prages
PRACTISING GENDER EQUALITY IN SCIENCE
The European project Practising Gender Equality in Science (PRAGES), was aimed to address women’s
under-representation in high-profile positions in scientific and
technological research. The project was funded by the European Commission - DG
Research, within the Seventh Framework Programme, and co-financed by IGRUE (the Italian General Inspectorate for Financial
Relations with the European Union), Ministry for Economy and Treasury
(Italy).
After a decade of efforts by European, national and local agencies – as
well as universities and research institutions – and in the context of
persistent dynamics of discrimination, the project has taken stock of the
situation by highlighting strategies and measures that have proven effective in
accelerating the pace of progress, still unexpectedly slow despite women’s
growing inclusion in, and
contribution to, scientific and
technological disciplines and professional areas.
Issues at stake
Issues at stake have from the beginning been identified, not only in
women’s indisputable right to fair evaluation and reward of scientific merit,
in terms of career advancement and access to decision-making positions, but
also – as is increasingly recognised – in the chance
for scientific and technological research to become more firmly grounded in
society and more relevant to evolving needs and expectations, in a time of
profound change. Moreover, adding women’s (and other under-represented groups’)
perspectives to the research process cannot but enhance creativity and
innovation, while helping science to reconsider its by now questionable claims
of neutrality and universality.
From this point of view, the link between diversity and excellence has
been clearly pointed out, with all its implications in terms of scientific and
technological progress and economic development. The need has also emerged of
avoiding simplistic approaches aimed at resolving problems by “fixing the
women”, to make them compatible with dominant approaches and cultures. Problems
women face and report should, on the contrary, be considered as starting points
to “fix” the scientific cultural and organisational
environment on the basis of the diversity concept.
The project has been characterised by a set of
general approaches. First, a comparative approach among the initiatives
promoted in the different European countries and those implemented in Canada,
Australia and the Unites States. Second, an analytical approach, highlighting
the different sides of the “gender-and-science issue”, in order to identify
suitable strategies and tools to deal with them. Third, a benchmarking
approach, to single out the most successful solutions and provide suggestions
regarding their possible adaptation and transfer to different contexts.
Measures collected and analysed, according to the
general aim of the project, are those implemented at organisational
level (universities, institutes, faculties, departments, but also networks,
associations and S&T-related enterprises), that is, concrete initiatives
located in specific institutional contexts. National or European policies have
not been directly taken into account, even though some initiatives originate in
or have links to such policies. This is not obviously implying that it is
possible to redress widespread situations of inequality without broad
supporting legislative and policy measures. The intention is, instead, to
provide indications and examples of what can be accomplished starting from the
bottom-up, including both simple one-issue programmes
and large mainstreaming efforts grounding general organisational
change on the recognition of diversity.
To pursue its goals, the project has been designed as an integrated
effort, organised into four main steps.
The first step was an extensive networking activity aimed at mapping the
initiatives implemented in Europe, the United States, Australia and Canada to
support women’s progression in scientific and technological careers. A mailing
list containing more than 1,100 programmes has thus
been set up.
The second step entailed directly contacting all those on the mailing
list and the administering of semi-structured questionnaires to the promoters
of the programmes who have been willing to
participate (125). A database was then designed to contain basic descriptive
information on the 109 initiatives that – after the analysis of questionnaires
and related documentation – were recognised as
relevant to the project.
The third step focused on quality evaluation. In this phase, successful
solutions were identified among the ones the programmes
devised to manage the problems faced during implementation, be they social,
cultural, organisational, financial, etc. The perspective
here has been that of benchmarking, that is, finding best ideas and isolating
enabling factors for other programmes to share. A
second version of the database was then issued, containing this additional
information.
The fourth step has finally been that of drafting the guidelines, trying
to make the most of the experience of the programmes
and to organise the knowledge derived from their
analysis in an easily usable format.
The guidelines have undergone a broad review process which has involved,
beyond the partners of the consortium, the members of the International Board
of Advisors of the project, as well as 24 experts from Europe, Australia,
Canada and the United States. In addition, four national seminars have been organised in the European countries participating in the
project (Italy, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Hungary) in order to collect
further comments and suggestions.
Supporting the itinerary briefly outlined above, a number of other
dissemination and public communication activities were undertaken, equally
crucial to the success of the project. Among them, the setting up of a
dedicated website, the creation of a web-based Observatory focusing on
seminars, conferences, publications and other events relevant to the women in
science issue, and the issuing of an electronic newsletter.
Download the flyer of the national seminars: http://www.asdo-info.org/public/seminars.pdf
Download the Italian translation of the Guidelines: http://www.asdo-info.org/public/PRAGESLineeGuida.pdf
Download the Guidelines: http://www.asdo-info.org/public/PRAGESguidelines.pdf
Search the database: http://www.pragesdatabase.eu/