Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and gender equality statement

Our commitment

Wild Fig Research is a participatory research organisation. We believe good research and good workplaces depend on people of different backgrounds, identities and experiences having a real voice and an equal chance to take part, contribute and progress. Being inclusive is one of our core values, and this statement explains what it means in how we work, who we work with, and how we design and deliver research.

We comply with the Equality Act 2010, which protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We aim to go beyond legal compliance, and also to consider other factors that shape people's chances and experiences, such as socio-economic background, caring responsibilities, immigration status, neurodivergence, language, literacy, digital access and where people live.

Our principles

  • Everyone is treated with dignity and respect. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation by or towards our team, associates, partners, participants or suppliers.
  • Equity, not just equality. People face different barriers, so we adjust how we work rather than expecting everyone to fit one way of taking part.
  • Lived experience is expertise. We value and fairly reward the knowledge of people with lived experience, and we work to share power with communities who are often under-represented or over-researched.
  • We listen and learn. We accept that we will get things wrong sometimes, and we want to hear about it, reflect and improve.

In our research

  • Inclusive design. We consider who might be excluded from a project at the planning stage, and we involve people from diverse communities in shaping questions, methods and outputs.
  • Removing barriers to participation. We offer flexible times and places, accessible venues and formats, non-digital and digital access, and fair payment for people's time.
  • Reaching seldom-heard voices. We work through trusted community partners and use varied methods, including creative and visual approaches, so that research does not depend on people being confident in formal settings or in writing.
  • Respectful data collection. We only ask for demographic information, including sex, gender, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation, where it is needed for the research or for monitoring inclusion. We explain why we are asking and how it will be used, use clear and consistent categories that follow current good practice, and always offer a "prefer not to say" option. We handle this data as sensitive information under our Secure data handling and storage protocols.
  • Careful analysis and reporting. We look at how experiences differ between groups where the data allows, avoid treating any group as a single, uniform voice, and take care not to present findings in ways that stereotype or stigmatise people.
  • Inclusive outputs. We produce plain-language, accessible reports and creative formats so findings can be used by the communities who contributed to them.

In our organisation

  • Recruitment. We offer reasonable adjustments at every stage, and aim for fair, transparent selection of employees, associates, peer researchers.
  • Fair pay and progression. We pay fairly and consistently, and review pay and opportunities across our team to identify and address any unjustified differences. As a small organisation we are not required to report our gender pay gap, but we will monitor pay equity internally.
  • Reasonable adjustments and flexibility. We make adjustments for disabled people and for people with health conditions, and we support flexible, part-time and hybrid working, parental and carer leave, and time off for religious observance.

Gender equality

We are committed to equality for women and girls, and to challenging sexism and gender-based discrimination, harassment and violence in our workplace and in our research. We recognise that gender interacts with other factors, including race, disability, class, age and sexuality, and we take an intersectional approach.

In practice, this means we:

  • aim for balanced participation and fair treatment of women, men and non-binary people across our team, our peer researcher groups and our research samples;
  • consider gendered experiences, power dynamics and safety when we design research, choose venues and times, and plan fieldwork, including lone working and travel;
  • collect and analyse data in ways that make gender differences visible where relevant, and design research so that women and people of all genders feel safe to take part and to speak openly;
  • support parents and carers through flexible working and by designing research that works around caring responsibilities;
  • treat any sexual harassment, misogyny or gender-based abuse as serious misconduct, and handle reports in line with our Safeguarding policy where anyone may be at risk; and
  • respect people's dignity and privacy, and do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or abuse of anyone because of their sex, gender reassignment or sexual orientation, all of which are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

We keep up to date with changes in equality law and statutory guidance, including on how the Equality Act applies to sex and gender reassignment, and we will review how we apply this statement, particularly in relation to our data collection, facilities and events, as the legal position develops.

Working with partners

We choose to work with partners, funders and suppliers who share our commitment to equality and inclusion, and we will talk openly with them where we think practice could be improved. Where a partner has stricter requirements than ours, for example for events or venues they host, we will follow them, as long as this is lawful and does not exclude participants.

Monitoring and review

We will monitor the diversity of our team, associates and, where appropriate, the people we involve in research, using anonymous, voluntary data, to check whether we are reaching and including the people we intend to. We will review this statement every year and publish an update on what we have learned and changed.

Raising a concern or complaint

If you feel you have been treated unfairly, or you have a concern about equality or inclusion in our work, please contact our EDI lead, Bryony Vince-Myers (Co-Director) at bryony@wildfigresearch.org.uk or hello@wildfigresearch.org.uk. We will acknowledge your message within 5 working days and respond fully within 20 working days.

Last reviewed: 4th November 2026.

Next review: 4th November 2027.

Approved by the directors.