Gender Equality in Science

A study by IUBS Working Group on Gender Equality is published recently. The study mentions that, access to scientific careers for women has never been easy, but as biases and barriers slowly begin todiminish, women are becoming more and more involved in science, especially Biological Sciences. Some of the reasons why women do not have the same opportunities to achieve career pathways equal to those of men are discussed in the study. The study also highlights an ongoing need to design and apply new policies to effect a gender balance throughout the career path.

Scientists around the world have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, not all scientists are affected in the same ways and to the same extent. Women are hit particularly hard, especially those at an early stage of their careers. In this time of pandemic, when a health crisis combines with an economic crisis, the work of scientists is critical. 

The Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science calls for all individuals and institutions engaged in science to join forces in supporting women colleagues whose research careers are jeopardized by the pandemic.

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The Gender Gap project has been funded by the International Science  Council (ISC) during the first phase (2017-2019), along with several international science unions. The motive, accomplishments and key findings of the project have been featured by ISC in an online article published in February 2020.  The article can be found here.

IUBS is one of the ten partners in the ISC funded project  "A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?". All the findings, conclusions and recommendationf of the project are now available as a downloadable book. The preliminary version of the book is available here. It contains a set of Recommendations for Instructor and Parents, for Local Organizations and for Scientific Unions.

The results of findings of the surveys and studies done via this project were presented in a recent conference held at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy in November 2019. They were also disucssed in a recent event of the celebration of the  International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020 was co-organized by UNESCO on 7th February 2020.

More information about the book can be found here.

The celebration of the  International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020 was co-organized by UNESCO with the participation of the International Science Council (ISC) at Paris on 7th February 2020.  The invited speakers and participants discussed the issue of gender gap in science, the conclusions of the collaborative global project, “Gender Gap in Science : A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?” by ISC.

IUBS is one of the partners for a global project.The findings of the project can be found here. These findings were presented in a recent Conference held at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Italy in November 2019.

L S Shashidhara, the president of IUBS and Catharine Jami of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science, participated in the event as speakers.

A detailed news by ISC about the event can be found here.

Event Podcasts made by the International Science Council are available here.

A coordination meeting of the Gender Gap Project will take place on 18 and 19 February 2019 in Berlin at the  Einstein Center Digital Future. The partners  will give the results of the different tasks and prepare The International Conference that will be held from 4 to 8 November 2019 at ICTP Trieste.

ACT is a H2020 project for supporting “Communities of PrACTice for Accelerating Gender Equality and Institutional Change in Research and Innovation across Europe” running from 2018 to 2021.

We have prepared a short feedback channel for interested practitioners, academics and experts to form part of the ACT Communities of Practice. 

The meeting took place at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and at the Institut Henri Poincaré. Photo: IUBS

Members of the project "A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?" met in Paris, France, and representatives of the partner unions gathered in Paris on June 11-12 2018. They reflected on the project’s status and discussed the next steps and actions to be taken.

The 2018 Global Survey of Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Scientists as been launched on May 1^st, 2018. The survey in the project "A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences - How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?" will be open for answers until December 31st 2018. You are welcome to forward this link to the survey to your colleagues, men and women.

Welcome to the Global Survey of Scientists: English

Bienvenue dans l’enquête mondiale destinée aux scientifiques: French

Welcome to the Global Survey of Scientists: Chinese

Welcome to the Global Survey of Scientists: Russian

Bienvenido/a a la Encuesta mundial de científicos y científicas: Spanish

Welcome to the Global Survey of Scientists: Arabian 

Please participate in the Survey

IUBS sent expert to the following workshops to discuss the project "A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?" and the preparation of the survey Workshop in Taipei, Taiwan, 7-8 November 2017. IUBS supported the participation of Noriko Asumi (Japan) and Tien HuynH (Australia). 

IUBS supported the participation of Alejandra Gonzales (Chile) in a workshop in Bogota, Colombia, 22-24 November 2017.

IUBS supported the participation of Dianah Nalwanga (Uganda) and Heather Marco (South Africa) in a workshop in Cape Town, South Africa, 1-2 December 2017.

Participants - Front row (from left): Jean Taylor (ICIAM), Sayara Berg (ICIAM), Danielle Gondard-Cozette (IMU), Mustafa Sozbilir IUPAC), Igle Gledhill IUPAC), Marie-Francoise Ouedraogo (IUM), Anne-Sophie Godfroy (IUHPST), Anita Rampal (IMU), Bétül Tambay (IMU), Ernesto Fernández-Polcuch (UNESCO). • 2nd row: Maria Esteban (ICIAM), Siujatha Ramdorai(IMU), Mei-Hung Chiu (IUPAC), Guadalupe Lozano (Expert), Anathea Brooks (UNESCO), Francesca Primas (IAU), Lucilla Spini (ICSU), Maria Rosaria Dantonio (IAU), Catherine Goldstein (Expert), Merrilyn Goos (IMU), Helena Mihaljevic-Brandt (IMU). • 3rd row: Mark Cesa (IUPAC), Alice Abreu (GenderInSite), Clémence Perronnet (Expert), Nathalie Fomproix (IUBS), Marie-Francoise Roy (IMU), Elena Bagryanskaya (IUPAC), Benedikt Loewe (IUHPST), Bill Barton (IMU). • Back row: Lucía Santamaría (Expert), Lisa Frehill (IUPAC), Silvina Ponce-Dawson (IUPAP), Tonya Blowers (OWSD), Fernanda Arraes Hertelendy (UNESCO), Rachel Ivie (IUPAP).

On June 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd, 2017, partners of the project "A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It?" met in Paris, France, for the first time to discuss project management and related issues.