Gender equality – BC3 Research

BC3 engaged in 2017 with a Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the period 2017−2020. The GAP’s main objective was to achieve a gender-balanced structure, which was to be reached by the end of the 2020. For this purpose, the GAP set a number of actions that were managed by the Operations Manager with the support of the Gender Balance Team and under the supervision of the Management Committee. As a result of this work, a 2017-2020 Gender Action Plan was produced.

Beyond 2020 and for the next four years, BC3 maintained its commitment to Equality in the spirit of establishing this research centre, as an international benchmark, not just in scientific terms, but also in people management (along with the Human Resources strategy).

In 2019 BC3 established an Equality Committee (EC) that began an internal analysis and reflection process for the next Equality Action Plan. The EC structured the work in two stages: an initial diagnosis of the situation, which consisted of the analysis of key documents, the organization of working sessions, and the elaboration of a survey to all the staff; and a second stage, with the elaboration of the 2020-2023 Gender Equality Plan .

The Plan focuses on 4 strategic objectives, sorted by priority:

Guaranteeing safety in potential cases of sexual harassment and violence;
Mainstreaming the gender perspective in BC3’s organizational culture;
Promoting a career development policy that tackles equality between women and men;
Adding gender and equality principles to BC3’s research.

The EC meets periodically with the aim of setting up a monitoring and assessment system to gauge the extent to which the indicators set in place are met.

In 2022, BC3 adapted the existing plan to the new legal requirements of Royal Decree 6/2019, on the 1st of March, Royal Decree 901/2020 on the 13th of October and Royal Decree 902/2020 on the 13th of October. 2020-2023 Gender Equality Plan_adapted

BC3’s 2020-2023 Equality Plan was extended in December 2023, until the approval of the 2024-2027 Equality Plan. Link to the statement

In December 2024 BC3 reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality by drawing up the 3rd Equality Plan (2025-2028). This document follows Spanish legislation: Organic Law 3/2007, Royal Decree-Law 6/2019, of 1 March, and the two successive Regulations approved by Royal Decrees 901/2020 and 902/2020, of 13 October. It is also necessary to mention that it complies with the requirements of article 55.3 of Law 4/2023, of 28 February, for the real and effective equality of trans people and for the guarantee of the rights of LGTBI people and is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 5 (Gender equality) and SDG 8 (Decent work and economic growth).

Protocol to fight and prevent sexual and gender-based harassment

In order to build a safe, healthy and harassment-free work environment, during 2020 BC3 conducted a participative process to raise sensitivity to and awareness about, as well as to prevent, sexual harassment, gender-based harassment, or harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation, furthering BC3´s corporate culture in the principles of security, dignity and equality, and in valuing the diversity of all the individuals comprising the organization. As a result of this participatory process, the prevention and action Protocol against sexual harassment, gender-based harassment or harassment based on gender identity or sexual orientation has been developed. This protocol presents a procedure aimed, on the one hand, at the protection of the persons being harassed; on the other, at supporting the strengthening of the responses and strategies that are put in place to deal with harassment; and, above all, at the prevention of this type of behavior.