The Equality Committee

The Equality Committee of the MNCN was established in 2021 in accordance with the guidelines of the CSIC and the Spanish General State Administration. Its actions are framed within the current Equality Plan. The current Committee is governed by an internal Protocol approved in 2025. You can contact the Committee at the following email address: igualdad[at]mncn.csic.es.

Objectives

• Its main objective is to promote and disseminate CSIC equality policies within the Museum.
• To serve as a channel for proposals or suggestions from MNCN staff on equality-related matters.
• To carry out an annual diagnosis of the equality situation at the MNCN, using the available internal data.
• To promote training for staff and for the Committee itself in equality issues, as well as in the prevention of sexual harassment and harassment on the grounds of sex.
• To act on the front line in supporting victims in cases of sexual harassment, and to channel their complaints when necessary.
• To encourage, through specific actions at the MNCN, the dissemination and visibility of the role of women and other groups working at the Museum, as role models for current and future generations, with the support of the Vice-Directorate for Communication and Scientific Culture.
• To promote, in coordination with the Directorate, equality within the functional and organizational structures of the MNCN.
• To foster the inclusion of a gender perspective in research and innovation.
• To carry out awareness-raising actions and campaigns aimed at improving working conditions for other groups (people with disabilities, LGTBIQ+ staff, international staff, etc.).
• To inform the various bodies and groups within the Museum about the equality situation and to establish synergies with Equality Committees at other CSIC centers in order to promote these policies within the institution.

Members

The current members of the Committee are:

• Rafael Laso Pérez (Coordinator; Ramón y Cajal researcher, Department of Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology)
• Marta Barluenga (Senior Scientific Researcher, Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology)
• Robert Wilson (Deputy Vice-Director for Training; Senior Scientific Researcher, Department of Biogeography and Global Change)
• Ana Rey Simo (Senior Scientific Researcher, Department of Biogeography and Global Change)
• José María Prieto (Management Officer)
• Miguel González Ximénez de Embún (Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Biogeography and Global Change)
• Ana Ramón-Laca (Technician and predoctoral researcher, Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology)
• Armand Rausell Moreno (Predoctoral researcher, Department of Biogeography and Global Change)
• Rocío de Iriarte (Communication and Scientific Culture)

Protocol against Sexual Harassment

The MNCN and the CSIC have a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment or gender-based harassment. In 2025, the Protocol for the prevention of and intervention against sexual harassment was updated. Its aim is to prevent, detect, and resolve potential situations of sexual harassment or gender-based harassment in the workplace. The protocol applies to all contexts in which CSIC activities take place (centers, laboratories, experimental facilities, research vessels, work trips, etc.) and covers all staff who have a work relationship with the CSIC or who provide services to or collaborate with the organization.

If you wish to report a situation of sexual harassment, we recommend the following:

• You may submit a complaint to the Directorate, the Management Office, the Committee (igualdad[at]mncn.csic.es), or directly by writing to protocolos.acosos@csic.es
• There is a victim support reference point within the CSIC: the COMSE, or the Office of the Commissioner for the Promotion of a Healthy and Safe Working Environment. Contact: comse@csic.es
• For information and advice, you may contact the Directorate, the Committee itself, or the CSIC Delegated Equality Commission (comisiondelegadadeigualdad@csic.es). More information can be found at the following link.

Once the protocol is activated, organizational measures may be applied, and psychological support and confidential counseling are offered. The procedure is designed so that the maximum processing time is 27 days, ensuring confidentiality, respect for privacy, the right to a defense, as well as impartiality and transparency. For a summarized infographic, you can consult this brochure.

Equality Indicators

The Equality Committee has developed a series of indicators to assess the roles of men and women within the institution and to help guide future initiatives. The gender-disaggregated composition of three areas has been analyzed:

• Decision-making bodies of the institution: Directorate, Vice-Directorates, Committees, Heads of Department, etc.
• Training: doctoral students, defended PhD theses, thesis supervision, etc. In thesis supervision, “N theses” indicates the number of students with a supervisor (male or female) and therefore matches the number of students, while “N supervisors” indicates how many supervisors there are, since one person may supervise more than one thesis.
• Conferences and Seminars: speakers at internal workshops and regular Museum seminars

Activities

Throughout the year, we carry out various activities focused on showcasing the reality of different groups, in order to promote awareness and sensitivity regarding equality policies. Notable activities in 2025 include:

• February–March: exhibition “Entrenar la mirada feminista”
• 20 May: round table on the employment situation of people with disabilities working at the Museum
• 25 June: round table on “Gender and LGTBIQ+ Diversity in Science” as part of the “Pride at the Museum” activities
• 19 June: theatre performance “Mamá quiero ser científica” by the Agónikas collective
• 26 November: workshop on the CSIC Protocol against Sexual Harassment and Harassment on the Grounds of Gender

Other Matters of Interest

• There is a CSIC-wide Protocol (in Spanish) against workplace harassment applicable to all staff.
• The Museum is committed to making its facilities accessible to all visitors. More information on this topic can be found at the following link: Accessibility (in Spanish).
• A Museum-wide survey has been conducted to obtain an overall picture of the institution. We are currently in the analysis phase.