UniSAFE D3.1 Theoretical and conceptual framework

There are different understandings of both gender and gender-based violence in different national and organisational contexts. While recognising the potential conflicts and tensions emanating from different strands of epistemology, ontology and contexts, UniSAFE is primarily informed by a feminist understanding of both gender and violence.

The aim of the UniSAFE theoretical and conceptual framework is to frame the overall study – including data collection and analysis on micro, meso and macro levels and their interrelations – and to highlight key debates and contestations in the research field of gender-based violence in RPOs (Research Performing Organisations, including universities). The framework is developed in order to contribute to the data collection and analysis of gender-based violence in academic environments and research workplaces in Europe.

The underlying approach is multi-level and holistic, and informed by gender theory, intersectionality, and feminist violence studies: these are applied to both the collection and analysis of evidence, and to its operationalisation into tools and dissemination. Such an approach, in turn, requires approaching gender equality and gender-based violence in institutions from an organisational violence perspective, rather than approaching gender-based violence only from a gender equality perspective, or indeed an individualist perspective.

To these ends, the UniSAFE theoretical and conceptual framework outlines the key concepts used in the project and proposes forms of gender-based violence to cover and the definitions for these forms, with the whole project anchored in feminist violence studies. It introduces the 7P model at the heart of the project, defining each of its elements in turn. How these concepts relate to each other are then provided, as well as an operationalisation in terms of different strands of data collection. This informs the work in the following work packages and assists in the systematisation of data collection and analysis.