Etan-main text

Science policies in the European Union
6
Annual progress reports on EO in research.
7
Higher priority on gender research.
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Government research institute on EO.
9
Child-rearing allowance for young women and men.
10 Family and career balance.
11 EO in all walks of life.
The report was debated in the Danish Parliament on 11 February 1999. The
new Minister stressed that equality is a management responsibility and that
the new Executive Order on university appointments (from September
1998) places responsibility for appointments with the management.
Questions of equality can be taken into account as one of the appointment
parameters. He spoke out for family-friendly environments and for
mentoring systems. Finally, he instructed all universities and research
institutions to present plans of action for equality and to prepare an annual
report on the distribution of scientific personnel by gender.
Leading up to the Parliamentary debate, a heated discussion took place in
the Danish press on the allocation of funds for the 40 extra professorships.
The media debate illustrated that opinions among both politicians and
researchers differ significantly with regard to the application of positive
discrimination in order to achieve equality. Although there is growing
awareness that the achievement of equality calls for special initiatives,
including the setting of new priorities in the policy governing the
appointment of professors, the debate showed that public opinion is still
very much divided on the issue of special professorships for women.
Although the Minister was prepared to allocate funds for the establishment
of these posts, the majority of politicians were against it on the grounds that
men and women should compete on equal terms and that the earmarking
of special funds for ‘women professorships’ would undermine research
quality. The issue of more female professors will now be included in
negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of
Research on the creation of more permanent research positions in Danish
universities, including professorships.
Attention is also drawn to the FREJA Initiative that provides research grants
preferentially given to women (discussed in Chapter 3).
2.3 Finland
Working Group appointed by the Academy of Finland (1998) Women
in Academia, Publications of the Academy of Finland 3/98, Helsinki:
Edita
The Working Group was set up to investigate career opportunities for
women and ways of eliminating obstacles, investigate impact of hidden
discrimination in the academic community and propose a development plan
for the Academy of Finland.
Summary
•
During the last 10 years, the share of women getting doctoral degrees has
increased rapidly reaching the 40% level at the end of the 1990s.
However, the immediate post doctoral period appears to be particularly
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problematic for women, and women are still underrepresented at higher
levels of the academic hierarchy. The more teaching a post involves, the
more likely the post is to be occupied by a woman.
•
The publicly appointed top level scientific and science policy boards are
approaching gender balance, but the decision makers in the private
science foundations are predominantly male.
•
Grants account for a growing proportion of research funding, especially
for young researchers. There are problems related to social security (eg
maternity leave compensation) with such grants.
•
The growing use of the invitation procedure in professorial
appointments has in practice proved to be a mechanism that
discriminates against women. Research institutes are also often recruiting
researchers by invitation.
Recommendations were divided into 4 areas:
1) Evaluation methods:
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Peer review should focus more on research plans and not simply on past
achievements.
•
The number of women on boards and decision-making bodies of
foundations, scientific organisations and research institutes should be
increased.
•
The Academy of Finland and the universities should operate the 40-60
rule, whereby at least 40% of experts on any committee should be
women.
•
Greater attention must be paid to gender equality in recruitment policies
and practices in research institutes and universities.
•
The Academy of Finland should set up a programme for developing the
national evaluation of research.
2) Allocation of Research Funds by the Academy of Finland
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The Academy of Finland must check and critically assess that equality is
achieved between men and women in the centres of excellence and
other units receiving special funding.
•
The Academy of Finland must oblige Research Councils to take a stand
on the development of women’s research careers.
•
Three Minna Canth Professorships should be established for gender
studies.
3) Improving the status of junior researchers and researcher families
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Researchers whose salaries are funded by grants should be eligible for
normal social security, sick pay, maternity leave arrangements etc.
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Childcare and home care services should be flexible and child minders
wages tax deductible.
4) Attitude  Education
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Some educational science resources should be channelled into research
into equality education.
Appendix 1
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Science policies in the European Union
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Special attention should be paid in the teaching of mathematics and
information technology to encouraging girls.
•
The image of science and its gender orientation in the media should be
considered in the Academy’s media research programme
•
The Academy of Finland should monitor the position of women in
academia.
Response. 
In 1998 the Academy of Finland set up working groups to
follow up the development of women’s academic career and development
of gender equality in academia. The main principle is to mainstream gender
equality into all science policy and research funding. The first
comprehensive gender equality plan of the Academy of Finland will be
launched in the year 2000.
2.4 Germany
The German Reports and Programmes
Legal framework
The German Basic Law stipulates: ‘The state shall promote the actual
implementation of equal rights for women and men and takes steps to
eliminate disadvantages that now exist.’ The amendment to the Higher
Education Framework Act in 1998:
•
mentions the universities’ women’s affairs and equal rights commissioners;
•
introduces an evaluation and performance-oriented funding of
universities. The appropriation of government funds will be geared to
universities’ performance in teaching and research, their support for
young scientists and the enforcement of gender equality;
•
Habilitation is no longer the standard criterion in the appointment of
professors.
Reports of the Bund-Länder-Kommission (Bund-Länder Commission for
Educational Planning and Research Promotion)
Bund-Länder-Kommission für Bildungsplanung und Forschungsförderung, The
First National Report on the ‘Promotion of Women in Science’, 1989
This report recommended:
•
the appointment of equal opportunity commissioners at all universities
and research institutions on a legal basis;
•
better consideration of female biographies in the job placement
procedures;
•
development of equal opportunity plans and regular reporting;
•
establishing job placement programmes for women scientists;
•
compensation for disadvantages due to child-care;
•
introduction of flexible working hours;
•
easy handling of leave of absence for family reasons; and
•
the promotion of research on women.
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