Women in Scientific Careers
Hide / Show Abstract

Women in Scientific Careers

Unleashing the Potential

While women account for more than half of university graduates in several OECD countries, they receive only 30% of tertiary degrees granted in science and engineering fields. This publication presents the proceedings of a recent international workshop to assess the underlying causes behind the low participation of women in scientific careers, especially at senior levels, and to identify good practice policies to attract, recruit and retain women in scientific careers in public and private research.
Publication Date :
13 Nov 2006
DOI :
10.1787/9789264025387-en
 
Chapter
 

Part 4. Instruments for Change: Existing Policy Measures and Programmes You do not have access to this content

Authors:
Wanda E. Ward
Pages :
147–217
DOI :
10.1787/9789264025387-5-en

Hide / Show Abstract

The focus of women in science constitutes an important component of the US National Science Foundation’s (NSF) strategic investment portfolio. The mission of the NSF is to promote progress across all fields of basic science and engineering through its investment portfolio in research and education. A high priority within that portfolio is broadening participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (hereafter, S&E). Some of the many NSF programs supported to broaden participation in S&E focus on women. The reasons for such investments include the benefits derived from the intellectual diversity in perspective brought to bear on the scientific enterprise and the progressive decline in women’s participation at advanced levels of S&E, especially relative to their representation in the general US population as well as their greater representation at earlier levels of the educational and career pathway. A few data reveal this latter point.