{"id":2755,"date":"2024-05-11T14:39:47","date_gmt":"2024-05-11T14:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2755"},"modified":"2024-05-11T14:40:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-11T14:40:31","slug":"help-wanted-more-women-to-strengthen-science-in-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2755\/help-wanted-more-women-to-strengthen-science-in-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Help wanted: more women to strengthen science in Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greater gender diversity is needed to advance European research, according to a leading Spanish member of the European Parliament.<\/p>\n

By<\/em><\/strong> \u00a0Anthony King<\/p>\n

Dr Lina G\u00e1lvez is as certain about science\u2019s ability to improve people\u2019s lives in Europe as she is about the risks of failing to attract enough women into scientific careers.<\/p>\n

A Spanish member of the European Parliament since 2019, G\u00e1lvez hails the Horizon Europe research programme running for seven years through 2027 with a total budget of almost \u20ac100 billion.<\/p>\n

\u2018Great steps\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018We have taken great steps with Horizon Europe compared with previous programmes regarding gender equality,\u2019 she said at the European Research and Innovation Days<\/a> event in Brussels on 20-21 March 2024.<\/p>\n

With women accounting for less than a third<\/a> of doctorate graduates in engineering, manufacturing and construction in the EU, European policymakers have pushed gender equality in science to the top of the political agenda.<\/p>\n

Big gaps need to be overcome across the continent.<\/p>\n

Women in the EU represent just a quarter of self-employed professional in technical fields including science and are even more underrepresented as inventors with just 10% of patent applications.<\/p>\n

Leaky pipe<\/strong><\/p>\n

G\u00e1lvez compares the career paths of women in science in Europe to a leaky pipe that ends up discharging them because they hit barriers to advancement.<\/p>\n

She said the pipe needs to be fixed.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are losing a lot of talent because talent is equally distributed by gender but opportunities are not,\u2019 said G\u00e1lvez, who is vice-chair of the EU Parliament\u2019s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and a member of the Committee on Women\u2019s Rights and Gender Equality.<\/p>\n

A social scientist and feminist with a PhD in economic history and institutions, she has drawn lessons from many years of academic and political work.<\/p>\n

G\u00e1lvez is the author of scholarly works on feminist economics, austerity and postfeminist empowerment and has been a professor at the University of Reading in the UK and at Charles III University of Madrid in Spain.<\/p>\n

She has also been a vice-rector of Pablo Olavide University in Seville \u2013 her native city \u2013 and served as a minister for research and universities in the government of Andalusia.<\/p>\n

Recommended rules<\/strong><\/p>\n

G\u00e1lvez urges strong anti-discriminatory regulation in institutions and the labour market in Europe, arguing that gender equality in crucial to getting the EU to next level of science.<\/p>\n

While European research has proven its value on numerous fronts, including during the Covid-19 pandemic when scientific discoveries paved the way for new vaccines, she says the stakes keep rising.<\/p>\n

\u2018We need science for a better Europe, for a better world, and to face all the challenges we have,\u2019 G\u00e1lvez said.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Horizon Magazine after R&I Days, she said that diversity is as important as colloboration to the success of EU research.<\/p>\n

\u2018Cooperation is key, aiming for excellence and inclusivity,\u2019 said G\u00e1lvez. \u2018We must advance not just in scientific pursuits and governance for equality and gender parity between men and women but also in fostering diversity across socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities and sexual and gender orientations.\u2019<\/p>\n

While a range of institutions within European countries is central to carrying out common research projects, she said the EU itself has a crucial role in ensuring progressive approaches.<\/p>\n

\u2018It is up to the EU to level the playing field within the EU and in each Member State,\u2019 said G\u00e1lvez.<\/p>\n

The views of the interviewee don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n

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