Women scientists capacity is not to be “- Swedish Dagbladet

Helene Hellmark Knutsson (S) Minister of Higher Education and Research. Photo: Tomas Oneborg

Here does not take advantage of female scientists capacity sufficiently.

– It is not good enough.

Helene Hellmark Knutsson refers to figures which indicate how research funds are distributed unevenly between the sexes and that only every fourth professor is a woman, even though they are the majority of the undergraduate programs. The increase in the proportion of female professors also increases slowly – last year they were only 0.4 percentage points more than the year before.

– It does not take advantage of female scientists capacity sufficiently, says Helene Hellmark Knutsson call the unequal distribution of research grants unacceptable.

Inequality is on the structure of the plane, according to Helene Hellmark Knutsson. The government has appointed a commission to review career paths for younger researchers. The hope is to create a transparent system that treats men and women equally, and where young researchers can get a better job and funding.

The current system is aimed namely largely in on researchers who are already established, and they are often men because they historically received greater funding and greater appointed as professors.

– We see a risk that there will be more of the same all the time. You work with the research that goes well, and dare not spend money on new untested ideas, says Helene Hellmark Knutsson.

Even in comparison with other countries shows the problem, according Hellmark Knutsson. When there is research money to search from the EU, Sweden has a low proportion of female applicants than in many other countries. That’s because the universities do not encourage women to apply to the same extent as men. She wants to become better at pushing women to enter the research funding available.

We have a lot of internal recruitment in the current situation, it is quite a relationship bound how to get on.

The Government also wishes prioritize boss battles to institutions, to enable them to be freer to prioritize young researchers and their ideas. From 2016 added five million per year on support to higher education institutions to become more equal.

– We believe it is necessary to balance up the soft money that has been some time now and we are seeing have given more to those who are already on top, says Helene Hellmark Knutsson.

While the systems for recruitment to posts in universities and colleges need to be opened up and become more transparent.

– We have very much internal recruitment in the current situation, it is quite a relationship bound how to come forward, says Helene Hellmark Knutsson.

It is hoped that increased gender equality and better conditions for young researchers with new ideas will eventually lead to Nobel prizes for researchers from Swedish universities. The road to a successful career starts, however, often even earlier than on higher education. Helene Hellmark Knutsson see bets to make the teaching profession more attractive as important for Sweden in the future will be a prominent research nation.

– Are you supposed to inspire young people to higher education and research career should begin early. Almost all Nobel Prize winners I have met tell if it was a teacher, often in high school, which made them very curious on the subject and aroused their curiosity.