Organising internal training workshops on the use of sex and gender analysis methods in Research

In collaboration with ARIC – UNIBO Research Area Administration – and with the Alma Gender IRT – UNIBO network of researchers and professors interested in gender studies and in gender equality more broadly – the PLOTINA Team fostered the creation of a multidisciplinary group of experts, composed by researchers and professors with STEM and SSH backgrounds. The group met twice and decided to start the internal seminars in Autumn 2017: the first seminar targeting STEMM researchers; the second one, targeting SSH researchers. The group discussed and negotiated the following aspects: a) elaboration of the agenda of the seminar and definition of contents and key-speakers; b) gathering of the teaching materials; C) elaboration of a checklist to involve participants at the end of the seminar. Engineering was identified as a privileged Department to start this action because, in this field, the integration of sex and gender in research is still at the beginning. 

As for 2017, two training seminars were organised at Departmental and Institutional level: the 24th of November at the Engineering School, the 7th of December at the Social and Political Sciences Department (programs of the training seminars, in Italian).

The implementation process for 2018 was facilitated by the previous experience. A point to highlight is the fact that for 2018 the UNIBO Team was directly invited by the Departments of Law and Management. In fact, both Departments have asked UNIBO PLOTINA Team for the internal training on the use of the gender and sex variables in research. The first seminar was delivered on the 14th of June at the PhD Doctoral Programme in Law, Science and Technologies – the second at the Management Department on the 3rd of July.

The first training seminar for the academic year 2018/2019 has been organized on the 11th of April 2019.

Before the seminars prepare the agenda with the order of the speakers and the title of their speeches. At the end of the seminar provide a Q&A session. After the seminars send to participants the teaching materials and the evaluation questionnaire. 

More researchers would take into account the sex/gender variables thus contributing to increase research excellence and innovation. Ultimately, science would be less gender neutral and more gender-sensitive.

An evaluation questionnaire was submitted to participants for each training seminar:

-As for the seminar of the 24th of November at the Engineering School, the 100% of participants rated its contents as useful, interesting and stimulating.

The 100% of participants think that the seminar’s contents can be applied in their field of research.

-As for the seminar of the 7th of December at the Social and Political Sciences Department the 25% of participants rated its contents as advanced, the 100% as useful and stimulating, the 75% as interesting.

For both seminars, the 100% of participants answered that the information acquired met their expectations.                                         

-As for the seminar of the 14th of June 2018 at the Department of Law, at the Doctoral Programme for PhD’ students in Law, Science and New Technologies, the 100% of participants rated its contents as innovative, the 90% as interesting and stimulating. The 100% of participants answered that the information acquired met their expectations and the quality of the seminar was excellent (evaluation survey for the seminar, in Italian). 

-As for the seminar of 11 April 2019:   the 100% of participants rated its contents as useful, interesting and stimulating. The 50% as advanced.

The 100% of participants think that the seminar’s contents can be applied in their field of research and that their knowledge on the integration of sex and gender in research has been improved by the seminar.

As proved by the highest number of participants of the seminar held in 2019, involving Master degree students is a good strategy, since they have more time compared to researchers and PhD students. It was initially decided not to involve students. However, students’ evaluation questionnaires showed that students they are very interested in the integration of sex and gender in research and teaching. In the future the seminar will be open to both to students and researchers/professors.

An unexpected positive result was the participation in all seminars of a very interdisciplinary group of scholars. Among participants there were researchers and professors both of the STEM and the SSH fields. A point to highlight is the fact that for 2018 the UNIBO Team was directly invited by the Departments of Law and Management. In fact, both Departments have asked for the internal training on the use of the gender and sex variables in research.