This Gender Equality Plan (GEP) was prepared under the responsibility of the Gender Equality Committee (GEC) of HISS

WORKING GROUP GEC MEMBERS: 
Kyriaki Kanellakopoulou MD, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis MD, PhD, FISAC, Professor of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, National Kapodistrian University of Athens
Maria Mouktaroudi MD, PhD, Consultant of Internal Medicine at ATTIKON University Hospital
Emmanuel Sofianopoulos, BEng, MPhil, PMP®, Program manager at HISS
Leda Efstratiou, Head Administrator at HISS

Authorised by

President	Secretary
Prof. Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis	Prof. Kyriaki Kanellakopoulou

Ensuring equal opportunities and achieving gender balance are fundamental to HISS’s mission. The centre recognizes the significance of fair access and equality for all its research, technical, administrative, and support staff. From its inception, HISS has integrated these principles into its core priorities and daily operations.

However, in response to current requirements and in line with national-level initiatives such as the Action for Gender Equality 2021-2025, as well as European-level efforts such as the Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025 and Gender Equality in the European Research Area, HISS is dedicated to formalizing its practices through the implementation of an effective Gender Equality Plan (GEP).

The objectives of the GEP are as follows:

• Assess the current state of affairs within HISS by evaluating the procedures and practices currently in place. This assessment aims to identify any potential gaps or weaknesses in gender equality.
• Implement corrective practices based on the identified areas for improvement. HISS aims to address these issues and take proactive steps towards achieving gender equality.
• Establish targets and implement a monitoring framework using specific indicators. This approach ensures that progress towards gender equality can be effectively tracked and measured.

By undertaking these actions, HISS is committed to advancing gender equality within its organization and aligning its practices with the principles outlined in the Gender Equality Strategy and relevant national policies.

The Gender Equality Plan (GEP) at HISS serves as a framework that provides legitimacy and protection to all strategies aimed at promoting gender equality within the organization. The development of the GEP adheres to both national and European laws, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and guidelines.

The GEP aligns itself with national initiatives and actions that prioritize the equality of rights between women and men. It also addresses the prohibition of discrimination, promotes equal treatment, tackles workplace harassment, and emphasizes the social responsibility of organizations in fostering gender equality.

Specific articles, policies, and directives that form the basis of the HISS GEP are seen below:

Constitution

• Article 4(2) states: “Greek men and women have equal rights and obligations”
• Article 22(1)(b) states: “All workers, irrespective of sex or other distinctions, have a right to equal pay for work of equal value”
• Article 116(2) states that: “Positive measures aiming at promoting equality between men and women do not constitute discrimination on grounds of sex. The State shall take all measures to eliminate inequalities existing in practice, in particular those detrimental to women”

Laws

• 4604/2019“On the promotion of substantive gender equality etc.”, OJ A 50/26.3.2019
• Act 4443/2016, “1)Transposition of Directive 2000/43/EC on the implementation of the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, of Directive 2000/78/EC establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation and of Directive 2014/54/EU on measures facilitating the exercise of rights conferred on workers in the context of freedom of movement for workers(…)”, OJ A 232/9.12.2016 [replacing Act 3304/2055 which had initially transposed Directives 2000/43/EC and 2000/78/EC], OJ A 16/27.1.2005]
• Act 4097/2012, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of Men and Women Engaged in an Activity in a Self-Employed Capacity – Harmonisation of the legislation with Directive 2010/41/EU of the European Parliament and the Council”, OJ A 235/3.12.2012 (Directive 86/613/EEC had not been transposed)
• Act 4075/2012, Articles 48-54, “Incorporation into Greek Law of Directive 2010/18/EU of the Council of the EU Implementing the Revised Framework Agreement on Parental Leave Concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and Repealing Directive 96/34/EC”, OJ A 89/11/4/2012
• Presidential Decree 80/2012, “Granting of Parental Leave and Leave and Leave of Absence to Workers under a Contract of Maritime Work on Vessels Bearing the Greek Flag, in accordance with Directive 2010/18/EU”, OJ 138/14.6.2012
• Act 1756/1988, Code on the Status of Judges, OJ A 35/2.2.1988
• Act 3896/2010, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Matters of Employment and Occupation. Harmonisation of Existing Legislation with Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and the Council”, OJ A 207/8.12.2010.
• Act 3769/2009, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of Men and Women Regarding Access to Goods and Services and Their Supply”, transposing Directive 2004/113/EC, OJ A 105/1.7.2009, As amended by Article 162 of Act 4099/2012 implementing the CJEU Test-Achats judgment, OJ A 250/20.11.2012
• Act 3488/2006, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of Men and Women Regarding Access to Employment, Professional Training and Evolution and Terms and Conditions of Work”, transposing Directive 2002/73/EC, OJ A 191/11/2006
• Presidential Decree 87/2002, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of Men and Women in Occupational Social Security Schemes in Compliance with Directives 96/97/EC and 86/378/EEC”; repealed by article 30(5) of Act 3896/2010 transposing Directive 2006/54/EC
• Presidential Decree 105/2003,”Adaptation of Domestic Law to Directive 97/80/EC on the Burden of Proof in Case of Sex Discrimination”, OJ A 96/23.4.2003; repealed by Article 30(5) of 3896/2010 transposing Directive 2006/54/EC
• Presidential Decree 176/1997,”Measures for the Improvement of the Safety and Health at Work of Pregnant Workers and Workers Who Have Recently Given Birth or are Breastfeeding in Compliance with Directive 92/85/EEC”, OJ A 150/15.7.1997, as amended by Decree 41/2003, OJ A 44/21.2.2003
• Act 1483/1984, “Protection and Facilitation of Workers with Family Responsibilities”, as amended by Article 25 of Act 2639/1998, OJ A 205/2.9.1998 implementing Directive 96/34/EC and by Article 46 of Act 4488/2017,7 and Article 54(1) of Act 4075/2012 transposing Directive 2010/18/EU
• Act 1414/1984, “Implementation of the Principle of Equal Treatment of the Sexes in Employment Relationships”, transposing Directives 75/117/EEC and 76/207/EEC, OJ A 10/2.1
• Presidential Decree 1362/1981, “Replacement of Paragraph 1 of Article 33 of Act 1846/1951 “on Social Security” in compliance with Directive 79/7/EEC”, OJ A 339/30.12.1981

Relevant national Legislation:

• Act 4531/2018 (OJ A 62/5.4.2018) ratifying the Istanbul Convention on preventing the combating violence against women and domestic violence of the Council of Europe (IC), signed by Greece on May 2011.
• Act 4491/2017, “Legal recognition of gender identity… etc”, OJ A 152/13.10.2017
• Act 927/1979, OJ A 139/28.6.1979, implementing the CERD, as amended by Act 4285/2014, OJ A 191/10.9.2014 and Act 4491/2017, OJ A 152/13.10.2017

TFEU

• Article 157 TFEU states:

1. Each Member State shall ensure that the principle of equal pay for male and female workers for equal work or work of equal value is applied
2. For the purpose of this Article, “pay” means the ordinary basic or minimum wage or salary and any other consideration, whether in cash or in kind, which the worker receives directly or indirectly, in respect of his employment, from his employer. Equal pay without discrimination based on sex means:
   1. That pay for the same work at piece rates shall be calculated on the basis of the same unit of measurement;
   2. That pay for work at time rates shall be the same for the same job
3. The European Parliament and the Council, acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, and after consulting the Economic and Social Committee, shall adopt measures to ensure the application of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation, including the principle of equal pay for equal work or work of equal value.

With a view to ensuring full equality in practice between men and women in working maintaining or adopting measures providing for specific advantages in order to make it easier for the underrepresented sex to pursue a vocational activity or to prevent or compensate for disadvantages in professional careers.”

Chapter of Fundamental Rights of the EU

• Article 21(1) states: “Any discrimination based on any ground such as sex, race, colour, ethic or social origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation shall be prohibited”.
• Article 23 states: “Equality between women and men must be ensured in all areas, including employment work and pay. The principle of equality shall not prevent the maintenance or adoption of measures providing for specific advantages in favour of the under-represented sex”.

Directives

• Directive (EU) 2019/1158 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on work-life balance for parents and careers and repealing Council Directive 2010/18/EU
• Council Directive 2010/18/EU of 8 March 2010 implementing the revised framework agreement on parental leave concluded by BUSINESSEUROPE, UEAPME, CEEP and ETUC and repealing Directive 96/34/EC (Text with EEA relevance)
• Directive 2010/41/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on the application of the principle of equal treatment between men and women engaged in an activity in a self-employed capacity and repealing Council Directive 86/613/EEC
• Directive 2006/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 July 2006 on the implementation of the principle of equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation (recast)
• CouncilDirective 2000/78/EC of 27 Novemeber 2000 establishing a general framework for equal treatment in employment and occupation
• Council Directive 2000/43/EC of June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin
• Council Directive 96/34/EC of 3 June 1996 on the framework agreement on parental leave concluded by UNICE, CEEP and the ETUC
• Council Directive 92/85/EEC of 19 October 1992 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health at work of pregnant workers and workers who have recently given birth or are breastfeeding (tenth individual Directive within the meaning of Article 16(1) of Directive 89/391/EEC)

By incorporating these articles, policies, and directives, the GEP at HISS upholds legal and ethical standards while actively working towards achieving gender equality throughout the organization.

1. Embedding an all-inclusive and gender-aware culture by extinguishing any prejudice.
2. Improving the research quality of the Centre by having heterogeneous research groups
3. Continuing the institutes commitment to excellence by reinforcing female personnel’s (researchers, technical or administrative personnel) career development and training.
4. Focusing on including more women in the process of decision-making in order to add much needed diversification.
5. Becoming an attractive Research Centre for female talents in science.
6. Contributing to the national and European needs for female STEM experts.
7. Assisting in reversing brain-drain by attracting highly-skilled females from abroad.

To accomplish its objectives, HISS directs its efforts towards six key areas, aligning with the guidelines established by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). The organization’s aim is to identify and execute innovative strategies that foster cultural transformation and equal opportunities within universities and research centres. This approach is in line with the objectives outlined by EIGE (source: http://eige.europa.eu).

These areas are:

Key Area 1:  Governance and decision making

Key Area 2: Recruitment, Selection procedures, and Career Progression

Key Area 3: Flexible and Agile Working

Key Area 4: Gender Strategy in Research

Key Area 5: Gender in events and research activities visibility

Key Area 6: Gender in Organisation Culture

The Key Areas that have been chosen, consist of a collection of goals, metrics, targets, and KPIs. These Key Areas will be examined and tracked in terms of their gender dimension. Additionally, there will be a specified timeline for each action, and the individuals responsible for implementing them will be identified. Furthermore, the significance of these Key Areas in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 5, will be evaluated.

It is decided from the BOD of HISS that gender issues will be discussed systematically in the management meetings and the GEP will be updated annually. The General Secretariat for Family policy and Equality of Greece will be invited and act as an advisory body. Ms Leda Efstratiou Head Administrator at HISS will oversee procedures included on the GEP. The survey implemented on gender issues and annexed to the plan will be carried each time there is a change of more that 10% in number of employees. In training that is carried systematically at least twice a year in HISS personnel there will be dedicated sessions on gender issues including sexual harassment.

The gender gap persists among scientists and engineers in Europe despite steady progress in the last decade. Official figures from Eurostat show that although women make up 52% of the total EU population, regarding the segment of scientists and engineers between the ages of 25 and 64 women make up 41% (6.3million). In 2008, the earliest date figures are available, this percentage was 32%. The same proportion of men and women in STEM also applies in Greece.

Failure in tracking gender diversity within organisation which employ scientists and engineers and harbouring levelling behaviour patterns have negative impact first of all on women scientists and engineers and secondly on the organisations they work for. Apart from the rising concerns of human rights violations, women working in STEM fields are also concerned about the inequalities in achieving personal goals, the feeling of underestimation and the lack of satisfaction from their work. In addition, the insufficient use of human capital due to gender bias reduces the quality of work in the fields of research and innovation as a great number of talented future scientists and their fresh perspective is being excluded. Moreover, the lack of gender perspective in research leads to gender-biased technologies which can have harmful consequences for women’s well-being and safety. On the other hand, closing the gender gap would also benefit scientific progress since more and unique solutions would arise from diverse perspectives leading to overall economic development. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality 2018 briefing paper “ How gender equality in STEM education leads to economic growth”, closing the gender gap in STEM careers would contribute to an increase in EU GDP per capita by 2.2 to 3.0% by 2050, having at the same time positive impact in reducing the gender pay gap and the gender pension gap.

AS HISS is an organisation dedicated to the medical field, it is privileged to recruit researchers with a genuine interest in STEM. It is part of its mission to train, retain and provide all necessary means to assist its researchers in becoming experts in the field of medical monitoring and medical research.

With the gender-oriented measures and interventions it proposes, HISS contributes to strive for a culturally diverse, gendered balanced working environment by empowering all workers in science and engineering and providing them with the necessary resources to advance their careers.

Specifically, HISS will:

• Provide women with career advancement pipelines, continuous professional development and leaderships training.
• Offer welcoming and inclusive working environments, including pay equity, flexibility, parental policies and inclusion;
• Develop plans for mentoring of female researchers.
• Make women more active in decision making by including them into boards and processes, thus, changing power dynamics;
• Assist researchers affected by careers breaks and leave in regaining research momentum as quickly as possible in return
• Protect its personnel through anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.

HISS will follow the methodological steps of:

Understanding -> Planning -> Implementing -> Monitoring [EIGE]

HISS undertook initial work to understand and analyse the current status with the aim to address imbalances in all its operational years.

The analysis of the current status – identification of strengths and weaknesses in relation to gender equality issues – was based on the collection and analysis of statistical data. Part of them were collected from the Administration Department. Another significant amount of data was collected through a properly elaborated questionnaire (Annex 1) which recorded the perception and experiences of HISS’s personnel.

The planning of activities was based on the systematisation of existing good practices and the adoption of new ones or by the exchange of the knowhow between similar organisation and GEP experts.

The implementation of any intervention requires an inclusive approach from the commitment of the upper management to the active involvement of all staff members. The mindset behind the success is “responsibility of the individual and collaboration with the team”. Pilot activities will be implemented, if necessary, to feedback on the effectiveness of the proposed activities and/or assist in the fine-tuning of their parameters.

As a final step, control and self-assessment based on proper indicators ensure that the GEP is a dynamic document and that the interventions proposed have real impact. The typology of the indicators, the time frame and the target values which they compare with, are selected on a consensus basis.  Thus, the GEP is an open, adaptable manual evolving together with the evolution of the gender’s equality[1].

[1]NOTE: HISS recognises that its community may include people who do not identify with the binary construct of being either male or female, and who may be gender diverse, including those who affirm their gender as being different to the sex assigned at birth; who were born intersex or who identify as transgender or no gender.

In order to identify the current status of the gender equality practices in HISS within the areas previously identified, the following practices were used:

1. Aggregation of the male/female personnel data for the year 2023
2. Aggregation of the composition of the governing bodies of HISS over the period 2023-2024
3. Conduct of an online survey addressed to HISS’s personnel. 55% of respondents were male and 45% female.

Key Area 1: Governance and decision making

The weight of governance and decision making is the main responsibility of HISS’s Board of Executives. Which consists of the:

• President, holding the position of Chairman;
• Vice President
• Head Secretary
• Head Treasurer
• Member

Concerning research policy, the BoE is supported by the Members of the General Assembly, which consists of 8 representatives.

The two bodies are respectively comprised by:

Board of Executives: A total of 5 people, 3 Men and 2 Women.

Members of the General Assembly: A total of 8 members, 4 Men and 4 Women.

Using this information, it is worth noting that:

• Women representation is equal to male representation in governance and decision-making bodies.

In addition, the survey that was carried out revealed the following:

• 75% of the personnel believe that the necessary objectivity to effectively assess situations and resolve conflicts does not depend on gender.
• 70% believe that the offered opportunities in leadership skills training programmes are the same for both genders.

Key Area 2: Recruitment, Selection procedures, and Career Progression

More than 95% of HISS’s personnel are university graduates and they also have higher degrees of education while the 5% is currently working towards their postgraduate degrees.

The mean age between the personnel is 36,9 and people of both genders are observed at every age range.

Key Area 3: Flexible and Agile Working

The undertake study revealed the following perceptions of the institute’s personnel with regards to flexible and agile working:

• 45% of the personnel believes that the workplace environment is not an obstacle to starting a family, while 27.3% of those who believe it is an obstacle attribute it to their sex. Overall, the following issues have been identified: a. the particularities of the profession of a researcher and anyone who is involved in the same field (CRAs, Monitors): long working hours during multiple deadline periods, frequent travels. B. the employment status: there is no legislative framework for maternity leave for people employed under working contracts, c. the general belief that women more than men adjust their careers for family.
• 65% believe that family is not an obstacle to professional development, while 23.5% of those who believe otherwise attribute it to sex. The main argument is that the time needed for family care, especially by women, reduces the time devoted to career advancement. Moreover it was made clear by responses that while on maternity leave their professional development is put on hold.</li
• 8% of the female personnel believe that they would be more efficient if they had a more flexible working schedule (e.g., working hours, days of physical presence) while in pregnancy;
• 75% of people believe that they would be more efficient if they had a more flexible working schedule (e.g., working hours, days of physical presence) as a new parent;
• 83% of people believe that a pregnant colleague they would be more efficient if they had a more flexible working schedule (e.g., working hours, days of physical presence) as a new parent;
• 80% % of people believe that a new parent colleague they would be more efficient if they had a more flexible working schedule (e.g., working hours, days of physical presence) as a new parent;
• 80% of the female population believe that it would be better for them to be able to get time off work during the first 2-3 days of menstruation, while 76% of the personnel believe that it would be better for their colleague to be able to get time off work during the first 2-3 days of menstruation.

A frequently recorded concern is that an unbalanced working and family life is harmful to the physical and mental health as well as the emotional status, leading to unhappy and thus less productive employees.

Key Area 4: Gender Strategy in Research

By observing the data collected we conclude that there are some extreme irregularities such as that the female to male ratio in the monitoring department is 1 meaning that all the colleagues are female.

Also by looking the data we can also observe an overall increase in the number of researchers over the years the female to male ratio remains the same. There is no systematic monitoring/registering of the applications received for the Researchers positions. The above-mentioned ratio dictates this necessity to proceed with necessary corrective actions.

Moreover, to the extent that research is a challenging task entailing increased responsibility lifelong learning and constant pursuit of development, the survey revealed the following perceptions:

• 80% believe that challenging tasks are important for all genders;
• 85% believe that tasks requiring responsibility are desired equally by women and men.
• 15% believe that opportunities in scientific-related skills training programs are more for women while 5% believe that they are best suited for men.
• 70% believe that they have equal opportunities for development with people of the opposite sex and 30% believe that these kinds of opportunities are tailored best for men. Although 100% of the responders believe that there have been no discouragements from participating in skill development courses due to their gender.

This survey shows that there is some latent gender prejudice which could justify the implication of systematic monitoring of these elements in order to identify any discrimination due to gender and proceed with the necessary corrective actions.

Key Area 5: Gender in events and research visibility activities

Currently, there is no systematic monitoring of gender participation in events and research visibility activities. The need to increase the visibility of women researchers and their achievements in cutting edge research areas is recognised and needs to be enhanced.

Key Area 6: Gender in Organisation Culture

The undertaken survey additionally included a set of questions addressing the gender in the organisation culture, as an effort to record HISS’s personnel perceptions and experiences. The main findings are:

• 95% of the responders have indicated that they would prefer their workplace environment to consist of both sexes;
• 100% reported that they would hire easily both men and women.
• 95% reported that they have no preference in the gender of the colleagues they work with;
• 10% responded that professional skills depend on gender
• 25% of the responders have indicated that they have been harassed (non-sexually) in the workplace, 60% of which reported that the harassment originated from colleagues of the opposite sex, 20% that the harassment originated from colleagues of both sexes and 20% that it originated from colleagues of the same sex
• 50% of the responders who were harassed did not feel safe or protected at the work environment, although 65% of those felt that they could turn to someone for support.
• 5% of the responders have answered that they have been sexually harassed in the workplace environment , and 100% of those responses indicated that they were harassed by people of the opposite sex

Frequently appeared concerns of the survey participants are the following:

• Equal opportunities for development of the working force and celebration of diversities should be in place
• Transparency in personnel evaluation methods and metrics would incubate trust, encourage consciousness in one’s qualities and willingness for professional development by setting clear goals both for the employee and the organisation.
• The issue of gender discrimination in the working environment is evident and requires everyday work and monitoring of behaviours to be restrained.
• The effort to eliminate gender discrimination should not focus the fulfilment of numerical indices leaving aside the actual qualifications of personnel regardless of sex.

Binary construct: (relating to gender) is a social construct that identifies an individual as either male/man or female/woman, and does not take account of other sex of gender identities or presentations.

Gender: is a part of a person’s social and personal identity. It is typically used with reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological, referring to the characteristics that a culture delineates as masculine/male or feminine/female (see definition for “gender diverse”)

Gender diverse: is a term used to recognise people who do not fall within the gender binary construct of male and female.

Intersex: refers to people who have genetic, hormonal or physical characteristics that are not exclusively “male” or “female”. A person who is intersex may identify as male, female, intersex or as being of indeterminate sex.

Pay equity: means individuals receiving equal pay for work of equal or comparable value and there is no gender bias at any point in the remuneration process ( for example at commencement, base salary, out-of-cycle pay reviews, discretionary loading and bonuses, and movement within the total remuneration range).

Sex: means the characteristics associated with biological sex, generally assigned at birth usually described as being male or female. A person’s sex and gender identity or presentation may not necessarily be the same.

Transgender: is a general term for a person whose gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth. A transgender person may take steps to live permanently in their nominated sex, with or without medical intervention.

1. What is your gender?
2. What is your age?
3. How long have you been employed in this company?
4. What is your role at HISS?

• Research personnel
  • Please explain : …………..
• Technical personnel
  • Please explain: ……………
• Administrative personnel
  • Please explain: ……………

5. Which of the following traits and to what extend do you consider affects someone’s success in a working environment:

• Ambition
• Competitiveness
• Teamwork
• Determination
• Toughness
• Knowledge
• Adaptability
• Sensitivity
• Empathy
• Justice
• Negotiation skills
• Orderliness
• Flexibility
• Persistence
• Responsibility
• Resilience

6. Which of the following traits and to what extend do successfulwomen exhibit in a working environment:

• Ambition
• Competitiveness
• Teamwork
• Determination
• Toughness
• Knowledge
• Adaptability
• Sensitivity
• Empathy
• Justice
• Negotiation skills
• Orderliness
• Flexibility
• Persistence
• Responsibility
• Resilience

7. Which of the following traits and to what extend do successful men exhibit in a working environment:

• Ambition
• Competitiveness
• Teamwork
• Determination
• Toughness
• Knowledge
• Adaptability
• Sensitivity
• Empathy
• Justice
• Negotiation skills
• Orderliness
• Flexibility
• Persistence
• Responsibility
• Resilience

8. Do you consider that tasks that require responsibility are mainly desired by:

Men / Women / Both

9. Do you consider that challenging tasks are best handled by:

Men / Women / Both

10. Do you consider that opportunities in leadership skills training programmes are:

more for men / more for women / same for both

11. Do you consider that opportunities in scientific/research-related training programmes are:

more for men / more for women / same for both

12. Which gender if any in your opinion has the necessary objectivity to effectively assess situations and resolve conflicts?

Men / Women / Both

13. Have you been discouraged from participating in skill development courses due to your gender?

Yes / No

14. Would you cover your own expenses to take part in skill development courses?

Yes / No

15. Is the workplace environment, according to your opinion, an obstacle to starting a family?

Yes / No   Please justify: …………………………………………………………………………………… (optional)

16. If Yes, is it gender depended

Yes / No Please justify: …………………………………………………………………………………… (optional)

17. Is having a family an obstacle to professional development

Yes / No Please justify: …………………………………………………………………………………… (optional)

18. If Yes, is it gender depended

Yes / No Please justify: …………………………………………………………………………………… (optional)

19. Do you think that as a pregnant woman you would perform better if you had a more flexible schedule (e.g. working hours, days of physical presence)? If yes, in what way?

Yes / No / N/A (for men) ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

20. Do you think that as a new parent you would perform better if you had a more flexible schedule (e.g. working hours, days of physical presence)? If yes in what way?

Yes / No …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

21. Do you think that a pregnant colleague would perform better or you would have better cooperation with them if they had a more flexible schedule (e.g. working hours, days of physical presence)?

Yes / No

22. Do you think that a new parent-colleague would perform better or you would have better cooperation with them if they had a more flexible schedule (e.g. working hours, days of physical presence)?

Yes / No

23. Do you think that it would be better to be able to get time off from work during the first 2-3 days of menstruation?

Yes /No

24. Do you think it would be better for your colleague to get time off from work during the first 2-3 days of menstruation?

Yes / No

25. Would it be fair for a man to have to flexibility to get time off from work if they do not feel well?

Yes / No

26. Have you been harassed in the workplace in any way (non-sexual harassment)?

Yes / No

27. If Yes, by colleagues of the same sex / of the opposite sex
    +
28. If the answer to the previous question was yes, did you feel safe or protected at the working environment?

Yes / No

29. If the answer to question 27 was yes, did you feel that you could turn to someone for support?

Yes / No

30. Have you been sexually harassed in the workplace in any way?

Yes / No

31. If Yes,

by colleague of the same sex / of the opposite sex

32. If the answer to question 30 was yes, did you feel safe or protected in the workplace?

Yes / No

33. If the answer to the previous question was yes, did you feel that you could turn to someone for support?

Yes / No

34. Do you think that you have the same opportunities for development with people of the opposite sex?

Yes / No

35. Do you prefer to work with

Men / Women / Either

36. Do you prefer to work with colleagues of

The same sex / the opposite sex / It doesn’t matter

37. Would you hire more easily

men / women / both sexes

38. Would you prefer your workplace to consist mostly of

men / women / both sexes