On February 11th, the world observes the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, shedding light on the persistent gender disparities and inequalities that continue to plague the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Despite advancements in various sectors, the gender gap remains a significant challenge in achieving true diversity and inclusivity.
In 2022, approximately 76 million individuals aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology across the European Union. While women constituted the majority of the workforce in these fields, their representation as scientists and engineers remains disproportionately low. This stark contrast underscores the urgent need for concerted efforts to address gender imbalances at all levels of STEM disciplines.
The United Nations further emphasises the severity of the issue. Women in science are often confronted with disparities in research funding, with smaller grants allocated compared to their male counterparts. In cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence, only 22% of professionals are women, highlighting the underrepresentation of female talent in crucial technological domains.
COST and gender equality
COST is actively working towards developing a comprehensive Gender Equality Plan (GEP) for activities in the COST Programme, to be released in March 2024. This plan is designed to promote and advance gender equality across all COST activities, with a specific focus on COST Actions.
To gain insights into the current state of gender equality developments in the COST scientific community, we spoke with Judith Litjens, Policy Officer leading on gender equality activities at the COST Association.
State of play of women representation in COST Actions in 2023:
- COST Actions have an average of 49% women representation
- 52% of researchers in COST Action leadership positions are women
- 39% of Action Chairs and 57% of Action Vice-Chairs are women
- 55% of the total young participants in COST Actions are women
- 57% of ITC participants in COST Actions are women