 |
 |
| Back Issues |
|
|
|
|
ACS Members can sign up to receive C&EN e-mail newsletter.  |
|
|
 Join ACS |
|
|||||||||
|
SCIENCE POLICY
A pattern of discrimination against women in science is confirmed by a new study covering 30 European countries, says the European Commission, which published the report of the Helsinki Group on Women & Science. "There is considerable wastage of women's skills and knowledge as a result of the 'leaky pipeline,' whereby women drop out of scientific careers in disproportionate numbers at every level," the report states. And although women constitute the majority of undergraduate students majoring in the life sciences in Europe, "the nearer the top of the academic hierarchy, the lower the proportion of women. Indeed, universally, women are just a tiny minority of people in top scientific jobs." "The data demonstrate that women scientists are indeed underrepresented in the key positions of scientific research," EC Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin says. "This confirms that the picture painted in preliminary studies is not an emotional one, but the result of discrimination arising from multiple factors. These need to be addressed if we are to improve the position and role of women in scientific research, and hence reinforce the European research area." The report is a synthesis of data collected over a two-year period from 15 European Union member states as well as 15 other countries associated with the 5th Framework Programme of the European Community, which deals with research and technological development. The mandate of the Helsinki Group--so named for the location of its first meeting--is to "promote discussion and exchange experiences on measures and policies devised and implemented at local, regional, national, and European levels to encourage the participation of women in scientific careers and research." But not all of the report's findings are negative. It notes that "many countries have instituted positive action measures to support women and science. These include supporting networks of women in science, encouraging the development of role model and mentoring schemes, and in some cases, establishing targets and quotas. A few countries have experimented with earmarking academic chairs, research funds, and prizes for girls and women in science." What's more, the report singles out the field of gender studies as "an important research area to create a better understanding of the complexities and subtleties of both direct and, more particularly, indirect and institutional discrimination. Many countries report that there is support for gender studies to enhance understanding of the gendering of science and scientific excellence." The Helsinki Group states that it would like to see gender issues "mainstreamed" into the EC's 6th Framework Programme, which spans 2002 to 2006. "This is in order to ensure that women scientists from all 30 countries have an equal chance of shaping, participating in, monitoring, and evaluating EU-supported scientific projects and programmes in the future," according to the group. |
|||||||||
|
Chemical & Engineering News |
|||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
