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Introduction
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efficacy _______________ the ageing population makes it essential to
target both genders in the shrinking pool of
young scientists; and
•
efficiency _____________ it is wasteful to educate and train young
women scientists but then not to use their
skills in employment.
These concerns were discussed at a second event, a major conference on
Women in Science held in April 1998 (EC, 1999).  They are addressed to an
extent in the approach to mainstreaming gender equality in the EU’s
science policy, set out in the Commission Communication: Women and
Science: Mobilising Women to Enrich European Research (EC, 1999).  This states
that the evaluation of the Fifth Framework Programme will include science
by women, for women and about women.  It calls for active discussion and
sharing of experience on the issue of women in science and the
development of better indicators for measuring inequality.  A Gender and
Science Watch System (Genderwatch) has been set up within the
Commission to monitor and implement the integration of the gender
dimension in the Fifth Framework Programme.  It will collect and
disseminate statistics, encourage women’s participation in evaluation panels
and consultative assemblies, conduct gender impact studies of the research
programmes, and provide a contact point within the Commission.
Attention has been drawn to the issue of the under-representation of
women in designing research programmes.  The question has to be asked:
would more women in the Council of Ministers, among the top A grades in
the Research Directorate-General and among panel members, applicants
and evaluators have resulted in a different pattern of spending? Attention has
been drawn to this issue by representatives of the European organisation
WISE (Women’s International Studies Europe 1998).  There has been a
significant increase in the proportion of women on Framework monitoring
and evaluation committees, albeit from a very low base.  The European
Parliament has played an active role in ensuring that the gender dimension
is taken into account in the Fifth Framework Programme.
In response to the Commission’s Communication on Women and Science, the
Council of the EU passed a Resolution inviting Member States (Council of
the European Union, 1999:4):
•
to review established mechanisms for collecting gender disaggregated
statistics;
•
to engage in the dialogue proposed by the Commission about policies
implemented in Member States; and
•
to pursue the objective of gender equality in science by appropriate
means.
It is important that universities, research councils, centres and institutes,
companies employing scientists as well as the Member States and the
Commission itself, think through the implications of this enhanced focus on
gender equality.  This report is designed to help the scientific and
technology communities including decisionmakers of the EU to fulfil the
commitment to gender mainstreaming.
Mme Edith Cresson: former
Research Commissioner
‘C’est le moment de renouveler
la pensée, et je pense
sincèrement que les femmes
ont là un rôle moteur à jouer.
Je n’ai pas été une féministe de
la première heure, comme
souvent mes amies en France
me l’ont reproché.  J’ai cru
pendant longtemps que le
problème était derrière nous,
qu’il était plus ou moins réglé,
que c’était un problème des
générations précédentes, et
puis je me suis aperçue que ce
n’était pas vrai du tout.’
Statement made at the 1998 EU
Conference on Women and Science
(EC, 1999)
‘Since 1995, WISE
representatives have been
actively approaching both
national and EU political bodies
with the urgent message that
gender issues and women’s
studies should be included in all
present and future EU science,
research and development
policies.’
(CEC, 1999, p 109)
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Science policies in the European Union
A growing concern with gender equality
in science
In the US women in academia began to make progress in the 1970s. This
was dependent on three factors: concerted protest by women themselves,
appropriate legislation and the use of class action suits to enforce the
legislation (Chamberlain, 1988). Affirmative action procedures have also
been very important in the U.S in the last two decades. Canada and
Australia have also devoted considerable attention to the issue.
In Europe the position of women in science has been an extraordinary
story (see Chapter 3). They were in effect legally excluded from many areas
of science in some European countries, for example the UK, in the early
part of this century. The issue of women and science was taken up first in
the Nordic countries in the 1980s.  In Germany the first national report on
the Promotion of Women in Science was published in 1989 (see section 2.4,
Appendix 1).
In the 1990s gender equality and science is attracting increasing attention
within Member States. Important documents designed to shape government
policy have been produced in recent years, for example, in:
•
United Kingdom _______ The Rising Tide  (1994)
•
Denmark _____________ Excellence in Research (1995)
•
Finland _______________ Women in Academia (1998)
•
Germany ______________ Recommendations for Equal Opportunities for
Women in Science (1998)
These and other key reports (see Key Sources for a list and Appendix I for a
summary of their main findings and recommendations), designed to
influence national policy, contain considered and radical proposals for
improving the position of women in science and thereby enhancing the
quality of science.  Some excellent initiatives have been developed in some
Member States, based on sound analyses (see CEC, 1999: Annex 1 for an
overview).  However, a concerted effort is needed if progress is to be more
than a collection of piecemeal projects.  This report identifies and
documents some of the more effective policies and initiatives in order to
allow good practice to be emulated by others.
As an indication of the growing concern with this issue, two major
European Commission conferences have been held on women and science,
in 1993 (Logue and Talapessy, 1993) and 1998 (EC, 1999), bringing together
scientists and those concerned with funding and administering science and
science policy.  Many of the observations and recommendations emanating
from these events are echoed in this report.  Moreover, a meeting of women
in science networks throughout Europe met in Brussels in July 1999
(‘networking the networks’) and delegates agreed on the text of a
Declaration calling for urgent attention to be paid to the issue of gender
equality in science (see Appendix II for the full text).
The Council of Europe recently discussed a report on the role of women in
science and technology and identified three goals (Council of Europe,
1999):
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to improve our information on the place women occupy in science and
technology;
In Finland a governmental
committee made a very
thorough report and issued
recommendations on the topic
in 1982.  (Naisten tutkijanuran
ongelmat ja esteet.
Opetusministeriön asettaman
työryhmän mietintö.
Komiteamietintö 1982:33). A
follow-up report was made in
1986.  In Sweden, the
government decided in 1982
that gender equality should be
given high priority in all
research. It ordered a report
from the National Council for
Equality on the low proportion
of women in research. This
report, “Om hälften vore
kvinnor...”  (If half were
women...) came out in 1983. It
included an analysis of the
situation as well as
recommendations for action.
Both the Finnish and the
Swedish reports were
commissioned by the national
governments, and published in
high prestige official
publications series. Female
scientists of high standing
participated in drafting both
reports. In the early 1980s
these kinds of documents were
not translated into English very
often, and there was rather
limited interest in the topic
elsewhere in Europe
“Om hälften vore kvinnor.... Kvinnor i
forskningen”. Jämställdhetskommittens
betänkande om kvinnorna i
forskningen. Sveriges Offentliga
Utredningar 1983:4.
Fogelberg et al, 1999, Stahle B
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