To advance equality for women, use the evidence

Overview

By now, the vast majority of universities, research institutions and funding bodies have some sort of initiative aimed at gender parity. In 2005, the Athena Swan accreditation programme to promote gender equity at universities was launched in the United Kingdom and later adopted in North America, Australia and elsewhere. In 2011, China’s ministry of science and technology issued a policy to help advance women in science and technology careers. In 2020, ambitious programmes began in the European Research Area and India. 

Yet the most recent European Commission data show that women make up about half of doctoral graduates and only about one-quarter of senior academics and people in decision-making positions. In North America and Western Europe, only 33% of those employed in research and development are women; this drops to 24% in east Asia and the Pacific area, and to 18.5% in south and west Asia. 

Why this inertia? Professor Michelle Ryan argues that progress could be faster if institutions that trumpet efforts to promote equity applied established research in their initiatives, and outlines three common mis-steps in gender equality iniaitives.