Empowering Women Engineers Careers in Industrial and Academic Research
(Promoviendo y fomentando las carreras profesionales de mujeres ingenieras en la investigación académica e industrial)

Client
Sixth Framework Programme "Science and Society", from European Union
Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP)

Participants
CDEFI "Conférence des Directeurs d´Ecoles et Formations d´Ingénieurs (France, Project coordination; Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan (France); INSA" Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (France); Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BRD), Alpe-Adria Universität Klagenfurt IFF/IFZ (Austria); Technicka Univerzita Kosiciach (Slovakia); Edinburgh University (UK); Helsingin Yliopisto (Finlandia); Centre d´Estudis Dona I Societat (Spain); University of the Aegean (Greece); Uppsala Universitet (Sweden); Siauliu Universitetas (Lithuania); Mihailo Pupin Institute (Serbia and Montenegro); Orel State Technical University (Russia); Centro de Estudios de la Mujer (Chile); Egalité des Chances dans les Etudes et la Profession d´Ingénieur en Europe (France); Consulting Engineers Hoeborn (Germany); Schlumberger Ltd. (France)

Duration: 2005 - 2007

Content:
The aim of PROMETEA is to develop a major comprehension of gender issues in science and technology research, in order to propose effective recommendations and practices aimed to improve opportunities for women engineer´s professional development in research.

Chile has the commitment to promote and develop science, technology and innovation as key factors to face the challenges imposed by globalization and by Chilean´s path to insertion into developed world. In order to reach this objective, is necessary to promote a diversified and creative research sector, which takes maximum advantage of men and women engineer´s capacities. This is important since research work due to engineers lead to develop technologies which transfer science advances into society, hence improving productive development and life quality.

While the participation of women in science and technology has been increasing in Chile, important gender disparities persist in diverse areas of knowledge, in post-graduate studies and in science and technology research, fields where women generally carry out tasks and occupy positions of a lower level. This situation is especially evident in some disciplines of the basic sciences, as well as in the areas of technology and engineering.

This under-utilization of the potential of women in science and technology constitutes a waste of valuable resources for achieving a transformation toward an economy and society based on knowledge, and strengthen the advance of Chile toward the developed world. At the same time it is prejudicing the rights of women to have equal access to professional careers of high qualification and social recognition and to obtain the benefits of a scientific career.

The main objective of PROMETEA project is to establish a diagnosis about the participation of women in science and technology research, about the development of their professional careers as researchers, identifying the contextual, social, cultural, institutional and individual barriers that limit this participation.

The results of research will be directed at all those social and political actors who are involved with education in science and technology, at the employers of scientists, at those who finance science and technology and those who set the scientific agenda in Chile.

More information: www.prometea.info