Rachel Palmen | Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (original) (raw)
Papers by Rachel Palmen
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Jul 25, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Aug 3, 2022
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Jul 25, 2022
Overcoming the Challenge of Structural Change in Research Organisations – A Reflexive Approach to Gender Equality
The ‘Guidelines to Design a Customised Gender Equality Plan (GEP)’ – (D3.3.) provide concrete gui... more The ‘Guidelines to Design a Customised Gender Equality Plan (GEP)’ – (D3.3.) provide concrete guidance for the second stage of the TARGET project for the seven Gender Equality Innovating Institutions (GEIIs) participating in the project: three research performing organisations (including two universities - University of Belgrade, Serbia; UH2C, Morocco - and a public research performing organisation - ELIAMEP, Greece), three research funding organisations (ARACIS, Romania; FRRB, Italy; RPF, Cyprus) and a network of universities in the Mediterranean basin (RMEI). Based on the TARGET gender equality audit tool (GEAT) this general guidance document tries to help TARGET implementing institutions identify initial priorities of the GEP on the basis of the audits undertaken. Specifically it walks the GEIIs through how to use the results (of the audit) to design the GEP in a reflexive and participative way –thereby further embedding the GEP process within the institution. Although the focus ...
International Journal
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, SPARC Europe Award 2009 English. Free, full text, quality... more DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, SPARC Europe Award 2009 English. Free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals, covering all subjects and many languages. ...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Dec 2, 2022
Science and Public Policy
Through exploring the links between policy, evaluation, and gender, using a gender-transformative... more Through exploring the links between policy, evaluation, and gender, using a gender-transformative lens, this article sheds light on policy and evaluation processes of gender equality programmes, such as the political nature of evaluation and power configurations, involving resistance in the change process. Two case studies of gender equality programmes are visited to explore the links between gender policy implementation in specific contexts, and power configurations and resistance as key factors in both implementation and evaluation. We benefitted from the theoretical insights of both the feminist and the theory of change approaches, which helped us to bridge the boundaries between policy, gender scholarship, and evaluation and allowed us to reflect upon systemic factors and underlying mechanisms that are either facilitating or hindering transformation. This article highlights the benefits of applying such an evaluation framework and demonstrates why factoring in power and resistan...
Evaluation and Program Planning, 2019
Despite decades of efforts to achieve gender equality in research and innovation (R&I), all E... more Despite decades of efforts to achieve gender equality in research and innovation (R&I), all EU member states still face remarkable difficulties in driving forward the development of their innovation system while at the same time improving gender equality by using all the available research potential. In this paper we focus on the development of the share of women researchers in four national innovation systems, i.e. in Austria, Denmark, Hungary and Spain in the time period 2005-2015. The four selected cases represent countries with significant differences in their innovation capacity, gender regimes and progress of gender equality in R&I. A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is carried out to conduct a sector program evaluation based on statistical data and qualitative studies to understand the dynamic development of the proportion of women researchers. The study aims to provide insights into the aggregated gender equality interventions and policies implemented in the four countries studied and their contributions to the development of the proportion of women scientists at the structural level. The analysis reveals that the development of the share of women researchers during the studied period has been particularly influenced by contextual factors, namely the relative size of the business enterprise sector and the share of women among holders of tertiary education. While this is the case, it is found that gender equality interventions need to be more widespread and more effectively designed to be a strong contributing factor to an increasing representation of women in R&I.
Routledge eBooks, Jul 27, 2022
"Intersectionality and its application in health research is an emerging research paradigm t... more "Intersectionality and its application in health research is an emerging research paradigm that seeks to 'move beyond single or typically favoured categories of analysis (e.g. sex, gender, 'race' and class) to consider simultaneous interactions between different aspects of social identity, as well as the impact of systems and processes of oppression and domination.' (7). Intersectional analysis enables a multi-faceted exploration of how factors of privilege and penalty may alternate between contexts or occur simultaneously (8). Intersectionality is not additive; you should consider how human and social characteristics such as age, gender, sex, ability, disability, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. interact to shape individual experience at a given point or time." (World Health Organization, 2020:10).
Research has identified how gender equality initiatives and policies in R&I can often fail during... more Research has identified how gender equality initiatives and policies in R&I can often fail during the phase of implementation (Palmén and Kalpazidou Schmidt, 2019) thereby resulting in an absence of deep-seated change and the failure to effectively challenge gender norms (Powell et al, 2018). In the phase of implementation resistance has been identified as one of the main reasons as to why gender equality initiatives in R&I may fail to create and sustain effective change. This often manifests itself through the all too discernable gap between 'saying' and 'doing' (Powell et al, 2018). Whilst there seems to be a general consensus as to the benefits of a greater gender equality at the level of discourse it is often at the level of actions or practice that these initiatives begin to run into a series of problems that stymie their potential to effect real change, one of the most important being resistance.
Journal of Gender Studies, 2021
This document presents the initial version of the Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of ... more This document presents the initial version of the Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results of TARGET and defines the framework for partner’s communication and dissemination activities. It provides the general communication strategy for TARGET as well as draft plan for the actions that will be taken in the course of TARGET. Dissemination forms an integral part of the whole TARGET project. Hence all work packages contain dissemination elements and all partners are involved in dissemination activities. General objectives of WP6 “Dissemination” are: - Raise relevant stakeholders’ awareness on the need/ possibility of structural change in RPOs and RFOs specifically focusing on the three dimensions of HRM, decision-making and the gender dimension; - Disseminate the innovative tools and state-of-the-art knowledge developed as part of the project regarding the design, implementation and monitoring of customised GEPs. The deliverable contains an introduction to the project (cha...
The TARGET Dissemination and Exploitation Toolkit is a practical document which aims to provide t... more The TARGET Dissemination and Exploitation Toolkit is a practical document which aims to provide the consortium partners with practical tools and guidelines for effective communication and dissemination. It aims to define the project’s visual identity, develop an internet strategy and provide initial institutional communication guidelines for the Gender Equality Innovating Institutions (GEIIs) in the project: ARACIS (Romania), RPF (Cyprus), FRRB (Italy), ELIAMEP (Greece), UH2C (Morocco), UB (Serbia) and RMEI (France). This Toolkit will be updated twice throughout the project.
Science, technology and innovation do not exist in a vacuum, but take place in historical context... more Science, technology and innovation do not exist in a vacuum, but take place in historical contexts. Similarly, the question of science, technology and innovation in the future needs to be understood as located socially and historically. Accordingly, a historical perspective on gender and STI is needed in order to adequately understand gendered patterns and relations in both the past and the future: who does science, technology and innovation? How are science, technology and innovation organized? And also how is knowledge constructed in science, technology and innovation? These are three key components of the relationship between gender and science and technology, as identified by Hearn and Husu (2001) and Schiebinger (1999). Considering the histories and futures of gender and science alongside different conceptions of gender that shape the policies in this field provides a fruitful framework for analysis.
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Jul 25, 2022
Routledge eBooks, Aug 3, 2022
Emerald Publishing Limited eBooks, Jul 25, 2022
Overcoming the Challenge of Structural Change in Research Organisations – A Reflexive Approach to Gender Equality
The ‘Guidelines to Design a Customised Gender Equality Plan (GEP)’ – (D3.3.) provide concrete gui... more The ‘Guidelines to Design a Customised Gender Equality Plan (GEP)’ – (D3.3.) provide concrete guidance for the second stage of the TARGET project for the seven Gender Equality Innovating Institutions (GEIIs) participating in the project: three research performing organisations (including two universities - University of Belgrade, Serbia; UH2C, Morocco - and a public research performing organisation - ELIAMEP, Greece), three research funding organisations (ARACIS, Romania; FRRB, Italy; RPF, Cyprus) and a network of universities in the Mediterranean basin (RMEI). Based on the TARGET gender equality audit tool (GEAT) this general guidance document tries to help TARGET implementing institutions identify initial priorities of the GEP on the basis of the audits undertaken. Specifically it walks the GEIIs through how to use the results (of the audit) to design the GEP in a reflexive and participative way –thereby further embedding the GEP process within the institution. Although the focus ...
International Journal
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, SPARC Europe Award 2009 English. Free, full text, quality... more DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals, SPARC Europe Award 2009 English. Free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals, covering all subjects and many languages. ...
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Dec 2, 2022
Science and Public Policy
Through exploring the links between policy, evaluation, and gender, using a gender-transformative... more Through exploring the links between policy, evaluation, and gender, using a gender-transformative lens, this article sheds light on policy and evaluation processes of gender equality programmes, such as the political nature of evaluation and power configurations, involving resistance in the change process. Two case studies of gender equality programmes are visited to explore the links between gender policy implementation in specific contexts, and power configurations and resistance as key factors in both implementation and evaluation. We benefitted from the theoretical insights of both the feminist and the theory of change approaches, which helped us to bridge the boundaries between policy, gender scholarship, and evaluation and allowed us to reflect upon systemic factors and underlying mechanisms that are either facilitating or hindering transformation. This article highlights the benefits of applying such an evaluation framework and demonstrates why factoring in power and resistan...
Evaluation and Program Planning, 2019
Despite decades of efforts to achieve gender equality in research and innovation (R&I), all E... more Despite decades of efforts to achieve gender equality in research and innovation (R&I), all EU member states still face remarkable difficulties in driving forward the development of their innovation system while at the same time improving gender equality by using all the available research potential. In this paper we focus on the development of the share of women researchers in four national innovation systems, i.e. in Austria, Denmark, Hungary and Spain in the time period 2005-2015. The four selected cases represent countries with significant differences in their innovation capacity, gender regimes and progress of gender equality in R&I. A qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is carried out to conduct a sector program evaluation based on statistical data and qualitative studies to understand the dynamic development of the proportion of women researchers. The study aims to provide insights into the aggregated gender equality interventions and policies implemented in the four countries studied and their contributions to the development of the proportion of women scientists at the structural level. The analysis reveals that the development of the share of women researchers during the studied period has been particularly influenced by contextual factors, namely the relative size of the business enterprise sector and the share of women among holders of tertiary education. While this is the case, it is found that gender equality interventions need to be more widespread and more effectively designed to be a strong contributing factor to an increasing representation of women in R&I.
Routledge eBooks, Jul 27, 2022
"Intersectionality and its application in health research is an emerging research paradigm t... more "Intersectionality and its application in health research is an emerging research paradigm that seeks to 'move beyond single or typically favoured categories of analysis (e.g. sex, gender, 'race' and class) to consider simultaneous interactions between different aspects of social identity, as well as the impact of systems and processes of oppression and domination.' (7). Intersectional analysis enables a multi-faceted exploration of how factors of privilege and penalty may alternate between contexts or occur simultaneously (8). Intersectionality is not additive; you should consider how human and social characteristics such as age, gender, sex, ability, disability, ethnicity, sexuality, etc. interact to shape individual experience at a given point or time." (World Health Organization, 2020:10).
Research has identified how gender equality initiatives and policies in R&I can often fail during... more Research has identified how gender equality initiatives and policies in R&I can often fail during the phase of implementation (Palmén and Kalpazidou Schmidt, 2019) thereby resulting in an absence of deep-seated change and the failure to effectively challenge gender norms (Powell et al, 2018). In the phase of implementation resistance has been identified as one of the main reasons as to why gender equality initiatives in R&I may fail to create and sustain effective change. This often manifests itself through the all too discernable gap between 'saying' and 'doing' (Powell et al, 2018). Whilst there seems to be a general consensus as to the benefits of a greater gender equality at the level of discourse it is often at the level of actions or practice that these initiatives begin to run into a series of problems that stymie their potential to effect real change, one of the most important being resistance.
Journal of Gender Studies, 2021
This document presents the initial version of the Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of ... more This document presents the initial version of the Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of Results of TARGET and defines the framework for partner’s communication and dissemination activities. It provides the general communication strategy for TARGET as well as draft plan for the actions that will be taken in the course of TARGET. Dissemination forms an integral part of the whole TARGET project. Hence all work packages contain dissemination elements and all partners are involved in dissemination activities. General objectives of WP6 “Dissemination” are: - Raise relevant stakeholders’ awareness on the need/ possibility of structural change in RPOs and RFOs specifically focusing on the three dimensions of HRM, decision-making and the gender dimension; - Disseminate the innovative tools and state-of-the-art knowledge developed as part of the project regarding the design, implementation and monitoring of customised GEPs. The deliverable contains an introduction to the project (cha...
The TARGET Dissemination and Exploitation Toolkit is a practical document which aims to provide t... more The TARGET Dissemination and Exploitation Toolkit is a practical document which aims to provide the consortium partners with practical tools and guidelines for effective communication and dissemination. It aims to define the project’s visual identity, develop an internet strategy and provide initial institutional communication guidelines for the Gender Equality Innovating Institutions (GEIIs) in the project: ARACIS (Romania), RPF (Cyprus), FRRB (Italy), ELIAMEP (Greece), UH2C (Morocco), UB (Serbia) and RMEI (France). This Toolkit will be updated twice throughout the project.
Science, technology and innovation do not exist in a vacuum, but take place in historical context... more Science, technology and innovation do not exist in a vacuum, but take place in historical contexts. Similarly, the question of science, technology and innovation in the future needs to be understood as located socially and historically. Accordingly, a historical perspective on gender and STI is needed in order to adequately understand gendered patterns and relations in both the past and the future: who does science, technology and innovation? How are science, technology and innovation organized? And also how is knowledge constructed in science, technology and innovation? These are three key components of the relationship between gender and science and technology, as identified by Hearn and Husu (2001) and Schiebinger (1999). Considering the histories and futures of gender and science alongside different conceptions of gender that shape the policies in this field provides a fruitful framework for analysis.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY