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INSPIRE Unplugged Dialogues: Gender Equality Plans in academia and research: the role of data monitoring
27.08.26
data monitoring

In our sixth episode of the INSPIRE Unplugged Dialogues series, we interviewed Elena Phalet, data analyst and policy advisor at MERI, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office's service for Monitoring and Evaluation of Research and Innovation. We discussed about the ways in which data monitoring can support the development, implementation, and evaluation of inclusive Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) in research and academia. She explains how dissagregated data can reveal structural inequalities in recruitment, promotion, career progression and working conditions, helping organisations identify where targeted action is needed. 

She also highlights the importance of monitoring gender in research content and diversity in research teams, while stressing that indicators should be tailored to each organisation and used to inform concrete measures. The conversation also explores the challenges of monitoring intersectional inequalities, particularly the sensitivity of collecting personal data, and concludes with a call for evidence-based policymaking, where robust data and expert analysis inform policies that are subsequently monitored for their effectiveness. 

You can listen to the full version on our:

 

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The INSPIRE Unplugged Dialogues is a podcast series where we sit down with gender equality experts, be they academics, researchers, or practitioners, and we discuss issues related to gender, (in)equalities, diversity and inclusion, intersectionality, feminism, and more. 

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