Available tools for promoting gender sensitive communication. For Research Organizations interested into promoting internal structural change and make their Institutional Communication gender sensitive, it is important to take stock of existing available tools and guidelines. The presentation focuses among others on the UNESCO Gender and Media Guidelines, the UNDP Principles on Gender Sensitive Communication and the Antwerp Chart on Gender Sensitive Communication in and by Academic Institutions from the H2020 Project. Reflections on how these guidelines can be applied to ICT-IST research organizations have also been shared. Maria Sangiuliano, PhD in Cognitive and Learning Studies, is working as a Research Fellow at DAIS (Department of Informatics, Statistics and Environmental Sciences) Università Ca’ Foscari since June 2016. She is a senior gender & innovation researcher and project manager interested in the intersections between social and technological innovation to make innovation policies and processes more sustainable and inclusive through gender and diversity sensitive co-design and implementation. Maria has been leading the Citizen Focus Action Cluster of the EIP (European Innovation Partnership) on smart cities and communities since May 2015. She has cooperated with many EU level NGOs, universities and research centres as well as international consultancies and agencies, in Italy and abroad, in the framework of EU funded projects on gender equality in innovation and regional development since the year 2002 both in the role of project designer, project coordinator, and researcher. She has also a passion for entrepreneurship with a social value and she is currently co-founder and CEO at Smart Venice, a recently started up company active in the sustainable tourism/culture sectors.

1. Tools for promoting Gender
Sensitive Communication
Maria Sangiuliano _UNIVE Dais
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement
No 710549. Unit EU.5. – Science with and for society
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November 3rd 2017

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Boundaries of Gender & Communication
as a research field
A complex and multifaceted domain of study, based on the following pillars: the Sage
Handbook on Gender and Communication
Organizational Mediated
Interpersonal Intercultural
Rethoric
EQUAL-IST scope

3. 3
Arguing for the importance Gender Sensitive
Communication in Universities and Research Organization
• As gender is a socio-cultural construction, gender roles and gender inequalities are inevitably primarily
conveyed, reflected, by language and communication more broadly.
• Public image of universities/research Institutions is more and more important in the framework of
increased accountability as well as global competition --- gender equality is becoming a value both in the
eyes of funders and potential talents to be recruited.
• Objective communication as an important element of the ethical code for communication/media
specialists
• The crucial role of the communication and media sectors in challenging gender stereotypes has been
increasingly acknowledged both at the scientific and policy level: multilateral organizations (UNESCO,
UNDP, Commonwealth, COE) and professional organizations (EFJ, COPEAM) have delivered indicators and
guidelines for their own agencies and multistakeholder partners.
• More recently, a H2020 Project on Structural Change for Gender Equality with 7 Research Institutions in the
EU and Turkey, EGERA, has promoted a Charter on Gender Sensitive Communication

4. UNDP Gender Sensitive Communication as part of the Gender Seal
Certification Programme
✓ Avoid exclusionary forms (use of he and she or they)
✓ Use equal forms of address (avoid Mrs in favour of Ms.)
✓ Gender balance by avoiding concepts such as manking, fatherland,
mothertongue etc
✓ Titles and labels (feminine suffixes such as –ess or –ette can reinforce the
notion that women are subordinate)
Language use guidelines
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5. Indicators of a balanced presence of women and men in
media coverage of news and current affairs (source: UNESCO)
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1. Proportions of women and men seen,
heard or read about in news & current
affairs content (excluding images) over a
random selection of one week.
2. Proportions of women and men directly
interviewed/quoted in news & current
affairs content as sources of information
and/or opinion.
1. Proportion of women and men appearing
as 1) Spokespersons; 2) Experts; and 3)
’Ordinary’ citizens/vox pop in news &
current affairs content.

6. Indicators of a balanced presence of women and men in
media coverage of news and current affairs (source: UNESCO)
4-6
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4. Balance in the external or societal orientation of women and men seen, heard
or read about in news & current affairs content including images (e.g. work-
related rather than home-related, relationship-related rather than family
relationship-related).
5. Proportions of women and men seen, heard or read about in news & current
affairs content disaggregated according to social status and hierarchies.
6. Proportions of women and men seen, heard or read about and/or
interviewed/quoted as sources of information/opinion in news & current affairs
content differentiated according to thematic areas

7. Indicators of a balanced presence of women and men in media
coverage of news and current affairs (source: UNESCO)
7-8
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7. Percentage of stories focusing centrally/specifically on women and/or issues of
special relevance/concern to women in news & current affairs content (e.g. gender-
based violence, women’s rights, women’s achievements, etc.).
8. Proportion of time/space and prominence (in respect to prime time or peak
hours, front page or feature story) given to stories featuring women as sources of
information/opinion and/or focusing centrally on women or issues of special
relevance/concern to women in news & current affairs content.

8. Indicators of fair portrayal
Elimination of stereotypes and promotion of multi-dimensional
representation
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1. Proportion of stories with stereotypes (openly sexist interpretations of the
characteristics and roles of women and men in society).
2. Proportions of stories with stereotypes (depiction of traditional
“feminine”/“masculine” characteristics and male/female roles, thereby
making them appear normal and inevitable while excluding other possible
traits and functions for men and women in society).
3. Proportions of women to men portrayed as victims

9. Indicators of Fair portrayal
Elimination of stereotypes and promotion of multi-dimensional
representation
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4. Proportions of women to men with evidence of active agency despite adverse
experiences/circumstances
5. Percentage of stories that include multi-dimensional representation/portrayal of men
and women
6. Percentage of stories that contain sexist language used by reporters or broadcasters
excluding in case of direct quote from a source (i.e., indicative of bias, discrimination or
stereotyping based on sex or gender role).

10. Indicators of Coverage of Gender Equality
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1. Percentage of stories focusing on issues of gender
equality/inequality
2. Percentage of stories highlighting gender
equality/inequality aspects of events and issues
3. Percentage of time or space and prominence as
compared to other stories, given to stories
highlighting gender related issues or drawing out the
gender aspects of events or issues.

11. Evidence of gender consciousness in
different types of editorial content
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1. Percentage of stories which show gender aspects or a
certain issue/topic
2. Percentage of stories where gender disaggregated data
are presented.

12. Balanced presence _Indicators _means of
verification
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✓ Sex-disaggregated analysis of news & current affairs content
retrieved from media archives or independent studies carried out
by other stakeholders including NGOs.
✓ Monitoring and sex-disaggregated analysis of news & current
affairs content.
✓ Assessment reports on and/or evaluations/critiques of news &
current affairs content by managers, editors and/or journalists
and other media workers.
✓ Application of the rule of inversion or role reversal (to help
illustrate the meaning of stereotype).

13. The power of inversion
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14. Implementing measures
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•written, oral, visual, formal and informal, hierarchical and
peer-to-peer;
Forms of internal
communication
•teaching, course material, video and audio aids, PowerPoints,
meetings, e-mails, academic and student papers, e-learning
platforms, smartphone apps, academic news and websites,
brochures, press releases, advertising, social media, student
clubs, recruitment, conference and poster announcements
Channels (internal
& external)
•professors, assistants, lecturers, speakers, workshop leaders,
students, prospective students and alumni, communication
and human resources staff, employees, affiliated parties and
subcontractors, such as advertising and translation agencies,
as well as in communication with the public at large
Target groups
Source: EGERA- Antwerp Charter

15. (Few )possible actions
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EgeraAntwerpCharter
Generic and specific guidelines (on
recruitment)
Training courses for key actors
Raising awareness for a broader audience
Screening of existing materials
Department, mail address, web service as a
point of reference for complaints/proposals
A balanced communication team
TheexampleoftheUniversityofFerrara
The university subscribes to a national level Initiative
launched by the City of Turin, the «I speak and do
not discriminate» Charter
A decreee from the Rector prescribes that lanugage
use in all University communication channels has to
be gender sensitive
A Working Group is set up to release dedicated
Guidelines within the Equality Machinery with
external scientific consultants
The Director General is in charge of
implementation and monitoring of the
Guidelines

16. Dissemination of Research Results
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 Do analyses present statistics, tables,
figures and descriptions that focus on
the relevant gender differences that
came up in the course of the project?
 Are institutions, departments and
journals that focus on gender included
among the target groups for
dissemination, along with mainstream
research magazines?
 Have you considered a specific
publication or event on gender-related
findings?
Source: European Commission (2011),
Gender in EU-funded research Luxembourg:
Publications Office of the European Union

17. References
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Commonwealth Secretariat (2000). Gender Mainstreaming in Information and Communications. A Reference
Manual for Governments and Other Stakeholders.
EGERA Project (2015). Antwerp Charter on Gender Sensitive Communication by Academic Institutions.
European Commission (2011), Gender in EU-funded research. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the
European Union
Bonnie J. Dow, Julia T. Wood (eds.) (2006). The Sage Handbook in Gender and Communication, Sage
Publishers, Thousand Oaks.
Pruin de Francisco & C. H. Palczewski (2007). Communicating gender and diversity. A critical approach, Sage
Publishers, Thousand Oaks.
UNDP (2010). Principles of Gender-Sensitive Communication. UNDP Gender Equality Seal initiative.
UNESCO (2012)- Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media. Framework of indicators to gauge gender sensitivity in
media operations and content.

18. 2016
First Iteration of Plans
EQUAL-IST GEPs Actions
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19. 2016
Discussion
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20. Project reference: 710549 (H2020) Type of action: CSA Topic: Support to research organizations to implement gender equality
plans (GERI-4-2015) Duration: 1st June 2016 - 31st May 2019 (36 months)
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Maria Sangiuliano
Università Ca’ Foscari
Department of Computer Sciences
maria.sangiuliano@unive.it
Phone: +39
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Thank you!