GLASS CEILING IN SCIENTIFIC CAREERS

2. GLASS CEILING IN SCIENTIFIC CAREERS Starting with a panel discussion on the Glass Ceiling in Scientific Careers at the Paris Town Hall in October 2007, resuming with workshops on the same topic and in the same location, culminating with an International Conference to be held in Paris in 2009, our project is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice on this most important issue. Initiated by the Europe Committee of the French Association, Save Research Now (Sauvons la Recherche - SLR) , the project is meant to impulse a new appraisal of the needs, means and ways to achieve not only Equal Opportunity in employment and social life for women and other discriminated categories, but also Equity, going thus beyond a mere knowledge based economy. SLR supports a pluri-disciplinary and multi-Institutional approach to contributions on the problems raised by the existence of the Glass Ceiling in Scientific Endeavours. • Some topics might be: • Discrimination on the basis of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin • European Law attempting to deal with discrimination • Power based logics of relations highlighting some likely consequences • Case studies documented by field enquiries in and out of labs, mainly • institutional • Creation, at the European level, of an easily accessible data-base listing • “good practices” as evidenced by countries, institutions, labs as well as by • individual research workers • Debates centered on controversial issues such as : criteria of quantity versus • quality for scientific evaluation, gender and ethnic biased scientific creativity • and limitations, scientific education and research opportunities • Workshops on empowerment and on “bottom up” methods • Future changes in order to make science attractive for young people. Irène Brescault : irene.brescault@wanadoo.fr M.M.Jocelyne Fernandez-Vest : mmjfv@ext.jussieu.fr Nicole Kerschen : nkersche@u-paris10.fr Association "Sauvons La Recherche" (SLR) / Comité SLR-Europe29, rue Descartes. F-75005 PARIS http://www.sauvonslarecherche.fr

3. GLASS CEILING IN SCIENTIFIC CAREERS Starting with a panel discussion on the Glass Ceiling in Scientific Careers at the Paris Town Hall last October, resuming with workshops on the same topic and in the same location this coming fall and culminating with an International Conference to be held in Paris in 2009, our project is designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice on this most important issue. Initiated by the Europe Sectionof the French Association, called Save Research Now (Sauvons la Recherche - SLR) , the project is meant to impulse a new appraisal of the needs, means and ways to achieve not only Equal Opportunity in employment and social life for women and other discriminated against categories, but also Equity, going thus beyond a mere knowledge based economy. SLR highly supports a pluridisciplinary and multi-Institutional approach to contributions on the problems raised by the existence of the Glass Ceiling in Scientific Endeavours. • Some topics might be: • Discrimination on the basis of gender, nationality, ethnic or social origin • European Law Texts attempting to deal with and prevent the above • phenomena • Power based Logics of Relations highlighting some likely Consequences • Case Studies documented by Field Enquiries in and out of labs, mainly • institutional • Calling for the creation at the European level of an easily accessible data- • base listing the “good practices” evidenced by countries, institutions, labs • as well as individual research workers • Debates centered on controversial issues such as : criteria of quantity versus • quality informing scientific evaluation, gender and ethnic biased scientific • creativity and their limitations, preempted scientific education and research • opportunities • Workshops turning around Empowerment and Method from the bottom up • Future changes to do with making science attractive to young people. Irène Brescault : irene.brescault@orange.fr Jocelyne Fernandez-Vest : mmjfv@ext.jussieu.fr Nicole Kerschen : nkersche@u-paris10.fr Association "Sauvons La Recherche" (SLR) / Comité SLR-Europe29, rue Descartes. F-75005 PARIS http://www.sauvonslarecherche.fr