Resea ch h ough a gende lens
These ecommenda ions hold ools o p omo e inclusi e esea ch, wi h he aim o empowe esea che s o wo k
owa ds gende equali y bo h on hei own and in hei eams and o ganisa ions. No eam, indi idual, o e en
o ganisa ion can ix a b oken sys em on hei own – bu oge he we a e s ong!
Teams wi h a mix o gende p oduce mo e no el and
highe -impac scien i ic ideas¹ and gende di e si y
leads o be e science². Bu he sys ems in place end
o a ou male esea che s. We wo k o educa e ou
colleagues on how o look a esea ch p ojec s and
ou pu s h ough a gende lens. This means conside ing
how gende oles, expec a ions, and s e eo ypes migh
a ec people’s expe iences, oppo uni ies, and ou comes.
I in ol es unde s anding he ways in which gende
in luences indi iduals, socie ies and esea ch.
The ecommenda ions in his b ie co e s he ollowing
aspec s o esea ch wi h gende in mind:
• B ains o ming
• Resea ch p oposals
• Resea ch and esea ch e ms
• Dissemina ion
• How o be a gende -awa e esea che
mind hegeps.eu
Tools o gende -conscious esea ch ac oss
a ious ields & o ganisa ions
This b ie is o esea che s, PhD candida es,
scien i ic p ojec incuba o s, and esea ch eams.
By ollowing ou checklis , you can con ibu e o
he p omo ion o gende -conscious esea ch and
esea ch p ac ice.
Ci e as: Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-
Be ezecka, Na asza., Dziedzic, Ma a., Raszczyk,
Izabela., D ecun, Aleksand a., Jo ano ic, Kos a.,
T umic, Maja., & Sole a, C is ina. (2024) Resea ch
h ough a gende lens: Tools o gende -conscious
esea ch ac oss a ious ields & o ganisa ions.
Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.13884172
B ains o ming wi h gende /sex in mind
• Conside he signi ican impac ha s e eo ypes abou bina y sex and gende , including eminini y and
masculini y, migh ha e on he esea ch ques ions you choose o pu sue, he ques ions you ask and he me hods
you choose.
• Find ou how sex/gende is impo an o unde s and he subjec you will in es iga e. Does i ma e i he e
is a emale o male labo a o y assis an pe o ming he expe imen ? Does he issue a ec mos ly women o men?
A e he e o he dimensions o conside , such as age, e hnici y, educa ional le el, income, occupa ion, geog aphical
loca ion, o echnical compe ence?
• Re iew li e a u e and o he sou ces ela ing o sex/gende in he esea ch ield.
• Does he p ojec ’s esea ch opic and me hods ake he sex/gende dimension in o accoun ? Does he
p oposal explain how he sex/gende dimension will be handled?
• A e esea che s ained in gende s udies included in he esea ch g oup? Should he e be?
• Ha e you conside ed whe he he esul s o he esea ch can ha e di e en e ec s on women and men,
boys o gi ls? Can he esea ch con ibu e o he ad ancemen o gende equali y?
• Iden i y and be explici abou i scien i ic knowledge wi h a gende pe spec i e exis s o he issue unde
in es iga ion, including analysis on how ‘gende ’ is esea ched in he ield.
• Assess he scale o he issue o /in bo h women and men speci ically.
• De elop mul idisciplina y bibliog aphic s a egies o in o ma ion e ie al on he esea ch opic/ques ion and
he me hodologies used o s udy i .
• Acknowledge con ibu ions o bo h women and men o scien i ic knowledge on he esea ch opic.
• Be mind ul o gende -sensi i e hypo heses and objec i es.
• Take he speci ic social and his o ical con ex whe e he issue has been and will be s udied in o conside a ion.
• A oid hypo heses ha gene alise o only one sex; indica e and jus i y o any gende -speci ic
hypo heses.
• Conside he in luence o cul u al, social and economic ac o s.
• Fo mula e esea ch ques ions ha challenge gende biases.
C a ing gende -sensi i e esea ch p oposals
Ques ions o pose:
Fos e ing gende /sex-awa e esea ch and esea ch eams
Sample selec ion and s a i ica ion
• Ensu e s a i ica ion by sex and age g oup,
• Conside ulne able g oups and socioeconomic cha ac e is ics.
• Mi iga e gende biases in inclusion and exclusion c i e ia. Use gende and in e sec ional sensi i i y when conduc ing
you s udy. Fo example, be mind ul ha people ha e di e en gende iden i ies and expe iences. Some migh ind
you su eys o me hods ha d o unde s and o comple e, especially i you esea ch only ecognises wo gende
ca ego ies (male and emale). T y o be sensi i e o hese di e ences o make you esea ch mo e inclusi e.
Iden i ica ion & selec ion o a iables
• Highligh he ela ionship be ween he opics/issues a hand and gende ac o s: Fo example, ins ead o jus
compa ing men and women, also conside o he ac o s like age, sexual o ien a ion, e hnici y, amily oles, and
socio-economic s a us. Recognize ha gende is a spec um, no jus male and emale.
• C ea e new hypo heses and conside ou -o - he-box co ela ions inspi ed by he gende dimension o inc ease he
no el y o he esea ch.
• In eg a e a iables ha e lec di e si y be ween women and men as g oups, and iew gende is a con inuum. Fo
example, hink abou new ideas o connec ions inspi ed by gende di e ences ha could make you esea ch mo e
inno a i e.
Ques ionnai e design & implemen a ion
• Use an in e sec ional app oach and conside cul u al and e hnic backg ound, sexual o ien a ion, heal h, aging,
ca ee chances, e ical and ho izon al disc imina ion, he amoun o unpaid wo k, socio-economic s a us o you
s udy pa icipan s, and o he ac o s ha con ibu e o inequali y and a ec gende expe iences.
• Disagg ega e da a by sex and o he s a i ica ion axes and inco po a e a de ailed lis o gende inequali ies.
• Include ques ions ha add ess speci ic issues o men and women.
• Make su e you ques ions a e clea and ele an o e e yone, including hose who do no iden i y s ic ly as male o
emale.
Di e en me hodologies call o di e en app oaches o equali y p oo ing you esea ch. Fo quan i a i e s udies,
samples, a iables and ques ionnai es need o be sex and gende sensi i e. Fo quali a i e s udies, in e iew and
obse a ional me hods also need adap a ions o a oid bias and encou age he embedding o gende equali y in
esea ch.
Quali a i e me hods
Fo quali a i e s udies, i is impo an o inco po a e p o iles o indi iduals ep esen ing di e se si ua ions and
expe iences ela ed o he esea ch opic/ques ion. Be o e selec ing you me hod, make su e o conduc p elimina y
Quan i a i e me hods
analysis o iden i y po en ial gende biases in da a collec ion me hods, e alua e whe he you selec ed me hods
in eg a e in o ma ion on bo h sex and gende di e ences, and analyse he con ex ual app op ia eness and alida ion
o you me hod o in ela ion o hose di e ences.
Semi-s uc u ed o in-dep h in e iews
• Ask ques ions ha a e ele an ega dless o sex and gende o compa a i e da a analysis.
• Collec da a on gende -speci ic ques ions o in e p e and unde s and pe cep ions.
• Include ques ions a ge ing speci ic heal h si ua ions o bo h women and men, as well as hose common o all
gende s.
G oup in e iews
• Make su e g oups a e mixed o explo e dis inc sex and gende pe spec i es.
Obse a ional me hods
• Obse e and analyse gende oles, s e eo ypes, and po en ial sex and gende di e ences.
• Agg ega e da a by sex.
• Re lec social he e ogenei y by disagg ega ing da a acco ding o age g oups, social s a i ica ion, and o he
ele an ac o s.
• P esen sex and gende di e ences by including si ua ions and expe iences ha ep esen he gende di e si y
among you esea ch pa icipan s.
• Include da a ha e lec s he in e ac ion wi h o he ele an a iables o a oid obscu ing o he s such as age, e hnic
o igin, and social class.
Gende -awa eness in you esul s & discussion
• Does he p ojec ’s esea ch opic and me hods ake he sex/gende dimension in o accoun ? Does he
p oposal explain how he sex/gende dimension will be handled?
• A e esea che s ained in gende s udies included in he esea ch g oup? Should he e be?
• Ha e you conside ed whe he he esul s o he esea ch ca ha e di e en e ec s on women and men,
boys o gi ls? Can he esea ch con ibu e o he ad ancemen o gende equali y?
Ques ions o pose:
Conside ing gende when dis ibu ing he esul s o you wo k helps ensu e ha you indings a e p esen ed in
a nuanced and inclusi e manne , add essing di e se pe spec i es and, di ec ly o indi ec ly, con ibu ing o he
ad ancemen o gende equali y in academia and beyond.
Dissemina ing esea ch wi h gende sensi i i y
• Is he sex/gende dimension included in he p esen a ion o indings?
• I he sex/gende dimension is included, is i p esen ed in a manne ha does no ep oduce s e eo ypical
no ions abou gende and also examines a ia ion wi hin gende ca ego ies?
• Ha e you explo ed how you esea ch indings can be dissemina ed in ne wo ks, ins i u ions, jou nals, and
con e ences ha add ess gende issues?
Ques ions o pose:
To a oid e o s in sample selec ion, esul analysis, and in o mula ing conclusions, i is c ucial o conside biases. Make
su e you eam is di e se wi h ega d o gende , age, cul u e and o he ac o s. To suppo he p ocess o in eg a ing
gende conside a ions in o all aspec s o policies, p og ams, and p ojec s, language use is also impo an .
• A oid male cen ic and sexis language.
• Re ain om using masculine o ms as a uni e sal gene ic. Speci ically men ion women whe e app op ia e.
• S ee clea o essen ialis e ms like disabili y, ca diopa hic, obese, e c. Ins ead, use ph ases such as “a pe son li ing
wi h disabili y o unc ional di e si y,” “a pe son li ing wi h hea disease,” “a pe son li ing wi h obesi y,” e c.
• Di e en ia e be ween “sex” and “gende ,” ecognising ha sex e e s o biological cha ac e is ics while gende e e s
o socio-cul u al p ocesses, and he ac ha hey do no necessa ily ma ch.
How o be a gende -awa e esea che
mind hegeps.eu
MIND heGEPs (Modi ying Ins i u ions by De eloping Gende Equali y Plans) has ecei ed unding om he
Eu opean Union’s Ho izon 2020 esea ch and inno a ion p og amme unde g an ag eemen no 101006543.
The iews and opinions exp essed in his policy b ie he sole esponsibili y o he au ho s and do no necessa ily
e lec he iews o he Eu opean Commission.
This policy b ie builds on
Żadkowska, Magdalena., Kosakowska-Be ezecka, Na asza., Dziedzic, Ma a., Raszczyk, Izabela., D ecun,
Aleksand a., Jo ano ic, Kos a., T umic, Maja., & Sole a, C is ina. (2024). D6.1 – Guidelines on planned ac ions o
gende ing esea ch & eaching. Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10591738
Addi ional e e ences
¹ Yang, Y., Tian, TY., Wood u , TK. & Uzzi, B. Gende -di e se eams p oduce mo e no el and highe -impac
scien i ic ideas. PNAS. 24 July 2022. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200841119
² Wullum Nielse, M., Aleg ia, S., Bö jeson, L. & Scheibinge , L. Gende di e si y leads o be e science. PNAS. 21
Feb ua y 2017. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700616114
