New Study Says Not Enough Women
In European Industrial Research

Everybody is concerned about the "race for talent." European leaders have become increasingly aware of the shortage of women working in industrial research and development. That is the conclusion of a new study by the European Commission.

The EC report focuses on a very significant problem for industry in Europe. Not only is the number of students choosing science decreasing but the number of people in the science and technology pool is already too small to meet recruitment needs in industrial research for the foreseeable future.Only about 13% of researchers in European industry are women: the numbers are even smaller in individual countries such as Germany (less than 10%). Women may now constitute 41 percent of science, math and engineering graduates overall, but many, if not most, are lost from long-term careers in science and technology.

The EC recommends that an aggressive action plan be set in motion to increase the number of women in the field. Recommendations are made for encouraging more young girls to pursue studies in these fields, create greater incentive for women to seek careers in the industrial research, changing attitudes about working in this field and removing institutional or personal barriers that reduce women's involvement.

Industry, academic and other sources in the United States indicate that more women are being encouraged to work in industrial R&D jobs. Most feel there is room for improvement here as we work to meet the human capital requirements of our rapidly growing knowledge economy.