Gender Equality Plan (GEP)

Understanding gender equality

For the purposes of this plan, gender equality refers to ensuring that individuals enjoy equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities in organisational life, regardless of their sex or gender. The plan recognises that inequalities may arise and seeks to address those elements that fall within JPR’s sphere of influence.
While this GEP addresses gender specifically, JPR understands equality and inclusion more broadly, acknowledging the importance of understanding diversity and disadvantage.

Organisational context

JPR is a small organisation. At present, it comprises:

• Five members of staff
• Two consultants

Given this scale, quantitative workforce data must be interpreted with care. Minor staffing changes can produce large fluctuations in proportional representation that do not necessarily reflect systemic patterns.
Currently:

• None of the five staff members are women
• Of the two longer-term consultants, one is a woman
• Gender is understood as self-identified

This distribution reflects the fact that the field we work in is highly specialised and there is a very small pool of people with the levels of expertise, skill and availability required to fulfil our mission. It also reflects staff turnover in recent years. Two female junior staff members and one female senior staff member left the organisation and have not yet been replaced due to funding limitations. JPR acknowledges this imbalance while recognising that, within such a small workforce in such a specialised field, staffing composition alone cannot provide reliable evidence of structural bias.

JPR’s activities extend beyond its core staff. The institute collaborates closely with senior research fellows and associate fellows. Among those listed on JPR’s website, gender representation is presently weighted towards women (nine female fellows and seven male fellows). Collaboration with associate fellows — including through joint research and co-authored publications — forms an important part of JPR’s scholarly engagement.

Governance, ownership and resourcing

JPR will implement this Gender Equality Plan in a manner proportionate to its size and structure. Overall accountability for the plan sits with the Executive Director. Day-to-day coordination is led by the Director of Operations, who will act as the GEP Lead.
The Board will receive a short annual update on progress and any significant issues arising, and will approve the full three-yearly review (or earlier revision if warranted by organisational growth).

JPR will allocate proportionate resources to support implementation of the plan. This includes staff time for annual assessment and follow-up actions, and access to external advice or training where needed (for example, HR, safeguarding or equality training), within reasonable budget limits for a small organisation.

Core Objectives

JPR’s Gender Equality Plan is structured around three core objectives:

1. Equal opportunity and fair processes
2. An inclusive and respectful working environment
3. Prevention of discrimination and harassment

These objectives reflect JPR’s organisational values and recognised good practice (including relevant external funder expectations where applicable).

Objective 1: Equal opportunity and fair processes

JPR affirms that all individuals, regardless of sex or gender, should have equal access to opportunities within the organisation.

Recruitment and selection

Measures include:

• Use of gender-neutral language in job descriptions and advertisements
• Inclusion of an equal opportunities statement in recruitment materials
• Application of consistent shortlisting and interview criteria
• Efforts, where appropriate, to encourage applications from underrepresented groups

Given JPR’s size, fixed numerical targets are not considered appropriate. Instead, emphasis is placed on transparency, fairness and inclusivity of process.

Professional development

JPR is committed to equitable access to professional development opportunities. Measures include:

• Transparent criteria for allocating training and conference opportunities
• Equal access to skill development and mentoring
• Consideration of career development needs across roles

Objective 2: An inclusive and respectful working environment

JPR seeks to maintain an organisational culture characterised by professionalism, respect and collegiality.

Measures include:

• Clear expectations regarding professional conduct
• Accessible policies addressing dignity at work
• Confidential routes for raising concerns
• Proportionate and timely responses to issues raised

Flexible working and wellbeing

Where compatible with operational needs, JPR supports:

• Flexible working arrangements
• Remote or hybrid work
• Consideration of caring responsibilities and individual circumstances

External academic and policy engagement

JPR recognises that equality considerations extend beyond the workplace into its public and scholarly activities.

Staff members and fellows are encouraged, where appropriate and feasible, to support gender-balanced representation in conferences, panels, and public discussions.

Objective 3: Prevention of discrimination, harassment and gender-based violence

JPR is committed to providing a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment and other inappropriate conduct. This commitment applies to day-to-day work and to all work-related settings, including meetings, events, travel and interactions with third parties (e.g., partners, contractors, participants and suppliers).

Measures include:

• Maintaining and regularly reviewing a dignity-at-work / anti-harassment policy, including clear definitions and examples of unacceptable behaviour.
• Providing confidential reporting routes (e.g. line manager; the GEP Lead / senior operational contact; and an alternative route where a line manager is involved), with signposting to external support where appropriate.
• Ensuring concerns are handled fairly, promptly and proportionately, with respect for confidentiality and due process for all parties.
• A clear non-retaliation expectation: no one will suffer disadvantage for raising a concern in good faith or supporting someone who does.
• Taking appropriate action where concerns are upheld, and learning from any such cases to improve practice and prevent recurrence.

Training and awareness

JPR recognises that policies alone are not sufficient and that shared understanding and skills support a respectful, inclusive working environment. Training will therefore be provided on a proportionate basis, taking account of organisational size and available resources.

Measures may include:

• Induction briefing for new staff and longer-term consultants covering expected standards of conduct, reporting routes and relevant policies (including dignity at work / anti-harassment).
• Periodic refresher discussion or training for staff on respectful workplace behaviour, raising concerns and responding appropriately when issues arise.
• Where recruitment takes place, a short refresher for those involved in shortlisting and interviewing, focusing on fair and consistent decision-making.

Gender dimension in research

Where relevant to research themes and methodologies, JPR will consider whether gender constitutes a meaningful analytical dimension.

This may include:

• Reflection on gender in research questions and interpretation
• Avoidance of gender stereotyping in language and framing
• Inclusive representation in research dissemination

Through its European Jewish Research Archive, JPR undertakes regular monitoring of scholarship relating to contemporary European Jewish populations. Within this work, mapping and assessing sex and gender balance in the research field forms an important component, contributing to broader awareness of representation patterns and supporting the development of gender sensitivity in the field.

Monitoring and review

JPR will monitor progress against this Gender Equality Plan in a way that is proportionate to its size and protects individual privacy.

Given JPR’s small workforce, monitoring will:

• focus mainly on qualitative assessment and trends over time; and
• use only high-level, privacy-conscious indicators (with aggregation/suppression where needed).

Where feasible, JPR will monitor:

• overall sex and gender balance across staff and governance/decision-making roles;
• recruitment activity when it occurs (process fairness and high-level pipeline snapshots where data is lawfully and voluntarily provided);
• access to flexible working and training/development opportunities (in broad terms);
• the number of concerns/complaints raised under dignity-at-work / anti-harassment arrangements (counts only).

This GEP will be:

• reflected upon annually; and
• fully reviewed every three years, or earlier if organisational change warrants it.

Future development

As JPR develops, it will work to ensure that sex and gender balance across staffing, governance, and research roles is among the key considerations it applies in building its team. This aspiration will be pursued through fair recruitment practices, inclusive organisational culture and continued reflection on equality and diversity.