2021-22 Departmental Results Report: Gender-based analysis plus

Section 1: Institutional GBA Plus Capacity

CIHR has a GBA Plus Framework to coordinate related work and to operationalize commitments to the Health Portfolio, the Department for Women and Gender Equality and CIHR's Strategic Plan 2021–2031. The Framework seeks to build GBA Plus organizational capacity and sustain the practice of GBA Plus through three streams:

• GBA Plus in CIHR-Funded Research: Aims to ensure that GBA Plus is taken into account in research design, methods, analysis and interpretation and/or dissemination of findings.
  • Operationalized through the Sex and Gender-Based Analysis in Research Action Plan and the Institute of Gender and Health Strategic Plan.
• GBA Plus in CIHR's Funding System: Aims to ensure equitable access to CIHR funds across eligible individuals.
  • Operationalized through the Equity Strategy, Gender Equity Framework, Official Languages and Minority Communities Action Plan and the Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan (2018–2025).
• GBA Plus in CIHR's Workplace: Aims to ensure CIHR conducts its business in an equitable manner.
  • Operationalized through federal legislation (such as the Employment Equity Act, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, the Official Languages Act, and the Accessibility Act) and policies (Harassment in the Workplace Policy).

The CIHR GBA Plus Responsibility Centre leads, enhances, supports, and monitors implementation of CIHR's GBA Plus framework and the actual practice of GBA Plus. CIHR has a Co-Champion model for GBA Plus. The Vice President, Research – Learning Health Systems serves as one GBA Plus Co-Champion and is responsible for implementation of GBA Plus across CIHR with support from the GBA Plus Focal Point and staff within the EDI Team of the Science Policy branch. The Scientific Director, Institute of Gender and Health, serves as the other GBA Plus Co-Champion and provides guidance on the implementation of Sex and Gender-Based Analysis Plus (SGBA Plus) in the context of health research. Strategic guidance on GBA Plus-related matters is provided by Governing Council, Science Council and CIHR's two internal EDI Advisory Committees. Operational guidance and decision-making is provided by senior management. All CIHR staff and members of CIHR's Governing Council are required to complete the Department of Women and Gender Equality GBA Plus Training Module, as well as training on Unconscious Bias and Indigenous cultural awareness offered through the Canadian School of Public Service. 

To monitor GBA Plus in CIHR-funded research, CIHR tracks integration of sex and gender in all research proposals.

CIHR monitors GBA Plus in the funding system through the Tri-Agency Self-Identification Questionnaire, which currently collects information on applicant age, gender, and whether someone identifies as Indigenous, a visible minority or a person with a disability. In program evaluations, CIHR administers surveys to applicants and recipients to monitor differential impacts of funding programs on four designated employment equity groups and gender.

To monitor GBA Plus in CIHR's workplace, CIHR tracks GBA Plus training completed by staff and Governing Council members and participates in Health Portfolio-wide surveys to assess staff knowledge and application of GBA Plus.

CIHR continues to action its strategic plan: CIHR Strategic Plan 2021–2031, A Vision for a Healthier Future, which has a priority to "Promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion". To further commitments in its Strategic Plan, CIHR established an External Anti-Racism Advisory Committee and External Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Systemic Ableism, to co-design CIHR anti-racism and accessibility action plans, respectively. CIHR also has two internal advisory groups, one focused on promoting EDI in the funding system and in funded research and the other focused on promoting EDI within CIHR's workplace.

In addition, CIHR works with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to implement a Tri-Agency EDI Action Plan (2018–2025), which includes activities that cut across the three areas of CIHR's GBA Plus Framework.  Work is governed through an Interagency Committee on EDI and implemented by an Interagency EDI Policy Working Group.

Section 2: Gender and Diversity Impacts, by Program

Core Responsibility: Funding health research and training

Program Name: Investigator-Initiated Research

Target Population: All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity

In 2021–22, CIHR published qualitative input to inform the co-development of an anti-racism action plan, including a Summary of results of its Online Dialogue and a Summary of the findings from the environmental scan on systemic racism in health research and funding system.

Supplementary Information Sources

Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016304.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

In May 2018, CIHR implemented a mandatory Self-Identification Questionnaire for applicants to all funding programs. Developed in collaboration with its Tri-Agency partners NSERC and SSHRC, the questionnaire collects information on five equity dimensions (described above), which will be used to enable effective monitoring of equity in CIHR's funding system and inform evidence-based policy solutions to increase EDI in the research enterprise.

Using data collected from the self-identification questionnaire, CIHR monitors and reports on the performance indicator "# and diversity of researchers and trainees supported" across all of CIHR's programs. Aggregate results are reported internally, in the Program Information Profiles and externally to the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC) and on CIHR's website.

In 2021–22, CIHR published the summary of findings from analysis of self-identification data across CIHR's 2020 COVID-19 competitions.

The Tri-Agencies updated the Self-Identification Questionnaire in 2019–2020 in order to capture disaggregation of population groups; offer more inclusive options across the spectrums of gender identity and sexual orientation; align with the definition of disability with the Accessible Canada Act; and include a question on language. CIHR is planning to implement the updated questionnaire for applicants by summer 2022, and work is also underway to expand the questionnaire to peer reviewers and members of CIHR's governance committees.

Core Responsibility: Funding health research and training

Program Name: Research in Priority Areas

Target Population: All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity

Please see description above in Investigator-Initiated research.

Supplementary Information Sources

Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016304.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

Please see description above in Investigator-Initiated research.  CIHR monitors and reports on the performance indicator "# and diversity of researchers and trainees supported" across all of CIHR's programs. Aggregate results are reported internally, in the Program Information Profiles and externally to the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC).

Core Responsibility: Funding health research and training

Program Name: Training and Career Support

Target Population: All Canadians

Distribution of Benefits

Key Program impacts on Gender and diversity

Other Key Program impacts on gender and diversity

Please see description above in Investigator-Initiated research.

Supplementary Information Sources

Statistics Canada, 2016 Census of Population, Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-400-X2016304.

GBA Plus Data Collection Plan

Please see description above in Investigator-Initiated research.  CIHR monitors and reports on the performance indicator "# and diversity of researchers and trainees supported" across all CIHR's programs. Aggregate results are reported internally, in the Program Information Profiles and externally to the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee (CRCC).

Definitions

Target Population

• See Finance Canada definition of Target Group in the User Instructions for the GBA Plus Departmental Summary)

Gender Scale

• First group: Predominantly men (e.g. 80 per cent or more men)
• Second group: 60 per cent - 79 per cent men
• Third group: Broadly gender-balanced
• Forth group: 60 per cent - 79 per cent women
• Fifth group: Predominantly women (e.g. 80 per cent or more women)

Income Level Scale

• First group: Strongly benefits low income individuals (Strongly progressive)
• Second group: Somewhat benefits low income individuals (Somewhat progressive)
• Third group: No significant distributional impacts
• Forth group: Somewhat benefits high income individuals (Somewhat regressive)
• Fifth group: Strongly benefits high income individuals (Strongly regressive)

Age Group Scale

• First group: Primarily benefits youth, children and/or future generations
• Second group: No significant inter-generational impacts or impacts generation between youth and seniors
• Third group: Primarily benefits seniors or the baby boom generation

Date modified:

2022-12-02