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Innovation Programme Home Page Innovation & Technology Transfer Home

March, 1998
Cover, March 1998 Editorial
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Innovation projects: Rational Wastewater Management; Protection from Agricultural Chemicals; Cleaning Up Concrete * Regional Innovation: RITTS Case Study; Goal Oriented Project Planning
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Editorial

Women in science

Last year, the first ever study on sexual discrimination in the scientific world (Nature, vol. 387, p. 341) revealed that Swedish women scientists have to be 2.5 times more productive than their male counterparts in order to win equal recognition from their peers.

Women and men with a comparable publication impact saw their scientific skills assessed very differently. The study's authors did not believe that the peers consciously discriminated, but rather tended to over-value men's achievements and undervalue women's.

This echoes the conclusions reached at a major conference organised by the Commission five years ago: there are no formal barriers against women in the scientific field, and consequently no miracle remedy for the flagrant discrimination found in the workplace.

A key element in the new direction taken by the 5th Framework Programme is the promotion of equal opportunities in the scientific sector. The conference entitled "Women and science", to be held on 28 and 29 April next, will be taking a deeper look at this subject.

Things must change. Equal opportunity is not a luxury. If we prevent more than half Europe's population from building a career in science, it is European society as a whole which will suffer the consequences. This is why the conference will be seeking to develop concrete actions - actions which will make a real difference in the years to come.

Edith Cresson