The survey 'Gender-SMART at the time of Coronavirus' has been inspired by COVID-19 outbreak forcing millions of people into self-isolation. It was officially launched on 6 April 2020 by CIHEAM Bari’s Gender-SMART Core team across the Consortium’s partners.

Since the start of the outbreak, countries around Europe, all plunged into this unprecedented public health emergency, have been announcing measures to support their economies/work policies.

This is why the survey was designed to take the pulse of Gender-SMART partnered research funding/performing organizations and academia and get a snapshot of the current state of play for work reorganisation and impact on people’s life.

Most of us are fully locked into remote working by this health crisis, thus the need to build on the experience gained in general with, possibly, a gender perspective.

We cannot afford to revert to ‘business as usual’ and learn nothing.

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The Survey includes two questionnaires:

• the first, administered only to Gender-SMART Core Team members of the consortium’s partners, intends to highlight formal measures issued by national governments or by Gender-SMART partnered organisations;
• the second submitted to the KEY stakeholders within each research funding/performing organizations of the Project focusing on a wider scope including work-life balance, new work opportunities, risk exposure, psychological impact.

Two potential results could eventually reshape some of our GEP measures:

1. Strengthening already planned measures - e.g work from home - by providing greater support to telecommuters and integrating brand-new provisions - e.g.  formalising virtual meetings - with greater technical support.
2. Adding a new chapter to our GEP considering the need to live with the virus for a long time or to be ready to face any new emergency. A set of contingency measures taking into account the “health or emergency” risk and the concept of preparedness.

Respondents are partnered institutions from 7 European countries (France, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Ireland) and their key stakeholders; and permanent and non-permanent administrative staff and researchers, students our target profile.

#WeLookAhead

Download the survey results here...