The Commission has released the latest edition of its flagship publication series, She Figures, which presents the most up-to-date and Europe-wide statistics on gender equality in Research and Innovation (R&I).
Europe’s innovation potential is at risk. While women outnumber men in university education, they remain strikingly underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers and leadership. The report reveals a widening gender gap in critical sectors like ICT, where only 22% of doctoral graduates are women. This not only deepens the EU’s existing skills shortages but also threatens long-term competitiveness. Gender disparities persist at the highest levels of research and innovation, with just 9% of inventors being women and 98% of EU research failing to integrate a gender dimension.
These findings echo concerns raised by the Draghi report on EU Competitiveness, which emphasised the need to harness the power of a diverse and inclusive workforce, to boost Europe’s competitiveness and economic growth.
Advancing gender equality in the European Research Area
The European Union has made significant strides in promoting gender equality in R&I, including introducing a Gender Equality Plan eligibility criterion for Horizon Europe. Moreover, the integration of a gender dimension into R&I content is a requirement for most projects, as its absence would reduce the relevance and excellence of the research. Increasing gender balance throughout the programme is another objective, with a target of 50% women in Horizon Europe related boards, expert groups and evaluation committees.
As a result, 81% of Calls for R&I proposals now address the gender dimension, and women now make up more than 51% of participants in Horizon Europe boards and expert groups. Furthermore, 38% of the researchers in Horizon Europe projects are women and the share of women-led consortia in this funding programme has also risen from 23% to 31%.
These progresses build on the European Research Area (ERA) policy agenda, which has prioritised gender equality and the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content since 2012. New initiatives for promoting women in R&I will include actions to counter gender-based violence in academia, and strengthening of the Women TechEU initiative to support deep-tech start-ups led by women.
More information
She Figures 2024 – Interactive report
She Figures 2024 – Policy Report
She Figures 2024 – Infographic
Gender equality in research and innovation
Source: European Commission | Research and innovation | News | All research and innovation news (https://shorturl.at/xgGJB)