Women in science and technology. Creating sustainable careers

Following the publication of "Wake-Up Call for European Industry" (EU DG Research, 2003), representatives from companies, universities, and the European Commission's DG Research joined forces in a working group - called Women in Science and Technology (WiST) - to promote gender diversity in the field of science and technology. The activities of this group concluded with the publication of the report "Women in Science and Technology: a Business Perspective" (EU DG Research, 2006). A number of companies expressed interest in continuing activities with gender experts and the European Commission, but with a focus on two new objectives: how to reduce the leaky pipeline for women in science and technology; and how to build a business case for work-life balance. The WiST2 working group was thus established, giving more companies the opportunity to join the group, and at the same time expanding its scope to universities, which is where the leak begins in the "women in science and technology pipeline". This report is the result of the collaborative effort of the working group - it analyses the business case of the work life balance policies that have been adopted by companies in order to stop the leak