How is the ongoing gender backlash affecting work on inclusive gender equality in European research? This and much more was discussed during the GENDERACTIONplus final conference in Brussels on 13 February.
In a fitting tribute to the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the GENDERACTIONplus final conference convened in Brussels under the patronage of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Bringing together a distinguished assembly of policymakers, civil servants, gender equality practitioners, researchers, and key stakeholders, the conference served as a critical forum for assessing progress on inclusive gender equality within the European Research Area (ERA).
In her opening statement the GENDERACTIONplus coordinator, Marcela Linkova, stated that “as we look toward the future, we must focus on preserving what we have but also imagine where we want to lead, and maintain our ambition. This is my vision for today, for us to consider the risk to think boldly forward.”
Backlash threatens gender research
The conference occurred at a critical moment amid ongoing policy negotiations and increasing political challenges to gender equality. Lina Gálvez, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), stressed the seriousness of the situation in her opening remarks.
“We are now facing a real threat, a real gender backlash, which is to dilute commitment to ensure gender and mainstreaming in Research and Innovation and to reduce investment in gender research. This is just absolutely unacceptable.”
Over the past four years, GENDERACTIONplus has contributed significantly to advancing gender equality policy coordination among Member States and RFOs in the vital areas of intersectionality and inclusiveness, fighting gender-based violence, integrating inclusive gender analysis in research and innovation, and monitoring of Gender Equality Plans (GEPs). However, with the rise of anti-gender movements and the changing political landscape, ensuring the sustainability and expansion of these measures in FP10 remains an urgent priority.
Find out more about GENDERACTIONplus on the project website, and watch the full conference on YouTube here. A goodie bag containing position papers and other resources produced during the project, can be found here.
Public & Science Sweden is one of 26 partners in this pan European project and is responsible for developing methods for public engagement with stakeholder organisations, NGOs, research funders, policy representatives and other stakeholders through various forms of workshops and as co-organiser of the final conference. Other Swedish partners in the GENDERACTIONplus are Vinnova – Sweden’s Innovation Agency and Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research, at the University of Gothenburg.
