ences degrees represent less than 20% (data for 2014–2015) of all graduates in these fields and less than 43% in all other STEM fields (see https://bit. ly/2zIUJpA). In India, although gender balance has been achieved with respect to graduation rates in science, IT, and computers (data for 2015–2016), women represent less than 32% of all graduates in the engineering and technology fields. In many European countries women account for less than 20% of all students enrolled in informatics studies (see Figure 1). 9 Concurrently, no significant progress has been observed for the past six years.

This tenacious underrepresenta-
tion of women in STEM is further
manifested as gender segregation in
research and science, gender-related
career challenges, gender dispropor-
tions in senior positions in academia,
gender imbalance in access to research
funding, gender-blind and gender-
biased research, and organizational
culture and institutional process. As
detailed in the 2012 reporta of the EC
Expert Group on Structural Change,
gender inequalities in research insti-
tutions are shaped by: opaqueness in
decision making; institutional prac-
tices based on unconscious biases in
assessment of merit, leadership suit-
ability, and performance evaluation;
unconscious gender biases in assess-
ment of excellence and the process of
peer review; gender biases in the con-
tent of science itself; and a gendered
labor organization with implications
for research institutions as well. It is,
however, progressively acknowledged
that including women in STEM studies
and professions will enlarge the rela-
tive pool of skills, talents, and resourc-
es; will enhance the research process
and research outcomes; will increase
innovation potential; and will boost
major sectors of the economy. After all,
gender equality refers to equal rights,
responsibilities, and opportunities for
women and men and girls and boys,
and entails consideration of “the in-
terests, needs, and priorities of both
women and men.”b
Within the EU, gender equality in all
a http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/
document_library/pdf_06/structural-changes-
final-report_en.pdf
b https://eige.europa.eu/rdc/thesaurus/terms/1168
aspects of social, political, and cultural
life, including education and R&I, is ap-
proached as a matter of social justice
and fairness. GE is included in the EC’s
priorities and is defined as “promot-
ing equal economic independence for
women and men, closing the gender
gap, advancing gender balance in de-
cision-making, ending gender-based
violence, and promoting gender equal-
ity beyond the EU.”c The official policy
for achieving gender equality endorsed
by the EU is gender mainstreaming,d
an internationally embraced strategy
that “involves the integration of a gen-
der perspective into the preparation,
design, implementation, monitoring,
and evaluation of policies, regulatory
measures, and spending programs,
with a view to promoting equality be-
tween women and men and combating
discrimination.”e Toward this end, tar-
geted measures have been developed
and actions undertaken at the national
and European levels. Although their re-
sults vary, and their full potential has
not yet been realized, such measures
attest to Europe’s commitment to gen-
der equality. Here, we present these
efforts as they pertain specifically to
STEM research and education.

The European Union’s
Strategy and Initiatives for
Gender Equality in STEM

The European Commission objec-
tives. Over the years, the EC has de-
veloped a regulatory framework on
gender equality targeting the labor
market and research with three main
objectives: gender equality in careers,
gender balance in decision-making
bodies, and integration of the gender
dimension in R&I. Concomitantly,
gender equality and mainstreaming
are among the Priorities of the Euro-
pean Research Area (ERA),f while Ar-
ticle 16 of the Framework Regulation
mandates the effective promotion of
gender equality and the inclusion of
the gender dimension in the R&I con-
tent. Thus, gender equality in Horizon
2020g (H2020) is both a quantitative
c https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-
and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality_en
d https://bit.ly/2Bg77On
e https://eige.europa.eu/rdc/thesaurus/terms/1185
f http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/ index_en.htm
g https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/
horizon2020/en/

Achieving gender
equality will
significantly
advance the
STEM labor force,
research and
innovation, enhance
the economy, and
reduce the risk of
women’s social
exclusion to the
benefit of society.