Today women and men are equally represented in the scientific workforces of the majority of EU member states. This is true of both the university and government-funded research sectors, where the average proportion of women in the EU-28 is 42.1% and 42.5% respectively. However, the proportion of women among researchers in the lucrative private sector is only 20.2%. Across the EU as a whole, it can be said that the higher a researcher's average income in a given country, the lower the proportion of women in that country’s scientific workforce.

Join us for three online discussions on key GEDII Project Results

Measuring Research Performance 7 June 2018 13:00 – 15:00 CET/Brussels
Gender Diversity Index 12 June 2018 11:00 – 13:00 CET/Brussels
Sensor based data for gender research 20 June 2018 13:00 – 15:00 CET/Brussels

These online discussions will focus on three main aspects of the research undertaken within the
GEDII project:

e-Discussion on Measuring Research Performance (June 7th, 2018 13:00-15:00 CET)

This International Day of Women and Girls Science (11 February 2018) we want to highlight the example and discoveries of the astronomer Vera Rubin (1928-2016).

Rubin was a American astronomer who made the main contribution in science to detect the existence of the dark matter. She defied the consolidated laws of astronomy with her discovery on movement of galaxies. Vera Rubin’s work concluded that the galactic rotation curves follow a flat movement and she also provided evidence for the existence of galaxies superclusters. Her work was initially challenged but finally has been recognised as a “Copernican-scale change” in Astronomy.

In this video, Dr. Claartje Vinkenburg (independent Consultant & Associate Professor at VU University Amsterdam, Netherlands) explores different issues that become barriers for women's advancement in academia. For example she highlights the lack of real meritocracy in these type of institutions or the consequences of combining care and research. She, then, offers a list of creative solutions for adapting academic careers to diversity.

Lotta Strandberg on on the Gender Paradox in Science and Innovation in Nordic Countries

Senior adviser, NordForsk; Associate professor, Bergen University College, Norway.

The “gender paradox” is a concept that describes that even if Nordic Countries achieve great rates at gender equality indexes, when focusing on the Research and Innovation field they rate at the European average (and sometimes below). In this video Strandberg addresses the causes of this phenomenon and the actions taken by Nordforsk in order to tackle it.  

Jeff Hearn, Professor on Gender Studies at Örebro University (Sweden), partner of GenPORT (ST&I) analyses in this video what masculinities have to do with STI. According to him it is crucial, first, that boys and men recognise that they are gendered and socialised in masculinity. He then expands on how the STI field is contstantly sourrounded by the values of masculinity and what can be done in order to correct it. 

Professor Kumie Inose,Vice-President of the Science Council of Japan, offers a first-hand overview of the situation of gender equality in science in her country. She speaks about both, the progress achieved so far through public policies as well as the key challenges that remain for making science truly  gender inclusive in Japan.

Introduction

Analyzing gender in science has two levels: counting how many women are participating in science as a labour force and the second is critically examining the knowledge produced in science. The arguments supporting these developments are either using the efficiency in economic terms, human rights, and quality in terms of scientific excellence. Recent research explored how to measure those structural causes and how to implement structural change to improve women’s participation in research. As gender studies as a discipline grew out from humanities and social sciences transformation of STEM research and knowledge production is still at the beginning.

This 8th of March of 2017, men and women across the world are claiming for recognition of women’s work and contributions to society. GenPORT supports these vindications by remembering 8 of the advancements in science led by women.