• EN - English
  • RO - română
Parliamentary question - E-007831/2017Parliamentary question
E-007831/2017

Gender disparity in STEM

Question for written answer E-007831-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Claudia Țapardel (S&D)

Despite the increasing number of people working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), women are still significantly under-represented in these fields, a disparity that becomes more apparent at senior levels. Despite the growing number of women studying STEM subjects and an annual increase in the number of women employed as scientists and engineers, women still account for just one quarter of PhD graduates in STEM.

Although the Commission has instruments to tackle gender inequality in STEM, such as Horizon 2020, across the EU, less than one fifth of senior women occupy decision-making roles. Furthermore, the Commission’s latest ‘She Figures’ report noted the persistence of a significant pay gap between male and female researchers. Research from Germany has illustrated that despite having as many or more publications in fields such as materials science and astronomy, women are less likely to hold the more senior role of ‘corresponding author’ on research papers.

In view of this, what other measures does the Commission intend to take to ensure equal chances and opportunities in STEM fields?

Will the Commission develop a strategy that addresses the issues of gender inequality by highlighting potentially biased practices?