Brussels, 15/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - According to a report on women in science and technology (WiST), well-managed gender mainstreaming policies often see an improvement in the economic performance of companies. This is a key finding of a report on issues such as working conditions for women in science and technology. While female participation in research is generally low in the EU, women are even more under-represented in the private sector (18%) than in the public (35%). The latest figures on women in science and technology “She Figures 2006” show that the number of female researchers in science is increasing, but only 11% of women in natural sciences and 6% of women in engineering make it to senior level.
These two reports were presented at a conference held on Monday in Vienna, with Austrian Minister Hubert Gorbach and Commissioner Janez Potocnik taking part. “If Europe is to become a world-class destination for science, then we need to make better use of our female scientists. Industry needs them, our education institutions need them and our policy choices need them. If we don't create a fairer system, where all can participate equally, we lock out a huge pool of talent and potential that we just can't afford to lose,” said the Commissioner. Both reports are available on the DG Research Internet site: http: //ec.europa.eu/research.