3. February 2012 17:40
2020 Signatures for a gender sensitive Horizon 2020
As a follow up to the First European Gender Summit, a new Manifesto aims to overcome the gender inequalities that still compromise research and innovation excellence.
As an outcome of the first European Gender Summit, European research and innovation professionals have launched the ‘Manifesto for Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research and Innovation’. The manifesto focuses on the concrete actions needed to enhance research and innovation by addressing gender equality issues. Drawing on twenty-five years of research demonstrating how gender impacts the quality of research and innovation, this Manifesto calls for evidence based actions and further cooperation between scientists, policy makers and gender research scholars for a better European Research and Innovation Union.
By undersigning this Manifesto, research and innovation professionals intend to fight gender stereotypes and hope to persuade the European Commission to develop programmes which promote more gender balanced, collective and cooperative schemes. As a matter of fact, evidence demonstrates that gender inequalities can negatively affect the quality of research and innovation, whereas gender balance leads to diversity of ideas and increases scientific excellence. Therefore, sensitivity to gender issues creates new opportunities for knowledge transfer and stimulates the research process.
Since the past EU Framework Programmes have failed to engage and benefit women to the same extent as men (still less than 20% of senior Grade A posts are awarded to women), signatories exhort the EC to ensure that the gender imbalance is corrected in HORIZON 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. For instance, flexible working environments should be guaranteed and career paths should be reformed in such a way to allow men and women to combine their work and their life aspirations. Moreover, plans to modernise European schools and universities should provide opportunities to enhance the recruitment of women researchers, including women research leaders.
So far, more than 1500 people have signed the Manifesto. The aim would be to reach 2020 signatures but the end of February, in order to present it to the Commission as “2020 votes for a better Horizon 2020”.
If you want to read the Manifesto and sign it, please visit http://www.gender-summit.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=278&Itemid=42
ABOUT EGS 2011
The European Gender Summit was held under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and supported by the European Commission through the Science and Society Programme (FP7). The event was endorsed by a range of high-level partners and patrons from different sectors and backgrounds. It was organised jointly by genSET - gender in science, the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST). For further information http://www.gender-summit.eu/
