Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-20-Speech-2-474"
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"en.20080520.34.2-474"2
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".
Commissioner, Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, life in today’s world is increasingly bound up with science and technology through both new or improved products and services and technological development. Europe’s women scientists undoubtedly contribute to this process.
It has already been stated here that there are more women undergraduate students in universities than men; this is also true of Master’s and Doctoral degree students – there are more women. However, there are seven times fewer women than men working at a senior level in scientific and educational establishments: the average is 15%. Why is this? The scientific world throughout the ages has always been comprised predominantly of men. This has been justified with the argument that genuine knowledge is attained using precisely the objective methods and logical discussion which come less naturally to women than to men.
The fact that the scientific body is comprised even today predominantly of men is in itself more down to the assimilation of masculinity into scientific thought than to the above justification. Academic science has shown that the notion that objectivity can be equated with masculinity is a myth. The reality today, however, is that that myth unquestionably influences the distribution of employment and the decision-making process associated with the funding of scientific research.
This belittling attitude also gains strength through the media, where women are portrayed in a one-dimensional, tendentious way. Often women are portrayed in the media in any old position, chiefly as members of women’s groups, and not as professionals in their fields. At the same time we have done little to change the situation and increase women’s opportunities for better employment. To change this view, which is widespread in society, we must start to advocate science to both sexes as an interesting and attractive area from the earliest stages. The pictures in children’s books depicting women in aprons and men in spacecraft must disappear.
I support the positive measures proposed in the report to encourage and support women scientists, whether in the form of careers advice aimed at women scientists or special programmes to support girls’ and women’s interest in science-based careers. I cannot, however, support mechanistic quotas based on gender as they tie us to a specific time-period and may result in quantity instead of quality. I thank the rapporteur for a concise piece of work and apologise."@en1
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