Following-up through the use of indicators within M&E systems
            • Fictional case study 1: reconciling paid work and childcare
            • Fictional case study 2: reconciling shift work and childcare
            • Fictional case study 3: balancing care for oneself and others
            • Fictional case study 4: reconciling care for children and older persons with shift work
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 5: Defining partnerships and multi-level governance
            • Steps for defining partnerships and multi-level governance
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 6: Developing quantitative and qualitative indicators for advancing gender equality
            • Steps to develop quantitative and qualitative indicators
            • ERDF and Cohesion Fund
            • ESF+
            • EMFF
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 7: Defining gender-sensitive project selection criteria
            • Steps to support gender-sensitive project development and selection
            • Checklist to guide the preparation of calls for project proposals
            • Checklist for project selection criteria
            • Supplementary tool 7.a: Gender-responsive agreements with project implementers
          • Tool 8: Tracking resource allocations for gender equality in the EU Funds
            • Ensuring gender relevance in EU Funds
            • The tracking system
            • Steps for tracking resource allocations on gender equality
            • Step 1: Ex ante approach
            • Step 2: Ex post approach
            • Examples of Step 2a
            • Annex 1: Ex ante assignment of intervention fields to the gender equality dimension codes
            • Annex 2: The EU’s gender equality legal and policy framework
          • Tool 9: Mainstreaming gender equality in project design
            • Steps to mainstream gender equality in project design
            • Step 1. Alignment with partnership agreements’ and Operational Programmes’ gender objectives and indicators
            • Step 2. Project development and application
            • Step 3. Project implementation
            • Step 4. Project assessment
          • Tool 10: Integrating a gender perspective in monitoring and evaluation processes
            • Steps to integrate a gender perspective in M&E processes
            • Additional resources
          • Tool 11: Reporting on resource spending for gender equality in the EU Funds
            • Tracking expenditures for gender equality
            • Additional resources
          • References
          • Abbreviations
          • Acknowledgements
      • Gender-responsive Public Procurement
        • Back to toolkit page
        • Who is this toolkit for?
          • Guiding you through the toolkit
        • What is gender-responsive public procurement?
          • How is gender-responsive public procurement linked to gender equality?
          • How is gender-responsive public procurement linked to gender budgeting?
          • Five reasons why gender-responsive public procurement
          • Why was this toolkit produced
        • Gender-responsive public procurement in practice
          • Legal framework cross-references gender equality and public procurement
          • Public procurement strategies cover GRPP
          • Gender equality action plans or strategies mention public procurement
          • Capacity-building programmes, support structures
          • Regular collaboration between gender equality bodies
          • Effective monitoring and reporting systems on the use of GRPP
          • Tool 1:Self-assessment questionnaire about the legal
          • Tool 2: Overview of the legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks
        • How to include gender aspects in tendering procedures
          • Pre-procurement stage
            • Needs assessment
            • Tool 3: Decision tree to assess the gender relevance
            • Preliminary market consultation
            • Tool 4: Guiding questions for needs assessment
            • Defining the subject matter of the contract
            • Choosing the procedure
            • Tool 5: Decision tree for the choice of procedure for GRPP
            • Dividing the contract into lots
            • Tool 6: Guiding questions for dividing contracts into lots for GRPP
            • Light regime for social, health and other specific services
            • Tool 7: Guiding questions for applying GRPP under the light regime
            • Tool 8: Guiding questions for applying GRPP under the light regime
            • Reserved contracts
            • Preparing tender documents
          • Procurement stage
            • Exclusion grounds
            • Selection criteria
            • Technical specifications
            • Tool 9: Decision tree for setting GRPP selection criteria
            • Award criteria
            • Tool 10: Formulating GRPP award criteria
            • Tool 11: Bidders’ concepts to ensure the integration of gender aspects
            • Use of labels/certifications
          • Post-procurement stage
            • Tool 12: Checklist for including GRPP contract performance conditions
            • Subcontracting
            • Monitoring
            • Reporting
            • Tool 13: Template for a GRPP monitoring and reporting plan
        • References
        • Additional resources
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      • About EIGE's methods and tools
      • Gender analysis
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    • EIGE’s publications on Gender mainstreaming
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  • Gender-based violence
    • What is gender-based violence?
    • Forms of violence
    • EIGE’s work on gender-based violence
    • Administrative data collection
      • Data collection on violence against women
        • The need to improve data collection
        • Advancing administrative data collection on Intimate partner violence and gender-related killings of women
        • Improving police and justice data on intimate partner violence against women in the European Union
        • Developing EU-wide terminology and indicators for data collection on violence against women
        • Mapping the current status and potential of administrative data sources on gender-based violence in the EU
      • About the tool
      • Administrative data sources
      • Advanced search
    • Analysis of EU directives from a gendered perspective
    • Costs of gender-based violence
    • Cyber violence against women
    • Femicide
    • Intimate partner violence and witness intervention
    • Female genital mutilation
      • Risk estimations
    • Risk assessment and risk management by police
      • Risk assessment principles and steps
          • Principle 1: Prioritising victim safety
          • Principle 2: Adopting a victim-centred approach
          • Principle 3: Taking a gender-specific approach
          • Principle 4: Adopting an intersectional approach
          • Principle 5: Considering children’s experiences
          • Step 1: Define the purpose and objectives of police risk assessment
          • Step 2: Identify the most appropriate approach to police risk assessment
          • Step 3: Identify the most relevant risk factors for police risk assessment
          • Step 4: Implement systematic police training and capacity development
          • Step 5: Embed police risk assessment in a multiagency framework
          • Step 6: Develop procedures for information management and confidentiality
          • Step 7: Monitor and evaluate risk assessment practices and outcomes
      • Risk management principles and recommendations
        • Principle 1. Adopting a gender-specific approach
        • Principle 2. Introducing an individualised approach to risk management
        • Principle 3. Establishing an evidence-based approach
        • Principle 4. Underpinning the processes with an outcome-focused approach
        • Principle 5. Delivering a coordinated, multiagency response
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          • Avoid gendered pronouns (he or she) when the person’s gender is unknown
          • Avoid irrelevant information about gender
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    • Work-life balance in the ICT sector
      • Back to toolkit page
      • EU policies on work-life balance
      • Women in the ICT sector
      • The argument for work-life balance measures
        • Challenges
      • Step-by-step approach to building a compelling business case
        • Step 1: Identify national work-life balance initiatives and partners
        • Step 2: Identify potential resistance and find solutions
        • Step 3: Maximise buy-in from stakeholders
        • Step 4: Design a solid implementation plan
        • Step 5: Carefully measure progress
        • Step 6: Highlight benefits and celebrate early wins
      • Toolbox for planning work-life balance measures in ICT companies
      • Work–life balance checklist
    • Gender Equality Index 2019. Work-life balance
      • Back to toolkit page
      • Foreword
      • Highlights
      • Introduction
        • Still far from the finish line
        • Snail’s-pace progress on gender equality in the EU continues
        • More women in decision-making drives progress
        • Convergence on gender equality in the EU
      • 2. Domain of work
        • Gender equality inching slowly forward in a fast-changing world of work
        • Women dominate part-time employment, consigning them to jobs with poorer career progression
        • Motherhood, low education and migration are particular barriers to work for women
      • 3. Domain of money
        • Patchy progress on gender-equal access to financial and economic resources
        • Paying the price for motherhood
        • Lifetime pay inequalities fall on older women
      • 4. Domain of knowledge
        • Gender equality in education standing still even as women graduates outnumber men graduates
        • Both women and men limit their study fields
        • Adult learning stalls most when reskilling needs are greatest
      • 5. Domain of time
        • Enduring burden of care perpetuates inequalities for women
        • Uneven impact of family life on women and men
      • 6. Domain of power
        • More women in decision-making but still a long way to go
        • Democracy undermined by absence of gender parity in politics
        • More gender equality on corporate boards — but only in a few Member States
        • Limited opportunities for women to influence social and cultural decision-making
      • 7. Domain of health
        • Behavioural change in health is key to tackling gender inequalities
        • Women live longer but in poorer health
        • Lone parents and people with disabilities are still without the health support they need
      • 8. Domain of violence
        • Data gaps mask the true scale of gender-based violence in the EU
        • Backlash against gender equality undermines legal efforts to end violence against women
        • Conceptual framework
        • Parental-leave policies
        • Informal care of older people, people with disabilities and long-term care services
        • Informal care of children and childcare services
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        • Flexible working arrangements
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      • 10. Conclusions
    • Sexism at work
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        • What happens when you violate sexist expectations?
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        • Under-reporting of sexual harassment
      • Part 2. Test yourself
        • How can I combat sexism? A ten-step programme for managers
        • How can all staff create cultural change
        • How can I report a problem?
        • Eradicating sexism to change the face of the EU
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  • Gender Equality in Academia and Research

Gender Equality in Academia and Research

PrintDownload as PDF
  • Back to toolkit page
  • WHAT
    • What is a Gender Equality Plan?
    • Terms and definitions
    • Which stakeholders need to be engaged into a GEP
    • About the Gear Tool
  • WHY
    • Horizon Europe GEP criterion
    • Gender Equality in Research and Innovation
    • Why change must be structural
    • Rationale for gender equality change in research and innovation
  • HOW
    • GEAR step-by-step guide for research organisations, universities and public bodies
      • Step 1: Getting started
      • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
      • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
    • GEAR step-by-step guide for research funding bodies
      • Step 1: Getting started
      • Step 2: Analysing and assessing the state-of-play in the institution
      • Step 3: Setting up a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 4: Implementing a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 5: Monitoring progress and evaluating a Gender Equality Plan
      • Step 6: What comes after the Gender Equality Plan?
    • GEAR action toolbox
      • Work-life balance and organisational culture
      • Gender balance in leadership and decision making
      • Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
      • Integration of the sex/gender dimension into research and teaching content
      • Measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment
      • Measures mitigating the effect of COVID-19
      • Data collection and monitoring
      • Training: awareness-raising and capacity building
      • GEP development and implementation
      • Gender-sensitive research funding procedures
    • Success factors for GEP development and implementation
    • Challenges & resistance
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Italy

Country: 
Italy

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN RESEARCH

Legal framework

Law 183/2010 established the Unique Guarantee Committees for Equal Opportunities in Public Administrations for Workers’ Wellbeing and against Discrimination (Comitati unici di garanzia per le pari opportunità, la valorizzazione del benessere di chi lavora e contro le discriminazioni, CUGs). These Committees replaced the previous Equal Opportunities Committees (CPOs). Although the Law indicates general rules for the Committees’ composition, the task of drafting internal regulations on their election and functioning remains with public administrations (including universities and research organisations). This law also defines the requirement to identify a Confidential Advisor (Consigliera di fiducia) to hear employees who were bullied or sexually harassed and to find a suitable solution. In 2019, the Ministry for Public Administration (Ministero della Funzione Pubblica) issued Directive 2/19, which reinforces CUGs in public administrations and fosters gender equality in the public sector.

The National Code of Equal Opportunities between Women and Men was established in 2006 by Legislative Decree No. 198. It obliges public administrations (including universities and research organisations) to adopt a Positive Action Plan (PAP). The three-year plan must assure the removal of barriers to equal opportunities between women and men at work. The Directive of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of 23 May 2007 identifies the instruments and areas of intervention: positive actions to balance female representation in sectors and professional levels where they are underrepresented; organisation of work to promote work-life balance; and hiring and promotional mechanisms targeting women. Law 240/2010 on the General Reform of University Education sets out two important aims for equal opportunities. Firstly, it calls for gender balance on the board of trustees of research institutions. However, it does not specify targets, and the respect of gender balance is limited to a general declaration of intent. Secondly, it extends maternity leave (five months, 80 % of salary) to post-doctoral researchers. To support this legal measure, the government provides a budget of EUR 3.5 million through the annual act setting out the Ordinary Financial Funds (Fondo di finanziamento ordinario, FFO) for public universities. Research institutions can also choose to provide independent additional benefits to women researchers.

Policy framework

In 2021, the Department for Equal Opportunities (DPO) of the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers issued the “National Strategy for Gender Equality”[1]. Although not specifically focused on research organisations or universities, it nevertheless impacts the research and innovation (R&I) sector. It refers to the revision of the funding allocation mechanism to universities by the Ministry for University and Research (MUR) so as to consider the gender difference in research and academic institutions. It also proposes the allocation of ad hoc funds for universities reaching minimum levels of gender representation among professors, researchers, administrative staff, the academic council, and women students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). To date, these actions remain merely proposals.

The Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) coordinates the National Research Programme for 2021–2027 (Programma nazionale di ricercar (PNR), the so-called Horizon 2020 Italia (HIT 2020)). This is the main government document for research and development (R&D) planning. Generally, it recommends ensuring gender-balance on recruitment and selection panels, and invites research institutions to promote equal opportunities and include a gender dimension in research[2].

In 2019, Directive 2/19 of the Ministry of Public Administration reinforced the CUGs[3]. The Directive emphasises the strong relationship between gender equality, equal opportunities and organisational well-being. It updates the verification tasks of the CUGs, which must report annually on compliance with the objectives of the three-year PAPs, monitoring of performance assigned to managers and non-executives, and additional salary components, in order to identify pay gaps between women and men. Together with human resources offices, CUGs must establish an internal counselling desk and monitor any form (direct/indirect) of violence or discrimination in the workplace.

In 2019, the Health Ministry issued the “Plan for the Application and Dissemination of Gender Medicine”. The Plan targets coordinated and sustainable support for gender medicine through dissemination, training and health practices in research, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It aims to ensure full integration of the differences deriving from sex and gender in the health sector in order to guarantee the same quality and appropriateness of National Health Service (SSN) services throughout country[4].

Other stimulatory initiatives

In 2021, Italy hosted the W20, an official G20 engagement group that supports the goal of reducing the gender employment gap by 25 % by 2025 (25 by 25). Held in Rome, the W20 disseminated a final policy report, “A new challenging vision: from inclusion to empowerment of women”[5].

Key actors

MUR is the key research policy actor and funding agency at State level. It coordinates the preparation of the PNR. MUR’s engagement in promoting gender equality in research led to a Memorandum of Understanding with the DPO. In September 2015, the Rectors’ Conference of Italian Universities (Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane, CRUI) and MUR launched a survey of Italian universities to identify how gender is integrated in research content and gender equality achieved. The CRUI and MUR sought to identify concrete actions to foster numbers of women in research organisations and on their decision-making boards, to better integrate the gender dimension in policies, programmes and research projects, to periodically assess equal opportunities policies in research organisations, and to identify good practices.

The DPO is responsible for the guidance, proposal and coordination of regulatory and administrative initiatives in all fields related to the planning and implementation of equal opportunities policies. The National Network of University Committees for Equal Opportunities (Rete Nazionale degli Organismi di Parità) brings together the CUGs of Italian universities and research organisations.

The Gender Working Group of the CRUI was created in 2018 to disseminate actions and interventions to promote equality between women and men in the university system. The Group first focused on the dissemination and use of gender budgeting as a fundamental tool for including gender equality in universities’ development strategies. A working group of experts developed the “Guidelines for the Gender Budgeting of Universities”, published in autumn 2019. This operational tool is intended to help universities to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of their measures, improve results, report contradictions and opportunities, and highlight policies and tools to be adopted. In 2021, the working group published a manual on designing and implementing Gender Equality Plans (GEPs), following Horizon Europe’s adoption of GEPs in its eligibility criteria for public organisations[6].

INITIATIVES FOR GENDER EQUALITY BY RESEARCH PERFORMING ORGANISATIONS

By law, public administrations – including all 96 public research organisations and universities – must have a PAP. In light of Horizon 2020 requirements, many universities and research organisations are now developing a GEP, as the PAP does not meet all EU requirements. The CRUI’s 2021 manual on designing and implementing GEPs builds on earlier PAP development, and numerous research organisations have adapted the existing PAP to the new EU GEP requirements. More specifically, PAPs have been reinforced to include a dedicated budget for gender equality activities, monitoring and evaluation of gender equality measures, and clear implementation responsibility within the organisational structure.

In recent years, many Italian universities and research organisations have coordinated or participated in structural change projects supporting GEP design and implementation. The University of Naples was a partner in GENOVATE, the University of Cagliari in SUPERA, and the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN) were supporting partners in GENERA. PLOTINA was coordinated by the University of Bologna, and MindTheGaps is coordinated by the University of Turin, with the CNR as implementing partner. LeTSGEPs is coordinated by the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, with the University of Messina as implementing partner. These EU-funded projects have broadened expertise on gender equality in the Italian research system and prepared the ground for the adoption of GEPs. MUR sits on a number of advisory boards for EU funded-projects, but has taken no specific action to support the adoption of GEPs in the Italian academic and research system.

RELEVANT EXAMPLES OF PRACTICES

Gender budget at the CNR

The CNR published its first gender budget in 2020. The CNR is the largest public research organisation, with more than 9,000 employees. The report showed that the general composition of CNR staff is equally distributed, but a gap becomes evident in the subsequent career levels: 38 % of senior researchers and 26 % of research directors are women. That gap is even wider at top management level, where women make up only 22 %. The Glass Ceiling Index (which measures the likelihood of reaching top career levels) disadvantages women in departments where the presence of women balances or is higher than that of male colleagues. The distribution of personnel varies by department: 34 % women in Engineering, ICT and Technologies for Energy and Transport, 40 % in Physical Sciences and Material Technologies, 50.3 % in the Science departments, Human and Social, Cultural Heritage, and 62.5 % in Biomedical Sciences (the only department women dominate)[7].

Transformative mentoring scheme at University of Naples Federico II[8]

Recent studies have confirmed a glass ceiling in Italian academia, or, rather, segregation processes that negatively affect women’s access to academic and scientific careers. The University of Naples Federico II Gender Observatory on University and Research developed a mentoring scheme to combat the practices and mechanisms that foster gender inequalities in academia. The model takes a dual approach to mentoring, as proposed by Jennifer De Vries (2010), simultaneously working to support women’s careers and create institutional change. It was designed following research to identify gender mechanisms in academia and research. The study by Ilenia Picardi[9] enabled the design of a transformative mentoring scheme, which was specially designed to create greater awareness of the gender dimension in research and innovation, and to change the mechanisms for gender segregation. Several mentoring programmes were implemented: GENOVATE @ UNINA Mentoring (2015-2017), INFN Mentoring (2018-2019, 2020-2021), UNINA Athena Mentoring (2021-2022)[10].

On-site childcare at Polytechnic University of Milan

In 2015, a structured childcare service was installed at Polytechnic of Milan, one of the largest technical universities in Northern Italy. During the summer and Easter school holidays, on-site childcare is available for employees’ children aged four (first year of kindergarten) to 13 years (last year of junior high school) at the two Milan campuses. The cooperative Il Melograno has managed the service in summer since 2015 and at Easter since 2016. In 2019, the service was extended to non-permanent university staff (doctoral students, research fellows, contract professors), under conditions similar to those for permanent staff, particularly focusing on improving the service for foreign children and children with disabilities. In 2019, 113 children attended the summer centre, mainly the children of technical and administrative staff, while the Easter holiday service was used by 43 children, almost twice that of 2018 (22 children)[11].

Footnotes

[1] http://www.pariopportunita.gov.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/strategia-P...

[2] https://www.mur.gov.it/sites/default/files/2021-01/Pnr2021-27.pdf

[3] http://www.funzionepubblica.gov.it/articolo/dipartimento/27-06-2019/dire...

[4] https://www.salute.gov.it/imgs/C_17_pubblicazioni_2860_allegato.pdf

[5] https://w20italia.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/W20-Italy-Communique%CC%...

[6] https://www.crui.it/documenti/54/New-category/854/VademecumGEP_CRUI.pdf

[7] https://www.cnr.it/it/nota-stampa/e-17349/presentazione-del-bilancio-di-... (highlights and full report in Italian).

[8] Picardi, I., Agodi M.C., “Gender perspective in the mentoring relationships. A case study of GENOVATE@UNINA”, in H. Lawton Smith, C. Henry, H. Etzkowitz and A. Poulovassilis (Eds.), Gender, Science & Innovation. New Perspectives, 2020; Picardi, I., “The Glass Door of Academia: Unveiling New Gendered Bias in Academic Recruitment”, Social Science, Vol. 8, 2019, p. 160, doi:10.3390/socsci8050160.

[9] La dimensione di genere nelle carriere accademiche. Riflessività e cambiamento nel progetto pilota di GENOVATE@UNINA, Napoli, FedOAPress. ISBN: 978-88-6887-017-1.

[10] http://www.og.unina.it/aree-di-ricerca/carriere-scientifiche/

[11] https://www.cug.polimi.it/?page_id=989&lang=en ; https://www.polimi.it/fileadmin/user_upload/il_Politecnico/Bilancio_gene...

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