The Situation of the Female Workforce in the Field of Scientific Research in European Countries

Abstract

This study aims at identifying if and to what extent we can speak of the existence of gender imbalances in the field of scientific research in the European Union as a whole, but also comparatively between different countries, including the situation in Romania. After a short overview of the context in which this preoccupation appeared in European gender studies and of the possible causes which can determine this imbalance, the paper continues with a presentation of the general situation of the female/male workforce in the member states, followed by a analysis of the educational levels of women compared with men, with respect to stages of education. The study also analyzes the data on the participation of women in the field of scientific research from the point of view of share of the total, broken down by sectors of activity and scientific fields. A related focus is the participation of women in the field of higher education, according to hierarchical levels, from the perspective of access to research financing, of expenses per researchers, etc., focusing on the gender imbalances pointed out earlier and on the specificity of former communist countries.

Keywords

• researcher
• women
• gender imbalance
• workforce
• higher education