CEWSjournal - Gesis

05 schwerpunktthemaHowever, the Ministry has also given more importanceto the ‚Committee for Equality‘ which ischaired by the Cabinet or the Minister herself andgathers all the actors of research and higher education(presidents, rectors, CEOs, etc.) as well as thetwo Directors General for Education and Research.This Committee meets regularly (twice last semester)and as often as necessary to decide on positions,strategies, and issues to deal with in institutionsand organizations. Ultimately it will becomethe strategic authority for equality in higher educationand research.In parallel, associations are still being funded by theMinistry for Higher Education and Research andtheir members are women in universities, researchorganizations and engineering. They therefore areessential contacts and actors for gender equalityand we closely work together.For example, the Ministry has helped:■ ■ Women & mathematics (Femmes & maths),http://www.femmes-et-maths.fr/■ ■ Women and Science (Femmes et sciences),http://www.femmesetsciences.fr/accueilgb.htmand■ ■Women Engineers (Femmes ingénieurs),http://www.femmes-ingenieurs.org/when they set up the website ‚Elles en Sciences‘.http://elles-en-sciences.net/Last year the Rectors’ Conference which represents77 universities, set up a working group on equality,and this group is a partner which raises attentionon the issue among rectors and collects informationon how gender equality is being tackledamong the French universities. There are alsoSchools and Engineering Schools in France andas they are organized in Conferences as well, theMinistry’s equal opportunities’ office also worksclosely with them.What significance do research organizations anduniversities attribute to gender equality?Gender equality is diversely seen; this is linked tothe “historical reasons” I mentioned before. CNRSfor instance is engaged with strong top-level supportin equality; and more than 30 universitieshave appointed equality officers last year and afew of them have signed a Charter for equality formen and women.The Charter, which had been drawn up in 2009, isnow being updated and will be signed by the Rectors’Conference and the Minister in the comingweek. This should fasten the adoption of the textand the implementation of local Gender ActionPlans and strengthen the focus on gender equalityin all research and higher education institutions.Having strategic and coordinated initiativesthroughout the French system is our objective andthis has been taking place in concrete terms in2012.What current gender policy is affecting researchorganizations and universities in France?Like in most countries, there are global genderpolicies in France on non-discrimination and professionalgender equality that impact civil servantsand all public administrations. However, a law wasadopted last Marchhttp://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000025489865&dateTexte=&categorieLien=id#JORFSCTA000025489877and it tackles equal representation of men andwomen in recruitment juries with ‚a minimum of40% of the underrepresented sex‘. This balancebetween men and women will be enforced staringJanuary 1st, 2015 which allows institutions to getready.The law also requires public research institutionsand universities, within their social audits (state-CEWSJournal Nr. 87 | 24.01.201345