Gender Working Group

The GRC Gender Working Group acknowledges that taking the diversity of the researcher pool into consideration while thinking about policies to accommodate the myriad of situations generated by COVID-19 requires access to good-quality information. Therefore, the GWG would like to take this opportunity to present to GRC participating organisations a set of questions to consider in the early stages of formulating strategies, policies, actions and in dialogues with the research workforce along with examples of initiatives underway in GRC participating organisations in response to some of these situations.

The GWG has also compiled a list of EDI-informed measures taken by GRC participating organisations to address COVID-19 effects on researchers – here.

The Gender Working Group (GWG) was formed 2017 to contribute to the implementation of the Statement of Principles and Actions: Promoting the Equality and Status of Women in Research (endorsed 2016). Accountable to the Executive Support Group, the GWG is guided, in its deliberations, activities and strategic planning by the two overarching considerations adopted by its action plan: the participation and promotion of women in the research workforce; and the integration of the gender dimension in research design and in the analysis of research outcomes. On that basis, the GWG is working on the following tasks:

• Set, update and implement a GWG action plan 
• Gather and share information from GRC organisations and GRC regions
• Provide recommendations on future work streams
• Promote GWG outputs worldwide, in GRC regional meetings and within individual GRC participating organisations

Booklet: "Supporting Women in Research"
Policies, Programs and Initiatives Undertaken by Public Research Funding Agencies

Video by Roshni Abedin, co-chair of the Gender Working Group from the 2019 Sao Paulo Annual Meeting https://youtu.be/bZFL53zKW-s

In 2021, the GWG produced a seminal report underscoring the importance of collecting, analysing and reporting gender-disaggregated data. This report marks the first such aggregation of trends, practices and experiences of GRC-participating organisations regarding gender-disaggregated data. It focuses on applications, review and funding; the gender dimension in research; and data at the intersection of equality, diversity and inclusion.

The GWG is constituted by representatives of the GRC regions who are nominated and supported by their respective GRC Heads of Research Councils. The GWG may request additional expertise as necessary. Bi-annually, two co-chairs representing the Global North and the Global South from amongst its membership, are selected and supported by the respective GRC Heads of Research Councils. Working group members act as the lead GWG champions in their respective GRC regions.

Current GWG members are: