Women are not the problem, women are the solution!
Women are not the problem, women are the solution! This was the key message emerging from a panel debate at ESOF2006 on why women are still not reaching the top positions in science. Some claim the problem is supply related, saying women are not embarking on science careers in the first place, and this is certainly true for disciplines such as engineering where the proportion of female undergraduates is extremely low. However, in both the biological sciences and in linguistics and cultural studies, women outnumber men at the undergraduate level, so supply is clearly not the issue here. Yet even in these disciplines, women gradually drop out of the academic career path, so that by the full professor level, men vastly outnumber women. The lack of women in science has a range of implications, not least on the quality of science itself. Discussing the EU's policies promoting gender equality in science, Johannes Klumpers, Head of the Women and Science Unit of the European Commission said, 'Gender equality improves scientific excellence - we are fishing from a reduced pool now.' The recently completed WOMENG (Women in Engineering) project looked at ways to get more women into engineering and, importantly, keep them there. The project came up with a range of possible actions, which Andre Beraud of INSA (the French National Institute of Applied Sciences), described as being like a suggestion box, which companies and institutes could use to fit their own needs and situation. Engineering still has a very 'masculine' image, something which is not helped by the fact that most pictures of engineering rarely feature women. Furthermore, programmes aimed at attracting more girls into engineering are usually targeted at 16-17 year olds, while some girls have already switched off science and technology at the age of 13. The WOMENG project's suggestions include encouraging women engineers to act as role models, and inviting girls to attend open days so that they can see what an engineering career really entails. Another important piece of advice is for all lecturers and staff to be trained in gender sensitisation to ensure they are more aware of the issues. In the UK, 50,000 women with science, engineering and technology qualifications are not working in the sectors. The Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology is helping women who have taken career breaks to get back into the sectors through their 'Return' programme. As well as providing information and advice, the Return scheme gives women the chance to attend an Open University course which has been specifically designed to help female scientists identify career opportunities and develop a career plan. Networking schemes also help returnees make contact with potential employers. The Resource Centre also hands out awards to companies with good human resources policies, and provides best practice guides to companies wishing to improve their performance. Meanwhile in Austria, the Excellentia programme provides universities with a financial incentive to employ more female professors, as the country seeks to improve the percentage of female professors. Currently just 14 per cent of professors are women, below the EU average. There was consensus on the panel that society needed to stop looking at women's underachievement in science as a problem for women, and see that it is a problem for society as a whole. Similarly, as well as providing girls with role models for scientific careers, boys also need to be confronted with role models for traditionally female careers and activities. There is also a need for men to become more involved in the debate; in this respect it is worth noting that there were just two men in the audience at this panel session. Ultimately, the often largely masculine culture of the science, engineering and technology sectors needs to be challenged, and there must be zero tolerance for sexism and harassment. Finally, more research is still needed to understand the precise reasons why women choose to start and finish scientific careers. As Barbara Hartung, of the Gender Equality Department at the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture pointed out, 'By gaining more women, Europe will win!'