1. Introduction & Commitment

Heartwarmingly is an evidence-based social-innovation consultancy committed to fostering inclusive, equitable, and safe environments across our organisation and partnerships. Guided by our core values, data-driven impact, intersectional analysis, and collaboration, this Gender Equality Plan (GEP) sets out the actions, responsibilities, and monitoring mechanisms that embed gender equality across our work. It aligns with the following legal standards and policy frameworks:

• Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 
• Recast Directive (2006/54/EC) on equal opportunities and equal treatment of women and men in employment and occupation 
• The Employment Equality Directive (2000/78/EC)
• The Self-employment (Directive 2010/41/EU)
• The Part-time Work Directive (97/81/EC)
• The Work-life Balance Directive (2019/1158/EU)
• Other relevant national and international norms and laws

Policy commitments and frameworks: 

• United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality)
• EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020–2025
• EIGE GEAR Tool
• ITFLOWS Gender Action Plan
• Learning from promising practices: Gender and diversity in research

The GEP applies to Heartwarmingly’s staff, contractors, volunteers, researchers, consultants, and partner organisations. It will be implemented through measurable objectives, time-bound actions, and regular monitoring and review.

Gender equality is embedded within European and international legal frameworks and requires securing rights and freedoms without discrimination on grounds such as sex, race, colour, language, religion, political opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Achieving this in practice demands an intersectional approach, recognising that factors such as race, ethnicity, class, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and migration status can interact to create overlapping systems of advantage and disadvantage.

Ultimately, this Gender Equality Plan is informed by and the result of feminist principles of research and participatory practice, recognising that knowledge production is never neutral and that those most affected by inequality should have a voice in shaping interventions. Drawing on Kimberlé Crenshaw’s framework of intersectionality and Patricia Hill Collins’ work on the matrix of domination, our approach emphasises the interconnectedness of social categories and the structural nature of oppression. In practice, this means centring lived experiences, valuing diverse perspectives, co-creating solutions with staff and partners, and ensuring that monitoring and evaluation processes are inclusive, reflexive, and responsive to power dynamics. By embedding these feminist research principles, Heartwarmingly aims not only to comply with legal and policy frameworks but to cultivate equitable, participatory, and transformative organisational practices.

1.1. Gender Equality and Intersectionality in Heartwarmingly’s research

Migration and mobility, and broader human rights, as well as sustainability, are the contexts where gender equality and intersectionality shape policy and research. The dedicated ITFLOWS Gender Action Plan highlights the double nature of gendered biases:

• First of all,  “the individual migration experiences are substantially shaped by gender, sex, gender identity and/or sexual orientation, as well as class, race and age…” 
• Secondly, “ gender and sexuality influence reasons for migration – voluntarily or forced – and contribute to the support networks available to migrants.”.
•  Research shows that without such measures, inequalities can be reinforced at multiple stages, from migration drivers and transit conditions to labour market access and social integration in the destination country.
• Finally, whether the research is implemented, tailoring in approaches of positionality and intersectionality defines the possible spectrum of gender- responsive, gender sensitive, gender aware, gender-neutral, neutral, or gender blind nature of research.

1.2. Specific commitments in Heartwarmingly’s research: 

Based on the high-level discussion on Gender Equality and Diversity in Research co-organised by #CEPSDGs and Brussels Binder Discussion, 30 October 2020 –  Lorenzo Rorro & Lina Vosyliute (2020), the following actions have been identified and adopted by Heartwarmingly: 

• to ‘build in’ gender and diversity from the design, not just at the end of the process;
• to include junior female/other minority background researchers in project teams as a way of acknowledging their role and building a pipeline of talent;
• to promote women to the leadership positions and give them lead roles in EU-funded projects;
• to unpack the binary understanding of ‘gender roles’ and move beyond that by including analysis of sexuality, gender fluidity, etc.; 
• to link gender with other types of diversity and intersecting grounds such as race, social class, age, ability, etc.; 
• to challenge the ways co-authorships are assigned by leaving female authors last;
• to include the first names in the research quotation system, as often readers assume that it was written by male authors, instead of (Sassen 2014) to refer to (Saskia Sassen 2014).
• to close the gap in female scholarship in the classical volumes in certain fields as economics, finance or security;
• to highlight the tension between the seniority and expertise when composing research teams and promoting the research outputs in the events;
• to capture unconscious biases among the other gender blind, gender aware, gender sensitive and gender inclusive strategies;
• to ‘push from above’ just like Horizon Europe programme is intending to do, and the ‘push from below’ by women or other underrepresented groups;
• to maintain and monitor the pressure in every step in between;
• to attract and include more male allies and those in the power position in the discussions on gender equality and intersectionality. 

2. Objectives

Heartwarmingly is committed to translating its principles of mainstreaming gender equality and inclusion  of diversity into concrete organisational objectives and measurable actions. 

We recognise gender as a social and relational construct, encompassing differences between masculinities and femininities that are learned, performed, and context-dependent. Gender exists in complex interaction with other markers of identity, including race, sexuality, class, ethnicity, religion, and disability. Gender identity, one’s innately held sense of self, which may or may not align with the sex assigned at birth, is distinct from sexual orientation. 

Our approach centres those most marginalised on the gender spectrum, including  women, trans women, non-binary people, and other underrepresented genders, ensuring that policies and practices are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to diverse lived experiences.

These objectives, together with their corresponding indicators, are set out below:

• Female leadership

Heartwarmingly seeks to mainstream gender equality in leadership, especially as its Founder being female, ensuring that leadership undoes the historically  undone. 

Should legal management  be expanded – Heartwarmingly commits to gender equality mainstreaming and inclusion of other diversity categories, especially of the communities we serve.

Indicators: 

• Gender of the founder – female 
• Gender equality  mainstreaming  and diversity promotion within the management team

Gender equality mainstreaming in research and non-research staff/ contractors composition

The organisation strives to mainstream gender equality and promote diversity across its core team, as well as among volunteers, interns, and other non-permanent staff, thereby fostering inclusivity at all organisational levels. Given the historical  lack of representation of female researchers, Heartwarmingly strives to promote diverse female voices among its research staff. 

Indicator: 

• Gender equality  mainstreaming  and diversity promotion within the management  of staff,  contractors, volunteers, and interns.

Fair representation  of participants in selected projects and research teams

For projects and research initiatives in which Heartwarmingly is responsible for selecting participants, collaborators, or external research team members, the organisation is committed to achieving gender equality mainstreaming and diversity promotion. Recruitment and selection processes will be designed to ensure equitable opportunities and to minimise bias for those with intersected characteristics. People with lived experiences of trauma, abuse and oppression will be encouraged to participate via various trauma-informed methods and exercises. 

Indicators: 

• Gender composition of selected project teams and research participants.
• Measures to promote participation of other diversity categories
• Specific trauma-informed methods to be used

Equal pay and transparent remuneration

Heartwarmingly upholds the principle of equal pay for equal work. All salaries are determined according to a fixed and transparent system of pay brackets and responsibility bands, communicated openly to staff and prospective hires – for staff, contractors, interns. Pay progression follows clear, predictable criteria, and individuals in equivalent roles receive compensation corresponding with their professional experience.

Indicators: 

• Gender balance across salary and responsibility levels communicated transparently; 
• When recruiting, gender equality  mainstreaming  and diversity promotion  taken into confederation for forming the management,  contractors, volunteers, and interns.

3. GEP Governance and Roles

To support transparency, accountability, and a safe working environment, Heartwarmingly Founder  has appointed Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer and established an Independent  Gender Equality & Research Ethics  Advisory Committee composed of three members ensuring gender diversity within the team.

The Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer: 

• Ensures implementation of the GEP principles and policies;
• Drafts Annual GEP  Reports 
• Flags to the Founder and  any inconsistencies
• If not resolved, flags to the Independent Gender Equality & Research Ethics Committee. 
• As of 1 October 2025, Helena Wacko has been appointed as Heartwarmingly’s  Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer.
•  

The  Independent Gender Equality & Research Ethics Committee:

• Provides a confidential and impartial channel for raising concerns related to equality, inclusion, or workplace conduct. Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer will be appointed  by the Founder. 
• This body guarantees anonymity and protection for those reporting issues. Members are appointed by the Founder of Heartwarmingly , but take their decisions independently of the Founder. 
• The founder must report back to the Gender Equality & Research Ethics  Advisory Committee on implementation of the Research tasks.
• As of 1 October 2025, the Gender Equality  and Research Ethics Advisory  Committee will be composed of:
  • Dr. Colleen Bolland, Radboud University/ BSoG VUB
  • Dr. Gabriella Sanchez, Georgetown University/ EUI MPC
  • Dr. Lenka Drazanova, EUI MPC

The Founder is committed to make this a living example on how gender equality mainstreaming and diversity promotion in the research could look-like. 

• The Founder  (and management team) appoints and commits to equip and follow the advice of the Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer
• The Founder (and management team)  convenes and commits to to equip and follow the advice of the The  Independent Gender Equality & Research Ethics Advisory Committee

4. Monitoring & Reporting

Heartwarmingly’s Gender Equality Mainstreaming and Diversity Promotion Officer will collect/ ask other researchers to submit gender-related data annually to track progress on key indicators, including gender balance across roles and organisational levels, integration of gender considerations in client projects, pay equity, and any incident reports related to equality issues. 

An annual Gender Equality Plan (GEP) report summarising these findings will be shared internally to promote transparency and inform ongoing improvements – with the research staff, contractors, volunteers and interns.

The  GEP report Summary will be also shared publicly on Heartwarmingly’s website. 

5. Sustainability

Heartwarmingly is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of gender equality initiatives by embedding GEP principles into key organisational policies such as recruitment, monitoring and evaluation, and training. 

The Founder will allocate consistent staff time to support the implementation of GEP actions. 

Additionally, formal reviews of the Gender Equality Plan will be conducted every 2 years to assess progress and update the plan as needed, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. Through these measures, Heartwarmingly aims to foster a lasting culture of gender equality across all levels of the organisation and its partnerships.

References: 

• Coleen Boland &  Mengia Tschalaer (2021),  Gender Action Plan (D2.2). ITFLOWS Deliverable 2.2. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona & Brunel University London.  27 January 2020. https://ddd.uab.cat/pub/infpro/2021/263144/3._D2.2_ITFLOWS_.pdf.
• Lorenzo Rorro & Lina Vosyliute (2020), ‘Learning from promising practices: Gender and diversity in research’, based on the high-level discussion on Gender Equality and Diversity in Research co-organised by #CEPSDGs and Brussels Binder Discussion, 30 October 2020.