Gender Equality Plan
Our Commitment
Mapping for Change is committed to being a gender equal employer, researcher and service provider and ensures that equality is intrinsic in all our work. We believe that freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunity are fundamental rights, and that each person should be valued regardless of gender or any other protected characteristics. As a Community Interest Company and non-profit, we consider it our duty and privilege to actively promote equality and diversity in the workplace and beyond.
Responsibility
Louise Francis, Managing Director, has overall responsibility for ensuring that our Gender Equality Plan is implemented and adhered to by all employees. However, all employees have a responsibility to ensure that the focus and priorities of the plan are met.
Policy aims
As an employer, we endeavour to:
- Comply with and exceed all relevant regulatory requirements
- Actively promote a healthy work-life balance to all employees
- Strive for gender balance in leadership and decision-making roles
- Promote gender equality in recruitment and career progression of employees and directors
- Increase staff awareness of gender equality.
Within our research and our work with stakeholders and clients, we will:
- Integrate the gender dimension into research and teaching content
- Encourage women and girls’ involvement in science and citizenship
- Promote gender balance in all contracts and projects.
Culture
To ensure that gender equality and balance is firmly embedded in the culture of MfC, we will:
- Involve all staff and directors in the implementation of this plan to engender a greater joint commitment and ensure careful monitoring
- Provide staff with relevant gender equality training
- Work with clients, partners, suppliers, contractors, and sub-contractors to improve their awareness of gender equality
- Update this policy at least once annually in consultation with staff and other stakeholders where necessary.
Workforce Participation
Gender Balance | |
|---|---|
Flexible working conditions | Option to work remotely will be considered wherever reasonably possible to allow for caring responsibilities and a healthy work/life balance |
Flexible working hours | Part-time, consolidated days and other flexible working times will be considered wherever reasonably possible to allow for caring responsibilities and a healthy work/life balance |
Gender pay gap analysis | Pay structure to be reviewed annually |
Recruitment | Vacancies to be advertised with flexible working hours/conditions to attract a wider demographic |
Retention | Employees to be supported by their team leader, promoting an open-door policy for any issues relating to gender or other protected characteristics |
Training and awareness | |
|---|---|
Staff training | Employees trained in gender equality with annual updates |
Director training | Non-executive directors trained in gender equality upon recruitment |
Sub-contractors | To agree to minimum standards of gender equality |
Whistleblowing | As outlined in the whistleblowing policy, employees will be made aware of procedures to report any improper conduct |
Policy, Programs and Services
Gender balance | |
|---|---|
Citizen science research | Promote gender balance through all stages of the research, from framing the research question to taking action |
Stakeholder /participant recruitment | Use gender neutral language and imagery on all information materials |
Stakeholder engagement | Organise activities in gender relevant/ family-friendly spaces where possible. Ensure all participants feel welcome and safe. |
Gender bias | |
|---|---|
Heath and social science research | Consider gender bias where relevant in all research |
Stakeholder engagement | Mitigate for any potential power imbalance between genders and sexes due to cultural beliefs or custom, e.g. women only workshops |
Training
Taking advantage of the free resources available online, employees and directors will be required to follow selected online training courses, which will be reviewed regularly. This is the minimum requirement; however, employees will be encouraged to further increase their understanding and awareness by following additional training of their choice during paid office hours. The minimum training will cover gender equality, sexual diversity and unconscious gender biases.
Monitoring and improvement
Priority | Action | Data collected | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
Gender balance of employees and leadership roles | Recruit and retain employees based on performance with flexible opportunities promoted | Female/male/non-binary proportion of employees | Minimum of 50% female or non-binary employees within decision making roles |
Raising awareness among employees | Annual training of employees | Number of employees completing training | 100% of employees trained with annual updates |
Raising awareness among (sub)contractors | Include approach to gender equality within the selection criteria | Number of (sub)contractors who reference gender equality within tenders/applications | 100% of selected (sub)contractors will reference their approach to gender equality |
Promoting women and girls in science | Use gender neutral language ad imagery for all research project materials when recruiting participants and promote opportunities within diverse media | Female/male/non-binary proportion of participants | Minimum of 50% female or non-binary participants in research projects where the subject matter is not based on gender or sex |