2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Solutions for Achieving Gender Equity: International Perspectives

The opportunities available, the pathways to success, and the heights that women can reach are unlike those of previous generations. Unfortunately, extra challenges still impede women in reaching their true potential and contributing fully. International variations are significant; some impede progress, others help. What can be learned by successes in other countries? What factors influence the likelihood of having top scientists/engineers who are women? Economic prosperity alongside education have been shown to be key factors. This session will explore, on a global basis, interventions that empower women to achieve their full potential. Exemplary practices -- in terms of peer review, networking, etc. -- towards equity in Europe are examined. The importance of international collaborations is explored in terms of the progress women achieve in their research and also the visibility they obtain. Some research finds that women are not only underrepresented in science nationally but also internationally. Academic institutions have different motivations, incentives, and organizational structures that provide both opportunities and barriers to international engagement. Overlaid with the situation on the homefront are the strategies that international funding organizations have implemented to increase mobility and the corresponding opportunities for women and minorities to collaborate in their research across national borders.