CREAF’s Gender Equality Committee is up and running

CREAF has begun 2020 with a new institutional body, the Gender Equality Committee (CIOG), which is responsible for ensuring equal opportunities in the Centre.

Establishing the CIOG was the first of a package of measures envisaged in and currently being implemented under CREAF’s  Equal Opportunites Plan which was presented and approved in 2019.

Consisting of Ivette Serral, Eduard Pla, Sandra Saura Mas, Marta Barceló, Romà Ogaya and Olga Roig, the Committee was officially set up on 11 June 2019, following an internal election process. Now, in 2020, it has begun to develop specific courses of action.

“I’ve thrown myself into being a member of the CIOG”, says Olga Roig. “We’re working to change CREAF’s outlook on equal opportunities.”

“You don’t realize what a gender perspective in research means until you start to take training in it or see for yourself how lacking it is”, adds Sandra Saura Mas. “I believe in working for a better world, with more social and environmental justice, and that’s why I wanted to be part of the CIOG.”

Training for all staff

A striking measure, defined in CREAF’s Equal Opportunities Plan and prioritized by the CIOG, has been the organization in early 2020 of two training courses. The first, in non-sexist communication and language, was attended by 18 CREAF employees. It focused on identifying discriminatory messages sent, implicitly and explicitly, through oral and visual language and via different platforms. It also took a theoretical look at language construction, suggested ways of identifying sexism in language, and gave recommendations for using inclusive, non-sexist language.

The second course, planned for the near future, will examine a gender perspective and inclusive procurement at work. In addition to offering insights into unequal job opportunities, it will put forward systems for doing away with prejudice in recruitment and procurement processes and describe means of promoting a gender perspective in management and procurement. The CIOG plans to run two further gender-related training courses in 2020, whilst supervising the implementation of other aspects of the Equality Plan.

Please address any related questions or suggestions to the CIOG (genere@creaf.uab.cat).