Gender Equality in Research
Background
On July 3, 2024, the Government of Canada and the European Commission signed an agreement allowing Canada’s enhanced participation in Horizon Europe, a research and innovation framework funding program supporting the creation, distribution, and advancement of science- and evidence-based solutions to the world’s most important challenges. Canadian researchers and organizations can now participate under, and be funded directly from, Pillar II of Horizon Europe, which funds collaborative research projects across a wide range of domains.
As part of eligibility for Horizon Europe, consortium partners must have a Gender Equality Plan (GEP): a set of commitments and actions that aim to promote gender equality in an organization through a process of structural change.
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) currently employs active equivalent strategic documents and initiatives, but recognizes there is more work to be done, and commits to ongoing development, implementation, assessment and continuous improvement of gender equality and equity efforts as part of broader Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategic planning.
Strategic and action plans
UNB Toward 2030 is a community-driven strategic plan for 2020-2030, which includes a pillar focused on a people-centric, values-informed university community committed to enhancing institutional capacity through equity-informed professional and leadership development. Key actions to support this commitment include enhanced human resources strategies and increased participation of equity-deserving groups in leadership roles across UNB.
Another strategic pillar focuses on research impact, further extended by the UNB Strategic Research Plan (currently 2023-2028) which provides a high-level, strategic summary of UNB’s identified strengths and priorities in institutional research activity, and recognizes the value and importance of EDI in research.
UNB’s participation in the Canada Research Chairs Program (CRCP) involves monitoring of performance against EDI targets/benchmarks, and equitable practices ensuring representation of equity-deserving groups, including gender representation, when filling Chair positions. UNB is committed to strengthening these efforts, and others, as outlined in our EDI Action Plan. The goals in this plan, supported by objectives and clear actions, ensure that EDI becomes a systematic and sustainable consideration not only as part of the CRCP, but across the entire institution. Progress is monitored and the plan revised and enhanced over time through ongoing consultation across campuses, developing any corrective actions required.
Building and expanding upon these current strategic directions, the UNB Human Rights and Equity Office (HREO) is developing an institution-wide Human Rights and Equity strategic plan that seeks to enhance support and inclusivity and cultivate safety and belonging across UNB, including promotion of gender equality and equity as part of efforts to address intersectional and systematic barriers to EDI.
Requirements
UNB’s current equivalent strategic initiatives align with Horizon Europe GEP requirements as follows:
Public document
A GEP is a formal document published on the organization’s website, signed by the top management and actively communicated. UNB’s current strategies are publicly available and endorsed by the Offices of the President and Vice-President (Research) (OVPR), and further Gender Equality Planning as part of a broad Human Rights and Equity strategic plan is supported by these Offices in collaboration and consultation with and with guidance from the HREO.
Dedicated resources
A GEP must include a commitment to provide sufficient resources and expertise in gender equality for implementation.
Data collection and monitoring
A GEP should be informed by collecting and analyzing sex-disaggregated data on personnel and students and should be reported annually based on specific indicators.
- UNB People & Culture conducts an Employment Equity Workforce Survey to determine representation of designated groups that have traditionally faced disadvantages in participating in the Canadian workforce, including women.
- UNB's Office of Institutional Analysis (OIA) facilitates institutional research, ongoing compilation and publication of internal and external reporting, including the UNB factbook that is updated regularly and provides gender-disaggregated information on students, staff and faculty.
- HREO will undertake a Culture and Climate Survey in 2025, the results of which will inform Human Rights and Equity strategic planning, including gender equality and equity.
Training
A GEP must include awareness-raising and training activities on gender equality for the whole organization and training on unconscious biases for students, staff and decision-makers.
- OVPR provides in-person and virtual training sessions and online resources for researchers on unconscious bias and Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA+) developed and facilitated by the EDI in Research Advisor. This role also works one-on-one with researchers to identify appropriate EDI strategies for research programs across disciplines, including individual coaching to create more gender equitable environments, with a particular focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields where gender equality is a major challenge.
- UNB Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) gives students the opportunity to explore gender issues in an interdisciplinary context, and provides a useful complement to other fields. The program also offers training and resources to support gender-based research.
- HREO provides presentations and information to members of the university community on issues related to respectful work and learning environments, and ongoing training and learning opportunities and resource development related to intersectional EDI subjects and unconscious bias.
Key themes
Work-life balance and organizational culture
- The UNB Chosen Name and Gender Identity Policy allows students, faculty and staff the ability to update their name and gender in university systems without having to change their name legally or provide a reason for their request.
- UNB is recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers (2024) and Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers (2024), receiving an A rating for Health & Family-Friendly Benefits.
Gender balance in leadership and decision-making
- As highlighted in UNB Toward 2030, UNB is committed to enhancing institutional capacity through equity-informed professional and leadership development and increasing participation of equity-deserving and under-represented groups in leadership roles across the institution.
- UNB’s Canada Research Chairs (CRCs) provide leadership as high-profile, world-class researchers in their field who help to create hubs around strategic areas of research excellence and reinforce academic research and training excellence. UNB’s participation in the CRCP requires compliance with gender equality mandates that aim to achieve a more equitable, diverse and inclusive Canadian research enterprise. These mandates require the university to follow equitable practices in ensuring gender representation when filling Chair positions (see UNB’s EDI Action Plan).
Gender equality in recruitment and career progression
- In addition to equitable recruiting of CRCs, UNB’s Employment Equity program and Employment Equity Policy are designed to address historical disadvantages faced by some members of society. As a signatory to the Federal Contractors Program (FCP), UNB’s program identifies Four Designated Groups (FDGs) representing communities that have traditionally faced disadvantages when participating in the Canadian workforce: women, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities and Indigenous peoples. UNB is taking special measures to increase the representation of these groups where there are inequities in its workforce, including the monitoring of success of these measures through data collection. Applicants for UNB employment opportunities complete a confidential voluntary self-identification form. This program is supported by a joint employment equity committee.
Integration of the gender dimension into research and teaching content
- UNB Gender and Women’s Studies (GWS) is an engaging and flexible program that examines women’s experiences of social and political life as a chronically underrepresented group, investigates the diversity of gender-based human experiences and encourages activism with community organizations working for equality and social justice. The program gives students an opportunity to explore gender issues in an interdisciplinary context, and offers a useful complement to other fields, disciplines, and professions. The required courses provide a framework for understanding the gender-based aspects of knowledge, power, and society.
- UNB’s Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) Policy requires that researchers are properly supervised and trained in equity, diversity, and inclusion, and follow Tri-Agency EDI guidelines in the design and conduct of research.
Measures against gender-based violence, including sexual harassment
- The UNB Campus Sexual Assault Support Advocate (CSASA) is specially trained to support students who have experienced sexual violence, offering trauma-specific counselling and help with reporting incidents, arranging accommodations, seeking medical assistance, and more. CSASA also offers educational programming to students and staff to strengthen awareness of sexual violence and fortify response measures by campus students and leaders, as well as access to training modules in partnership with Sexual Violence New Brunswick on topics such as bystander skills, receiving disclosures, and prevention and awareness.
- The UNB Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research (MMFC) undertakes activities that contribute broadly to the elimination of family violence from society, and offers formal and informal education opportunities based on the most up-to-date research on family and intimate partner violence.
- The UNB Discrimination, Sexual Harassment and Harassment Policy provides the community with information about how to address and resolve concerns related to discrimination, sexual harassment, and harassment, further enforced by UNB Sexual Assault Policy and Procedures.
Commitments and action items
UNB’s current EDI commitments and goals, as informed by our EDI Action Plan, are as follows (see full plan for detailed actions, indicators, and targets):
- Apply an EDI lens, and a commitment to transparency, to all UNB planning, policy and decision-making.
- UNB’s governance and management bodies will prioritize EDI practices, policies, and initiatives.
- All UNB planning, policy, and decision-making will be informed by EDI.
- Foster self-study to better understand UNB EDI accomplishments and challenges.
- Data on EDI systematic barriers will be fully and consistently recorded.
- Data on systematic barriers and EDI-related matters at UNB will be transparently reported to inform the community of UNB’s EDI landscape.
- Support and expand our excellence through diversity.
- HR policies, practices, and programming will reinforce and expand EDI at UNB to reflect the significance of identifying and redressing EDI-related matters in UNB’s employment systems.
- Programs and initiatives developed with an EDI lens will eliminate environmental barriers and will increase UNB’s recruitment and retention rates, particularly among members of equity-deserving groups.
Building and expanding upon equivalent strategic documents and initiatives, UNB is committed to further Gender Equality Planning as part of a broader Human Rights and Equity strategic plan to continue improving and strengthening EDI in our university community. The process by which this will be accomplished includes:
- Conducting outreach to identify potential allies and supporters of gender equality work, as well as existing EDI expertise and individuals/groups already supporting gender equality initiatives, with invitation to participate in planning.
- Updating, analyzing and assessing baselines using sex-disaggregated data.
- Critically reviewing institutional procedures, processes and practices to identify existing gender inequalities and their causes.
- Setting objectives with clear targets, measures, and timelines to address identified issues related to gender inequality at the institution.
- Allocating resources and assigning responsibilities to pursue set objectives via evidence-based best practices.
- Implementing planned activities, and undertaking outreach efforts, expanding network of partners supporting objectives and increasing awareness and visibility.
- Monitoring and evaluating progress on aims and objectives, allowing for adjustments and improvements for future iterations.
Consultation
To meaningfully and comprehensively engage in Gender Equality Planning, broad consultation will include the following:
- University Departments, Associations & Groups
- University Gender Equality Groups, Positions & Expertise
- Local Community and External Partners
- Distinct Equity Groups
