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This contribution to the RESCAR project analysed experienced EU life scientists. Experience was determined by a set of parameters developed for the citation and patent information sources and according to criteria such as number of citations and number of patents according to national representativeness.
A sample frame of life scientists in ten countries (Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK) was compiled based on experienced life scientists listed in citation and patent databases. A survey instrument was created and piloted and carried out online.
The results of the survey were analysed and reported on. For each of the main areas of interest (personal and education profile of the life scientists, career characteristics and job satisfaction), research partners prepared individual country reports. Key findings were extracted and compared and contrasted.
Information on the personal and education profile was a key starting point to inform on the profile of the sample and to provide for development of indicators (e.g. different choices among men and women; national similarity and contrast). A major focus is on the mobility of European experienced life scientists and sector and international mobility is analysed. A second major area of interest is on job satisfaction of experienced life scientists.
Women tended to have a higher share in the government sector then men. In countries like Spain and the UK, about 3% separated the share of women in the government sector compared with men: in Spain, 34% of the women and 32% of the men were in the government sector; in the UK, 22% of the women and 19% of the men were in the government sector. In countries like Italy and Norway, the different career options of men compared with women is more evident: in Italy, 28% of the women and 18% of the men are in the government sector; and, in Norway, 33% of the women and 22% of the men are in the government sector.
In Spain, whereas 47% of the men were in occupations in the life sciences, only 37% of the women are in occupations in life sciences. In the UK, the gap is narrower with 60% of the men and 57% of the women in occupations in the life sciences. In Hungary, the trend is different where the results show that 50% of the women and only 40% of the men are in occupations in the life sciences. Teaching is of course the second most popular occupation and again there are observable differences between men and women.