Brussels, 02/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - Research ministers, meeting in Brussels on 1 December, on the second day of the Competitiveness Council, pledged to bring greater gender equality within the European Research Area (ERA), including for professorships and management positions, where the gender disparity is particularly apparent.
Ministers thus have made a commitment to implement the ERA roadmap for 2015-2020 which has among its top priorities incorporating the principle of gender equality in research institutions and decision-making bodies in national laws. Member states will be required to submit meaningful action plans by mid-2016.
“It is not only about talking, it is also about doing it. The Commission was at the forefront when we decided that all of our evaluation panels and experts groups should have target for women, that was 40%”, stated Research Commissioner Carlos Moedas, adding that, with the Horizon 2020 programme, this was revised to 50%.
Ministers will look to use teaching and education as a lever to bring about a lasting change in culture within institutions and also call on universities to develop gender equality strategies in research and innovation content and programmes. They also call for greater transparency in university recruitment processes and in career advancement, and in procedures for awarding grants. In addition, they would like to see more family-friendly working hours.
Progress in gender balance remains very slow, according to Commission figures for 2012, which show that only 20% of full professors in Europe are women. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)