International Women’s Day – asking for more women in research!

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the ENRF wants to celebrate and to remember all the political, social and economic achievements reached by women/nurse researchers. There are many events that, since the beginning of the twentieth century, have led to the fight for the vindication of women’s rights and the establishment of the International Women’s Day.

In the healthcare sector, women play a predominant role, in particular  for positive change, designing an innovative health and social care ecosystem. The nursing profession is a clear example of this trend, with 92% of the workforce being women. And this  is key to ensure a higher participation of women/nurse researchers in co-design of health policies, and better access EU funding.

Over the last years, the EU has made significant progress in terms of gender equality through equal treatment legislation; gender mainstreaming, integration of the gender perspective into all other policies; and specific measures for the advancement of women. However, gender gaps remain and in the labour market women are still over-represented in lower paid sectors and under-represented in decision-making positions. In this context, the European Commission DG Research, Science and Innovation promoted gender equality in research and innovation, included in its Gender Equality Strategy for 2020-2025. This strategy sets out the Commission’s broader commitment to equality across all EU policies. The main tools used by the European Commission to try to get over the problem of gender inequality are:

• Horizon Europe, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – which sets gender equality as a crosscutting priority;
• European Research Area in collaboration with member states and research organisations – for which Gender equality in research and innovation is a priority.

In the research sector, more than in others, concrete actions are necessary to overcome the gender gaps. Today in the EU, women are a majority among PhD graduates, and the proportion of women in the senior academic ranks has also increased, with 47.9% of women doctoral graduates. But, the gender imbalance amongst researchers remains with only one third of the EU’s researchers being women. In the EU-28, women represent very slightly over 33.4% of the total population of researchers, and in the majority of the countries, women researchers are concentrated in the higher education sector. We cannot ignore the need for change and the urgent need for a strategic vision for reform and more gender balanced policy.

In a field as the healthcare sector, in which women are the majority, involving them in nursing research is a crucial step forward for better outcomes in the development of more sustainable healthcare systems. The ENRF strongly supports women in research and calls for European research and innovation funding instruments to better integrate female researchers!