Horizon Europe - University of York Gender Equality Plan
Background to the Gender Equality Plan
One of the requirements of receiving Horizon Europe funding is that higher education establishments established in Member States or Associated Countries have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP).
Organisations are encouraged to cover the following in their GEP: work-life balance and organisational culture; gender balance in leadership and decision-making; gender equality in recruitment and career progression; integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content; and measures against gender-based violence including sexual harassment.
The GEP can be a single document or a compilation of multiple documents provided that they meet the four-mandatory process-related requirements or ‘building blocks’:
- Be a public document and signed by senior management and disseminated within the institution. It should demonstrate a commitment to gender equality, set clear goals and detailed actions and measures to achieve them.
- Have dedicated resources for the design, implementation, and monitoring of GEPs. This may include funding for specific positions such as Equality Officers or Gender Equality Teams as well as allocated working time for academic, management and administrative staff.
- Include arrangements for data collection and monitoring. The GEPs must be evidence-based and founded on sex or gender-disaggregated baseline data collected across all staff categories. This data should inform the GEP’s objectives and targets, indicators, and ongoing evaluation of progress.
- Be supported by training and capacity-building, including tackling unconscious gender bias among staff, leaders and decision-makers, as well as by establishing working groups dedicated to specific topics, and raising awareness through workshops and communication activities.
University of York Gender Equality Plan
The University of York Gender Equality Plan (GEP) is a compilation of a number of documents which meet all of the four mandatory process-related requirements or ‘building blocks’ listed above. These documents include:
- The University Strategy 2030 which commits to Equality, diversity and inclusion as a core University principle
- University EDI Strategy
These strategies, and the awards we've received (listed below), demonstrate the commitment of the University of York to gender equality and the setting of clear goals and detailed actions and measures to achieve them. They are public documents signed by senior management and disseminated and monitored within the University by dedicated Equality, Diversity Coordinators, Gender Equality Teams and academic, management and administrative staff.
The GEP is evidence-based and founded on gender-disaggregated baseline data collected across all staff categories informing our University key objectives and evaluation of our cultural changes and progress with our action plans.
The GEP supports training and capacity-building, such as tackling unconscious gender bias among staff, leaders and decision-makers, as well as establishing and supporting working groups dedicated to specific topics arising across the University, including intersectionality. This will help to develop new perspectives.
Our GEP will help the University to develop new perspectives and support the design and delivery of training, workshops, conferences and communication activities. Our GEP also proposes the inclusion of Networks for women of all backgrounds and people who identify as trans women or non-binary and recognises that women's experiences, while similar, are different depending on their background, heritage and life experiences and reflects this understanding.