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Recommendations are made for modernising peer review and ensuring
fairness in research funding.
7
The narrowness of the characteristics of the scientific elite is highlighted,
especially in decision-making bodies. The case is made on democratic
grounds for women to have more say in shaping the scientific agenda. We
propose a minimum of 30% of both genders on such committees by 2002
and 40% by 2005. In addition improvements in the quality of science could
be brought about through more gender-aware research.
8
Attracting more young people into science poses challenges for education.
The sex-stereotyping of science and scientists needs to be tackled through
the curriculum, through pedagogy and through the media. Various strategies
to encourage women to enter and remain in science are commended. These
include role models, mentoring, networks, schemes for parents returning after
career breaks, and encouragement to women to apply for fellowships and
posts.
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Assessing the position of women is made difficult by the absence of reliable,
accessible, harmonised data broken down by gender, and where appropriate,
also by level. Gender monitoring is a key element of gender mainstreaming
and few organisations were found to maintain adequate gender monitoring
statistics. Recommendations in this area include a Directive on gender
monitoring by employers; new Member State laws on gender balance on
public bodies and on access to public records in those countries where such
laws do not exist, and the improvement and harmonisation of the gender
dimension of databases held by the EU, Eurostat and Member States. Work
also needs to be done on incorporating other equality dimensions featured
in the Amsterdam Treaty, as appropriate.
10
A key recommendation in the report is to mainstream gender equality into
the Sixth Framework Programme and into Member State programmes that
fund science and technology. We make a set of proposals for specific activities
within the Sixth Framework Programme. These include support for both
female and male scientists in independent positions (Eurogroups), ‘one time
grants’ to provide innovative funding for women, resources for networks
designed to increase communication between scientists, as well as other novel
initiatives to benefit women in science.
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Specific recommendations are also addressed to Member States and
institutions within them. Measures are suggested to develop best practice
policies in the recruitment and employment of scientists, to evaluate and
achieve gender parity in academia and to ensure high quality standards in
peer review and selection procedures. Active measures should be taken to
eliminate the gender pay gap. In addition, importance of monitoring and
review, and of using financial incentives to ensure progress on the equality
agenda are stressed.
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Finally, there is a need to build a consensus for further action to advance the
agenda for women in science at the European level. This should involve the
Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council, as well as politicians
and organisations in the Member States. Women scientists themselves have an
active role to play.
Executive summary
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Foreword
As we enter the 21
st
 Century, the role played by science and technology will
become more important than ever before. To allow us to meet the
challenges and opportunities, which will present themselves in the new
millennium, it is essential that Europe maximises its total research potential.
However, there is one key issue, which is continuing to limit Europe’s future
research potential: the under-representation of women in fields of science,
research and development.
As Commissioner for Research, the lack of women scientists within
European research is one of my particular concerns. It is important that this
issue is given high priority in the debate on future science policy, and that
steps are taken to try to re-address the imbalance between male and female
researchers. The stronger presence of women in research would improve the
utilisation of human resources while enriching the scientific enterprise by
bringing in new themes and perspectives.
In this context, I am very pleased to present the European Technology
Assessment Network report on Women and Science: ‘Mainstreaming gender
equality through the European Union’s science policies’. This report adresses
the aspects of under-representation of women researchers with great insight
and paves the way for possible action to be taken at a number of different
levels: regional, national, and European. Efforts made in this direction would
be a strong component of the creation of a genuine European Research
Area which I consider indispensable.
I warmly welcome this report and am confident that this will make a
significant contribution in the debate.
PHILIPPE BUSQUIN,
Commissioner for Research

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Preface
In 1998 the European Commission’s Research Directorate-General (formerly
known as DGXII) set up an expert group on women in science and charged
the members with the task of preparing a report on women in science policy
in the European Union.  Growing concern had been expressed at the lack of
women not only among career scientists but also among those who shape
scientific policy.  The term science here is used broadly and includes the social
sciences, engineering, technology and computing.  This report is the outcome
of the group’s work.  It is intended to feed in to the growing debate on the
subject at institution, Member State and EU level as well as further afield.
The report is aimed at all those whose work has a bearing on educating
scientists, creating images of science and scientists, reviewing the work of
scientists, recruiting and promoting scientists, funding science, exploiting the
results of science and shaping the scientific agenda.  Gender discrimination,
whether direct or indirect, should have no place in the structuring or shaping
of science, nor should it influence the ways in which the scientific community
develops.
The recommendations target three groups: the EU and its institutions, the
Member States and the institutions in them that employ scientists, and
scientists themselves, men as well as women. Both the current Commissioner
of the Research Directorate-General, Philippe Busquin, as well as the former
Commissioner, Edith Cresson, have expressed a strong commitment to gender
equality. The Commission and the European Parliament that came into office
in 1999 have also stressed the necessity of including more women at all levels
in science and in decision making. It is therefore a particularly opportune time
to push forward the agenda on women and science both at the European and
at Member State level. In the interests of social justice and the need to foster
excellence in scientific endeavour in the European Union, we invite
stakeholders to respond to our recommendations not only with words, but also
by taking appropriate actions to correct the gender imbalance in science.
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