Standing Committee on Gender Equality in Science

• International Astronomical Union (IAU)
• International Council of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (ICIAM)
• International Mathematical Union (IMU)
• International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)
• International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST)
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
• International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)
• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
• Gender in Science, Innovation, Technology and Engineering (GenderInSITE)

Website: https://gender-equality-in-science.org/

Inception of the MoU

Following the “Gender Gap project”, IUBS has worked with other Unions to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding: “Gender Equality in Science”

In order to promote gender equality in science, a number of international organizations took part in the project A Global Approach to the Gender Gap in Mathematical, Computing, and Natural Sciences: How to Measure It, How to Reduce It? (hereafter “Gender Gap in Science Project”, supported by ICSU and then ISC from 2017 to 2019). These organizations will act together to further promote gender equality in science by continuing and enlarging the work accomplished by this project, in particular by supporting women and girls’ equal access to science education, and by fostering equal opportunity and treatment for females in their careers. For this purpose, they have signed up as Founding Partners in a Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES). Guy Smagghe, the representative of IUBS, is the vice-chair of the SCGE. 

(Title Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash)

The Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science will:

• Help partners to promote gender equality within their organizations, and in particular
• Follow the progress of the implementation by partners of the recommendations of the Gender Gap in Science Project
• Approve proposals for new partners to join SCGES
• Endorse projects and initiatives to promote gender equality in science proposed to it by partners
• Facilitate communication among partners, among other things by developing and maintaining a website
• SCGES is composed of one representative from each partner. A chair and a vice-chair are designated by agreement between these representatives; they serve for a term of two years