Expertise

Equity, diversity, inclusion, sex and gender

Inform about the concepts of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), best practices for integrating EDI into your project or organization, and recommend relevant tools.

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  • Inform on the notions of equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Inform on best practices for integrating EDI into your project or organization
  • Recommend relevant EDI tools

In conjunction with Equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations, sex- and gender-based analysis (SGBA) is “an analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men, girls, boys and gender-diverse people may be impacted by Government of Canada initiatives” (CIHR).

Such sensitivity to EDI and SGBA is thus contingent on the adoption of concrete strategies for generating new knowledge and developing innovative interventions that directly address clinical, population, organizational, and structural challenges with and for the populations involved. Source: A guide to Applying an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Approach with Sensitivity

The Unité de soutien SSA Québec has established a scientific sub-committee responsible for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Sex and Gender Analysis (EDI-GSBA). Professor Sara Ahmed (McGill University) and Professor Amédé Gogovor (Université Laval) have been confirmed as joint nominees to head the committee.

Key questions on sex and gender

When we talk about sex, we are generally referring to biological sex, defined by physiological characteristics such as chromosomes, hormones, gene expression and the reproductive system. This generally corresponds to the sex assigned at birth, which can be found on official documents. However, some people are born with physical characteristics that do not fit a binary definition of sex (female or male) or have variations in their sexual development, particularly at puberty. These individuals, who are referred to as intersex or developmentally disabled, are generally assigned a binary sex at birth, particularly in countries or regions that do not allow for the assignment of a non-binary sex at birth (Canada is one such country). In research, sex assigned at birth is most often included, as it is easier to measure because of its binary quality.

fig1_distinction_lien_sexe_naissance_et_bio_justeretal

Gender is a socio-cultural construct that is composed of several dimensions, such as gender identity, gender relations, gender roles, institutionalized gender, etc. It may or may not correspond to the sex (assigned at birth or biologically) of the individual. It may or may not correspond to the sex (assigned at birth or biological) of the individual. Gender is beginning to be measured more frequently in studies, but the diversity of methods used and the evolution of definitions make its interpretation difficult. It is essential to move away from stereotypical characteristics associated with binary genders (femininity and masculinity) in order to measure the experience and perception of individuals without tainting the results with spatial and temporal bias.

fig2_dimensions_genre_pilote_raparelli_norris_juster

A growing corpus of literature that has evaluated both concepts highlights the fact that gender is as relevant or more relevant to measure in research than sex assigned at birth (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2022). The fact that we rarely have access to the true biological sex of study participants makes the use of sex assigned at birth common practice. This may not be representative of participants’ biological sex, which is still medically sensitive, or of their life experience. Measuring gender allows for the identification of patterns that are not present when measuring sex at birth alone and provides a deeper, more realistic dimension to the results. A joint measurement of sex and gender is therefore ideal.

Two tools are proposed by our team: one corresponds to a self-reported measure of perceived gender to be integrated before data collection, while the other corresponds to a method for creating a composite gender index after data collection when only sex assigned at birth has been measured. The proposed tools are presented in two different papers:

  1. How do we indirectly measure gender in human research? Presentation of a guide for creating a composite gender index
  2. Measuring gender in human research, a new adapted questionnaire
fig3_outils_comment_mesurer_genre_recherche_justeretal_
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The Unité de Soutien SSA Québec wants its website to be accessible to people with disabilities and physical restrictions. Given this concern, it has designed its site to comply with many Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). For more information

Guide to inclusive and epicene writing (in french)

This guide is intended to help us be an inclusive organization and to optimize our communications. It is intended to be practical and easy to use, and is intended for use by the entire community of the Unité de soutien SSA Québec. The adoption of this guide is part of the desire to ensure equal representation of people in the discourse of patient-oriented research (POR) in french in Quebec. We encourage you to send your questions and comments by email to ssaquebec@usherbrooke.ca.

News

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Read more about Microsite on patient partnership in research: interactive tour, resources and testimonials

Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success

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Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research

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Read more about Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research

Inclusive Practices in Participatory or Partnership-based Research with socially excluded persons

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Read more about Inclusive Practices in Participatory or Partnership-based Research with socially excluded persons

Deliverables and tools

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Microsite on patient partnership in research: interactive tour, resources and testimonials

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Read more about Microsite on patient partnership in research: interactive tour, resources and testimonials

Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success

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Read more about Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success

Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research

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Read more about Research grant applications: Sensitive Approach to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in Research

Inclusive Practices in Participatory or Partnership-based Research with socially excluded persons

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Read more about Inclusive Practices in Participatory or Partnership-based Research with socially excluded persons

Publications

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Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec has published its 2014–2021 activity report for the community

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Read more about Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec has published its 2014–2021 activity report for the community

Proper usage of sex and gender in studies of shared decision-making intervention: an assessment by Dr. Lionel Adisso and the Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec

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Read more about Proper usage of sex and gender in studies of shared decision-making intervention: an assessment by Dr. Lionel Adisso and the Unité de soutien SRAP du Québec

Our postdoctoral fellow Amédé Gogovor and his colleagues publish an analysis on the challenges and solutions of integrating sex and gender considerations in knowledge translation

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Read more about Our postdoctoral fellow Amédé Gogovor and his colleagues publish an analysis on the challenges and solutions of integrating sex and gender considerations in knowledge translation

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Working in partnership in health and social services: a team testifies to its success

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Find out what's a learning health system in 60 seconds

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Webinar on ENGAGE: a project to involve low-literacy patients in research

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Read more about Webinar on ENGAGE: a project to involve low-literacy patients in research

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Decision-making

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Québec's health system

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Read more about Québec's health system

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When you apply for support from the Unité de soutien SSA Québec, you are taking part in the emergence of a learning health system (LHS). We offer three types of support: training, consultation and tools.

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Portrait of Bilkis Vissandjee.

Bilkis Vissandjee

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Portrait of Robert-Paul Juster.

Robert-Paul Juster

Sex and Gender Analysis

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