Abstract

This report deals with the issues of women's participation in the science and research sector. Analysis of the statistical data shows that both in the United States and in Europe, despite the fact that women make up almost half of those receiving a doctoral degree, among professors they are barely one-fifth. This issue is presented in geographical terms, divided into the countries of the European Union, Poland and Scandinavia. Common to them is the situation in which women scientists encounter more barriers than similarly qualified men on their career path. In Poland, too, despite a significant increase in the number of women studying at the further stages of the scientific career, the situation of women is not satisfactory. The last part of the paper is devoted to the policy of the Nordic countries in eliminating the phenomenon of gender inequality in the scientific sector. Although the countries in this region all run their own policy on gender balance in society, they are conducting a far-reaching consultation on a common strategy in this area, and action on gender equality in the Nordic scientific research sector is based primarily on anti-discrimination legislation. The solutions adopted in this region and the guidelines of European institutions will be treated as a kind of reference point for action to eliminate inequalities based on gender in the scientific sector.

Key words: science, gender, the European Union, Nordic countries, Poland

Introduction

In taking on the issue of equality considerations in science, it must first be noted that all the available statistics and research on a global, regional or national scale provide hard evidence of continuous underrepresentation of women in science. In almost all parts of the world the difference in the representation of women and men in the scientific environment is truly substantial. This situation is perfectly illustrated by the map given below, where we see sharp disparities and under-representation of women scientists, even in some of the most developed countries – where the struggle for women's rights and equality has been going on for decades, including France, Germany and Japan (where women represent less than one-third of academics).