Women Science SEE Promotion of Women in Science in Southeastern Europe in the context of European In

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Women Science SEEPromotion of Women in
Science in Southeastern Europe in the context
of European Integration21-22 October 2004Sofia

• Initiatives and activities
• at European and national level
• Bulgarian case

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Promotion of Women in ScienceInitiatives and
activities at European and national level

• Myth men and women are equal because we had been
  formally given same rights
• Equal male-female inheritance since 1890,
• Right to practice a profession - since 1897
• Access to higher education for girls - since 1897
  
• Paid maternity leave - since 1924
• Universal female suffrage - since 1937

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Promotion of Women in ScienceGender dimensions
of ST policy
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Promotion of Women in ScienceInitiatives and
activities at European and national level

• Real situation men dominate in the higher
  academic and research positions. Some of the
  identified problems in our country are
• Lack of gender awareness and respectively
  understanding of issue of equal opportunity in HE
  and RD sectors.
• Lack of sensitivity in the Bulgarian society
  towards the issue of equal opportunity because of
  the inherited myths from the communist times.
• Lack of enough knowledge about the European
  mainstreaming gender equality policy in
  scientific research financed by EU (FP5 and FP6
  of the EU)

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Promotion of Women in ScienceParticipation of
Bulgaria in the EU initiatives

• We can identify participation in 4 types of
  activities
• Participation in the European dialogue through
  active participation in the work of the Helsinki
  group on Women and Science
• Participation with our representative in the
  drafting of the ENWISE Report
• Setting up a National Committee Women and
  Science with representatives from different
  institutions from the state and the NGO sector as
  well as coming from the HE and private sector
• Participation in projects and initiatives under
  different EU framework programmes and schemes in
  the field of research and gender equity

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Women and Scienceat European level

• POLICY FORUM at European level (1998-2002)
• sharing policy experiences, dialogue and
  benchmarking
• Setting up of ETAN Group of Experts 1998
  Science policy in EU Promoting excellence
  through mainstreaming gender equality Report
• Setting up of Helsinki Group on Women and
  Science (a group of national civil servants)
  1999
• Setting up of European network of women scientists

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Women and Scienceat European level

• POLICY FORUM at European level (2002 2006)
• sharing policy experiences, dialogue and
  benchmarking
• Establishing a European platform of women
  scientists
• Monitoring progress towards gender equality in
  science
• Mobilizing women scientists in private sector by
  setting up of the WIR Expert Group
• Promoting gender equality in science in the wider
  Europe by setting up of the ENWISE Expert Group
  Waste of talents turning private struggles into
  a public issue. Women and Science in the Enwise
  countries Report

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Women and Scienceat European level

• Development and implementation of three-dimension
  strategy for promoting women in research financed
  by EU
• Research by women
• Research for women
• Research on/about women
• Obligation to develop the Gender Action Plan in
  all proposals Integrated Projects and Networks of
  Excellence
• Research on Gender and Science

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Women and Scienceat European level

• Implementation of Gender and Science Watch System
• Setting up the sector Women and Science 1999
  which becomes a part of the Science and Society
  Programme of the FP6.
• Respectively the Women and Science Action Plan
  forms and integral part of the Action Plan of
  Science and Society

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 1. To put in practice the periodical meeting of
  the National Committee Women and Science and
  discuss the practical measures for supporting and
  increasing the representation of women in science
  in Bulgaria.
• 2. Organize a specialized library with materials
  and documents related to the European initiative
  Women and Science which are periodically sent
  from the EU institutions and in particular from
  the European Commission.

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 3. Start the preparation of the creation of a
  database Women and Science in Bulgaria tha
  includes
• projects and programs in the field of equal
  opportunities, that may be realized by Bulgarian
  and foreign organization
• organizations (and their contact people), which
  work in order to make the participation of women
  in scientific research and higher education more
  active
• publications in the field of activating womens
  participation in science
• electronic addresses in the field of Women and
  Science which will enable the participation in
  the created European and international networks
  in this field

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 4. Preparation of a specialized brochures with
  relevant meetings in the field of the initiative
  Women and Science of the European Commission
• 5. Establishing the basis for regional
  representations of the Committee Women and
  Science in order to ensure the distribution of
  the initiatives in all regions of the country.
• 6. Creation of a systematic communication between
  the Committee Women and Science and the
  national representatives in programs and
  initiatives of the European Union FP6 etc (list
  and functions of the contact people, meetings
  with the contact people)

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 7. Creation of the basis for bilateral and
  multilateral cooperation with institutions and
  organizations, responsible for the activities of
  Women and Science in other countries, including
  neighboring countries
• 8. Initiation of preliminary preparation of the
  creation of a National Information Center Women
  and Science.
• 9. Organization of meetings with representatives
  from different EU member-states organizations
  active in the field of gender equality

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 10. Organization of the participation of
  representatives of the scientific section of
  Women and Science in the frame of the different
  conferences - exemples conference on Management
  and Engineeringconducted in June 2003 and the
  forthcoming European day on entrepreneurship to
  be held on 4-5 November 2004

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Bulgarian national committee Women and
ScienceAction Plan

• 11. Annual participation in the initiative Days
  of life long learning and improving the role of
  women in science and society
• 12. Organization of a campaign of publications in
  various media in order to popularize the European
  initiative Women and Science among the
  Bulgarian public

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Project on Raising gender sensitiveness organized
within the Programme relating to the Community
Framework Strategy on Gender Equality

• The main purpose of the Project is to inform
  representatives from State institutions, local
  authorities and social partners on principles for
  equal treatment of women and men and to encourage
  the development of a structure for implementation
  of the gender policy on central and
  local level

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Project on Raising gender sensitiveness organized
within the Programme relating to the Community
Framework Strategy on Gender Equality (2)

• International Seminar, Jully 2004
• Establishment of a National Council for Equal
  Opportunities of women and Men to the Council of
  Ministers
• Development of Units in different institutions
  and organisation Focal points to implement
  the policy for gender equality

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(1)

• Progress
• Proposal for the Specific Support Action (SSA)
  submitted June 2003 (Germany, France, Norway).
• SSA accepted in January 2004. It runs until the
  end of 2004.
• In the process of planning for a full
  co-ordinated action (CA).

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(2)

• Aims of the EOWIN ERA-NET
• stimulate and support programme co-ordination
• develop a common knowledge base for coherent
  policies
• strategic platform to promote women in science

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(3)

• State of-the-art and needs
• Bologna Europe needs a significant increase in
  the number of researchers
• Women represent the greatest untapped potential
• Women represent the greatest number of graduates
  coming out of our universities, but the effects
  of horizontal and vertical segregation are
  marked.
• We have an increasing demand for science and
  technology based skills and an ageing demographic

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(4)

• There is an under-representation of women in many
  areas of science and research.
• Women are under-represented in leadership and
  decision making positions.
• Attitudes, institutional biases, lack of
  childcare provision all hinder womens careers.
• Need to encourage more girls to take up science
  subjects at school.
• Women need a greater role in our knowledge-based
  community.
• Need more systematic monitoring and benchmarking

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(5)

• Who can participate?
• Public bodies responsible for financing or
  managing research activities carried out at
  national or regional level
• Other national or regional organisations that
  finance or manage such research activities
  (i.e. not universities or research organisations
  that do not have a mandate to represent the
  national programme)
• Bodies operating at European level that include
  as part of their mission the pan-European
  co-ordination of nationally funded research.

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(6)

• Benefits of involvement with an ERA-NET
• Close co-operation with European colleagues
• Exchange of best practices
• Identification of who is doing what
• Exchange of programme management approaches
• Common platform for dealing with horizontal
  issues
• Joint strategies

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(7)

• Potential partners
• FULL Partners
• Israel, France, Germany, Austria (FWF), Greece,
  Austria (fFORTE), UK, Netherlands,
• Czech Republic, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland
• ASSOCIATED Bulgaria, Italy

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(8)

• ERA-NET activities might include
• Phase 1 systematic exchange of information and
  best practices on
• Current projects
• National or regional research priorities
• Existing evaluation practices
• Programme management practices

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(9)

• Phase 2 common strategic issues.
  Identification /analysis of
• research activities that could lead to schemes
  between ERA-NET partners
• practical networking activities
• administrative / legal barriers that hinder
  transnational co-operation
• new opportunities and gaps in programmes and
  stimulation of new work
• common evaluation systems

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European Policy Co-operation on Women in Science
(10)

• Phase 3 development of joint activities
• Development of joint evaluation procedures
• Schemes for joint training activities
• Personnel exchange
• Action plan to implement a joint strategy
• Phase 4 implementation of transnational
  research activities
• Common / joint call for proposals
• Set up a joint work programme

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Gender equality through education and sport (1)

• The main project objective is to promote change
  in gender roles through sport and media using at
  the same time specific educational tools and
  methodology in overcoming gender stereotypes

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Gender equality through education and sport (2)

• Collecting data about
• the gender roles perception among young people
  and teenagers
• media stereotypes and approaches to gender
  issues.
• teachers attitudes to gender issues.
• Studying the international experience
• Analysing the opportunities for changing young
  peoples attitudes

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Gender equality through education and sport (3)

• National Virtual Centre with web site on gender
  issues.
• Campaign European weeks for Gender equality
  through education and sport.
• Training teachers, local authorities, NGOs and
  media.
• Organising regional and national sport events
• Establishing a network including all stakeholders

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Useful links

• http//europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society
  /women/wssi/index_en.html
• http//europa.eu.int/comm/research/science-society
  /women-science/enwise_en.html
• http//www.nows.org
• http//www.cordis.lu/improving/women/helsinki.htm

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Thank you for your attention !

• Ministry of Education and Science
• National Committee Women and Science
• Guenoveva Jecheva
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail g.jecheva_at_minedu.government.bg
• www.minedu.government.bg/nsfb