Breaking the bias: standardized methods, teaching, and governance for sex, gender, and intersectional analysis
The European Research Area has long prioritized the integration of sex and gender analysis (SGA) in research and innovation (R&I). A key milestone in this development was the requirement for Horizon Europe — the European Union’s principal funding program for research and innovation — to include mandatory explanations of the gender dimension with regards to research content, processes, outcomes, and researcher training. Integrating gender in R&I has evolved in terms of content from the participation of women in the 1990s to the inclusion of gender-specific aspects in all areas of research. Key initiatives like the genSET project and the “Gendered Innovations” have significantly contributed to this shift, fostering inclusivity, and enhancing scientific excellence.
Despite these advancements, the effective integration of sex and gender in R&I is often criticized as ineffective, superficially implemented without expert guidance. This inconsistency reveals a critical need for educating researchers to apply gender analysis comprehensively within their disciplines.
We invite theoretical and empirical papers focused on:
- Practitioner Level: Development of transferable methods or tools for integrating a sex/gender and intersectional dimension in R&I.
- Teaching Level: Presentation of tested pedagogical concepts and curricula for teaching the integration of sex/gender or an intersectional approach.
- Governance Level: Position papers or case studies on the design, effectiveness, or visions of measures for structurally anchoring SGA and intersectionality in research processes.
This collection embraces interdisciplinarity, crucial both in terms of its topic — the integration of gender in R&I — and the diverse backgrounds of the contributing authors, spanning social sciences and STEM fields. We are looking for papers that apply a gender perspective to STEM subjects or advance methodology, policy or teaching, excluding papers with a sole focus on gender studies.
Authors are strongly encouraged to explore intersectionality in depth to reflect the considerable policy attention given to this approach, for example in the context of the European Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, and the need to better operationalize an intersectional approach across disciplines.
This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 5 – Gender Equality.
Editors
Submitting a paper for consideration
To submit your manuscript for consideration at Humanities & Social Sciences Communications as part of this Collection, please follow the steps detailed on this page. On the first page of our online submission system, please select your article type from the drop down menu. When on the “details” tab, you will be presented with the option to select which Collection your article should be submitted to. Authors should also express their interest in the Collection in their cover letter.
Accepted papers are published on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.
