WOMEN AND SCIENCE: Review of the situation in Sweden.

Transcription

1 WOMEN AND SCIENCE: Review of the situation in Sweden. 1. National Situation/Background The year 1921 Sweden became a fully-fledged democracy, when the full and equal right of women and men to vote was introduced Sweden abolished joint taxation and replaced it with individual taxation. These two policy decisions had a considerable impact on gender equality but also other political reforms regarding social insurance system, improvements in education, health and care sectors have contributed. Sweden considers gender equality issues being an area of priority. Gender equality is no longer a woman s issue it is a policy area affecting all of us and require active efforts on the part of both sexes. The Government declaration is the fundamental document for the Government to consider equality between women and men in all decision-making. Every year since 1994, the declaration states that a gender perspective shall be mainstreamed in all areas of policies and politics. In October 1999, the Swedish Government presented a communication (Regeringens skrivelse 1999/2000:24) regarding gender equality policy. The communication report on progress made regarding strategies and policies made for accelerating changes in society to eliminate failings in equality between women and men in different areas of policies and politics. Gender mainstreaming shall imbue all political and administrative decision-making processes. This work and strategy have been in process and are being developed since 1996 both on central, regional and local levels. On central level, the work is being processed by the Minister of equality issues and the unit for equality issues at the Ministry of Industry, together with the Equality Ombudsman (Jämställdhetsombudsmannen, JämO). At regional level the counties are responsible for coordination of the equality issues. The municipalities do not have a homogeneous organization for equality work, but in resent years the equality work in the counties and municipalities have broaden to include both staff policy and content of their activities. To make gender visible the Swedish enactment from 1992 about the official statistics order that individual based official statistics must be gendered. 2. Policy Framework for Women and Science The first post-graduate woman in Sweden made her degree The first female to hold a (governmental) professorship was not until Fifty years later, the women professors had increased to the number of 84, which was five per cent. Today approximately 12 per cent of the professors are women. Gender equality in the higher education and research is a question about democracy, equity and quality. Measures taken to promote women in higher education and research during started during the 1990 s. In two bills, Equality between women and men (Jämställdhet mellan kvinnor och män

2 1994/95:164) and Science and Society (Forskning och samhälle 1996/97:5) measures were taken according to the Governmental policies for equality, to increase the numbers of women in different appointments at the universities, and to make equality and gender issues transparent. Reports from the Committee for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and Research (the JÄST group) provided a basis for the Equality bill, as did a study carried out by directive of the Ministry of Education and Science to document and evaluate various projects carried out by institutes of higher education from 1985 to The findings of this study were presented in 1994 under the title Documentation and Evaluation of Projects for the Establishment of Equal Opportunity at Universities and Colleges in Sweden. In connection with the Gender Equality bill and as a basis for the continued handling of the subject there was a further study initiated by the Ministry of Education ad Science in The task was to examine contributions to Women Studies and Gender Equality Research. The report was called The Desire to Know and the Desire to Understand: Gender, Power and the Challenge of Women s studies in Higher Education. Report on the Investigation of Contributions to Women s Studies and Research on Equal Opportunity. The main-streaming concept was added during the 1990 s but Sweden have also used the double strategies - concept, which means that both mainstreaming and special measures are used to make the gender equality work progress. 3. Measures Adopted to Promote the Role of Women in Science - Tools Established to Assess the Impact of the Measures Instructions for agencies, research councils and universities 1995 all instructions for agencies and research councils were changed to take equality between women and men into account in their areas of knowledge. The research councils have responsibility for the scientific development in their specific areas. This also means a responsibility for the quality of research in all aspects. Both the scientific and ethical quality is included as basis for assessments in the work of the councils. The universities have a responsibility for the work of equality between men and women at all levels. Since 1997, the universities have a commission to attain more gender equality in disciplines where gender is uneven represented, i.e. technology, science, care and in education for teachers. The Government and the legislation encourage to affirmative actions. In elections to the faculties, and other institutions, both women and men must be represented in the election committee. At least one third of the suggested members must come from the underrepresented gender. Between a certain group working with gender and equality issues between the Swedish research councils. It s purpose was to enhance the knowledge of gender issues relating to the research councils tasks to make quality peer review, to educate the staff and members of scientific boards within the councils in gender specific issues. Post-doctoral fellowships and guest-professorships for women As a measure to enhance and facilitate for women to qualify further in the academia, the Government financed specific post-doctoral fellowships for women during the period During the same period the Government financed specific guest-professorships for

3 women researchers to come to Sweden. The post-doctoral fellowships and the guestprofessorships were administered by the research councils and were financed with 21 million SEK (approx. 210 EURO) for each year. Women post-graduates To increase the number of female post-graduate students to graduate, the Government finances 30 million SEK per year (approx 300 EURO) since The National Agency for Higher Education is administering this measure. The support is given to research-areas where the process from basic-higher education to post-graduate exams has few women. In the latest bill for research, the government allocated funding for 16 new graduate schools (one of them for gender research). The Government stressed that affirmative action should be taken to get gender equality of the post-graduate students. Tham-professors During 1995 the Government created the 32 posts at full professor level especially for women. Men were allowed to apply but could only be given the job if there was no suitable female candidate. The professorships also had extra funding in form of financing of 73 postdoctoral fellowship. The financing of the full professors was shared between the Government, concerned research councils and universities. The Government financed the postdoctoral fellowships. In July 2000, the EU Supreme Court, after complaints, turned down this Tham-measure (affirmative actions) concerned specific research positions for females. The Tham-maritime professorship in Göteborg University is now occupied by a male. Later investigations have showed that the Swedish court might have asked the wrong questions to the EU Supreme Court. A discussion is continuing in Sweden, whether the laws really need to change. Recruitment-targets for women professors During 1997, equality percentage targets in respect of the distribution of sexes among newly recruited professors were introduced by the Government, at a majority of the universities and university colleges. The first percentage targets was set for the period of At the same time a change of legislation has been made, instead of having a certain number of professor posts at the universities, one can have a professorship when reaching a certain level of expertise. At the moment there are approx 12% of women professors. For the year 2008, the target is set for 25 %. The evaluation of the recruitment targets for indicates that most universities made their targets. Universities in the technology field had the most successful recruitment rate of women professors compared with the recruitment base. New recruitment targets have been set for the period Working environment for women researchers In the beginning of the year 2000, a new statistic project regarding the academic worlds started up by the Ministry of Education, Statistic Sweden with partners from the Research Councils, Research Institutes ant the university teacher s trade union (SULF). The pilot survey regards the working environmental situation for both women and men at the universities in Sweden. The pilot survey was from the beginning supposed to include two universities, but in the end the survey was done in only one university, Umeå. All faculties are represented at Umeå University. The ambition is to show what lies under the edge to throw

4 light upon questions like distribution of power both visible and invisible hierarchies of gender, mobbing, sexual harassment, influence etc. A questionnaire vas sent to all assistant, associate and full professors. The answers from the questionnaire are now being processed in Statistic Sweden. The results and a report from this survey are expected during spring In the legislation for the universities a change of directives was put 1996 in regarding the Universities responsibility to make sure that no students are sexually harassed. The ordinary Laws for Gender Equality did not include schools or universities, only the labour market. Gender studies/ research Gender studies and research are important tools to reach and create gender equality The Swedish Secretariat for Gender Research was inaugurated. The secretariats main tasks are to survey gender research in Sweden in all disciplines and to analyse the need of gender research in all disciplines. The secretariat shall actively spread research results both in the academic world and outside. The secretariat shall work for enhancing gender consciousness about gender research and the meaning of gender perspective. The secretariat is located in Göteborg and work closely together with the national library for gender research which was inaugurated in One of the new graduate schools (see above) will be for gender research. The Swedish research councils are funding gender research projects with a minimum of 10 million SEK per year (1 million EURO). 4. Statistics Most statistics are gendered in Sweden. The main holder of the statistics regarding higher education and research are the governmental agencies Statistics Sweden, the Swedish Research Council and the National Agency for Higher Education. Statistics shows that female students tend to choose medical and humanistic studies. Natural sciences, mathematics and information technology fields are dominated by male students. The numbers of postgraduate degrees has increased each year during the 1990s. Some PhDs and Licentiates were awarded in the financial year There was approximately the same number commencing postgraduate training as received degrees on completing their training. The proportion of women among those awarded degrees increased during the 1990s from 26 per cent in 1990 to 35 per cent in The proportion of female professors in Swedish universities is approx. 12 per cent. 5. Active Networks on Women and Science Women s studies and feminist research have gained great importance during the past ten-year period both inside and outside academia. There are several networks for women in science in different subjects/disciplines. The networks are local, national or international. The rector of Lund s university has started a network for female rectors.

5 There are also several centres or forums for gender research at the universities in Sweden, which have networks for different disciplines. Most network-members in gender-research are women. 6. Involvement of the Private Sector in Promoting Women in Science The private sector has no specific strategies for the improvement of women in Research and Development. The private sector does not have any active networks on women and science in Sweden. 7. Significant Case Study (Success or Unsuccess Story) The Tham-professors has probably made the largest impact on gender and equality in academia. It started a discussion on how to promote women in science. What can we do about the structures? Are Tham-professorships the right way? Will the women appointed Thamprofessor be as qualified as the other professors, will there be an A and B team of professors in the Swedish research community? The very term Tham professorship has become a derogatory to some and belittling to others. The debate in the press has shown that there is support for the measure. The holders themselves are in unison support of the possibility of resorting to affirmative action seeing that such measures might become necessary if we are serious about changing the gender balance in the academy. In general, there have not been negative comments on the Tham-professors. They were well qualified and demonstrated exceedingly high competence. Looking in the mirror we know that the appointed Tham-professors probably would have been professors anyway, so there was not an A and B team, but we also know that the procedure was fastened up. 9. Future Perspectives at the National and EU Levels Sweden will work for the 25% goal of women professors till the year It is important for women researchers to be able to have both an academic carrier and a family. Measures to create such possibilities must be continued EU-level. (Mobility High Level Group). The results from the Helsinki-group must be implemented in the 6 th Framework Programme. Discussions are needed for in what way can affirmative actions be done in the 6 th FP.