Central European Centre for Women and Youth in Science

1. Central European Centre for Women and Youth in Science This project is funded by the European Commission under FP6 in the Structuring the ERA programme.

2. mission statement In CEC-WYS we concentrate on : • achieving equal opportunities in research and development in four Central European countries, • examining and improving the position of young people in science • raising gender awareness in the scientific community

3. areas of work women and science • advocate for and support women’s movement from the margins into the mainstream of the scientific community, • encourage the participation in European projects, • facilitate networking amongst women young people in science • contribute to the debate on gendered and regional issues: mobility, brain drain, work-life balance, age-gap, reintegration and the communist legacy gender equality in R&D • raise gender awareness • organize training on the inclusion of the gender dimension in research projects

4. consortium partners • National Contact Centre – Women and Science, Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic http://www.zenyaveda.cz • Hungarian Science and Technology Foundation, Hungary http://www.tetalap.hu • Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia http://www.jsi.si • Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia http://www.philba.sk • Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, France http://www.inra.fr • Politehnica University of Bucharest Automatics, Process Control and Computers Centre, Romania http://www.acpc.pub.ro • Agenzia Per La Promozione Della Ricerca Europea, Italy http://www.apre.it

5. Main objectives • sensitize wider society, • empower women scientists and young scientists, • generate and disseminate knowledge on gender equality in science • support women and youth in science

6. objectives I • to increase women scientists’ visibility and participation in national, European and international research • increase their invitation to advisory boards and scientific committees How? • network women scientists • create an interdisciplinary database of Central European women scientists disseminated to national and international research and industrial bodies, science publications and R&D employment sites

7. objectivesII • to increase the participation of women in decision-making and evaluation procedures of Framework Programme funding How? • training workshops and flyer to inform and mobilise women to register in the database of experts

8. objectives III • to raise awareness of the implications of gender dimension of scientific research • to develop scientists’ skills in incorporating a gender dimension into their research ideas and methodologies • How? • fostering reflective practices in workshops • introducing the concept and examining concrete examples in a publicly available manual

9. objectives IV prepare young researchers • to take ownership of their research projects, • to develop their skills in communication and responsible conduct of research, • to provide them with the skills and reflection to develop into effective supervisors and mentors How? • seminars for young men and women scientists based on the Reflexives programme

10. objectives V • open up debate on the issues facing young scientists, from a regional and gender perspective, concerning mobility and work-life balance, • provide a platform for young scientists • make recommendations for policy development How? • publication of the findings of the Enwise workshop on young scientists and follow-up • a conference, autumn 2006, to address the position of young scientists

11. objectives VI • To facilitate networking, exchange of experience and information among young scientists from Central Europe • to establish a base from which scientists will mobilise in order to advocate their interests in a policy debate How? • creating a forum : awebsite section provides information on funding and mobility issues particularly for the region • the planned conference will be an opportunity for networking and mobilisation for future activities

12. objectives VII • to encourage policy developments at national level concerning the issue of women in science How? • based on the Enwise expert group recommendations, CEC-WYS partners will monitor policy developments and lobby at national level

13. objectives VIII • to increase awareness of gender issues in general, and specifically in science among the general public and scientific community How? • introducing gender issues in general and in science in particular in media interviews • participation in non gender specific science/research events

14. initiatives • web site www.cec-wys.org • database of women scientists • expert evaluators in Framework Programme 6 workshops • training on the inclusion of gender dimension in FP 6 • training on the responsible conduct of science • young scientists’ workshop report • young scientists’ website section • women and science policy monitoring: ENWISE follow-up • Project Sourcebook: Sharing Experiences – Building Projects

15. anticipated impact • empowered women and young scientists will be able to name the obstacles they face, and therefore will be more confident to advocate for their interests at institutional level • scientists better equipped with reflective skills and an understanding of the gender implications of their research will be more able to reach to excellence in their scientific research and be more effective supervisors • individual empowerment and reflective practice will contribute to changing research cultures • concerns of young scientists and women scientists will reach institutional and national policy agendas • mobilisation of women scientists will facilitate the democratisation of decision-making in science and the development of a meritocracy in the scientific community

16. Gender Issues in Science as a Luxury: Enwise Follow-up Activities in Central Europe Dunja Mladenić, J. Stefan Institute, Slovenia

17. Overview • Background • Enwise Report • Methodology • Findings • Recommendations

18. Background • ETAN (European Technology Assessment Network), an expert group on women in science set up by EC in 1998 • members from ten Member States of the European Union (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden) • reported on position of women in science in the European Union primarily in Western Europe • Helsinki Group on women and science, set up by EC in 1999 • official representatives from 32 countries, mostly Member States of EU • national reports discussing national policies on promoting women in science in the involved countries • reported not very favourable situation of women in research and development overall • lack of proper sex-disaggregated statistics and of harmonised data • Enwise Expert Group set up by EC in 2002 • members from Central and Eastern Europe and the Baltic States • reports on women scientist often having under-funded position within the scientific community, a double burden in maintaining a satisfactory work-life balance and an implicit expectation that all hindrances form part of the private sphere without any public recognition

19. (some) Enwise recommendations • National educational policies have to pay special attention to creating a general approach supporting gender mainstreaming from elementary school to higher education. • At universities and scientific institutions a department or a person has to be appointed responsible for supporting “women and science” issues and implementing employment policies focusing on equal opportunities. • Media has to improve its picture of science and conduct awareness raising campaigns in the Enwise countries. The general picture has to be more attractive for women and the younger generation. • Inspired by the recommendations of the Enwise report and putting the Enwise recommendations in specific conditions of each country

20. Purpose of the comparative report • International mapping of the situation of women in science in • Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia • To present current legal developments in gender equality in science and some current statistical data on the situation of women in science • To empirically map the situation facing women scientists as seen through the eyes of policy makers, leading researchers and public media: • mapping the knowledge and attitudes to the position of women in science and research • scientifically - how the three groups of respondents represent the issue of gender equality and what knowledge they have of the issue • politically - drawing the attention of relevant actors to the issue of gender equality in science and research

21. Who was involved • National politics (questionnaire A): • representatives in charge of science and education policy (eg., Ministry of Higher Education, Governmental Office for Equal Opportunities) • Science and research (questionnaire B): • senior representatives of the higher education institutions (eg., rectors of universities, deans of faculties), the Academy of Sciences • Media (questionnaire C): • representatives of decision-makers in influential public press, national radio and television

22. Method and Data analysis • Slovenia: questionnaire • descriptive statistical analysis and machine learning • Hungary: questionnaire • descriptive statistical analysis and content analysis of open-ended questions • Slovakia: face-to-face interviews • content analysis • Czech Republic: face-to-face interviews • discourse analysis Comparative report: meta-analysis of national reports (content analysis)

23. General Findings • Lack of information among all stakeholders • more information about European than national levels • lack of cooperation among relevant stakeholders • the more info. there is, the more sensitivity there is • Ambivalence about gender equality in Science • perceived as EU driven, top down activity • refusal of top-down activities aimed at group protection • Natural order and women’s handicap • tendency toward naturalised and division of gender roles and activities • work-life balance the only source of disadvantage recognised (closely linked to the perception of women’s and men’s roles)

24. Findings - Policy makers • Lack of information • gender equality, a luxury we cannot afford • Poor cooperation between relevant national bodies • Gap between EU and national levels • Politically correct language • Situation considered neither bad nor good

25. Findings - Researchers • No systematic information • Gender equality overshadowed by other, more “pressing” issues (funding, brain drain, situation of young people) • Science is about quality and results, not political influence • The more information, the more critical of the situation • Acceptance of the work-life balance issue in terms of the biological handicap • Refusal of quotas and affirmative action

26. Findings - Media • Science communicated as expertise where no political influence plays a role • Problematic is “translation” of research results to the public • Lack of info. on successful life stories of scientists • Most have no info about gender equality issues in R&D • Women’s natural handicap given by their motherhood

27. Recommendations • Generation and dissemination of information • Gender research on knowledge production • Re-conceptualising and promoting ‘harmonisation’ measures (work-life balance) • Clear support of gender equality at EU level • Promote gender mainstreaming and policy coordination in national policy and strategic documents • Establish national support infrastructure for gender equality in R&D