Women in Science, by I. Chrysanthou

Isabelle Chrysanthou

University of Nicosia, Medical School

Course Lead for Physics in Medicine

Overview

The gender equality in Cyprus

Gender balance in education

Gender balance in Academia

Problem for our society

Acknowledgements

Main issues on Gender Equality in CY

Poverty in female pensioners 10 men vs 17 women; pension €100 for a man vs €63 for a woman

Pay gap range: 16.2% - 20.1%

Participation in political life 1/11 ministers, 12% at parliament, 0/34 municipality majors

Participation in decision making positions Judges 44/101, Senior civil servants 37%

Commissioners 5/8, central bank director, accountant general

Board representation in semi-governmental organisations 15%

Policies exist due to the harmonization process with the aquiscommunitaire, but implementation, training and awareness of the policies are lagging behind.

The Cyprus situation

The policy on gender equality in Cyprus DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES; POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Susana Pavlou & Josie Christodoulou

On an other occasion, he said: “it seems that not only men think but there are women that

think too”. (Cyprus mail 14/3/2014)

BBC News-world Middle East

Education overall

2012Not

completed

primary

Primary Secondary Tertiary

Men 4 13 51 32

Women 7 15 43 35

Total 6 14 47 34

Highest Educational Attainment for persons aged 20 and over in %

Cypriot students in tertiary education (in Cyprus and abroad)

Men Women

2010/2011 16.604 20.684

Tertiary Education

Field of study men womenx more

x less

Education 4.8 17.6 3.7

Humanities 4.2 10.9 2.6

Behavioural Sciences 5 9.2 1.8

Life Sciences, Health, Social Services 8.7 13.2 1.5

Μathematics and Physics 2.5 3.8 1.5

Arts 4.7 5.8 1.2

Environment 1 1.1 1.1

Media 1.9 2 1.1

Law 3.5 3.2 -1.1

Business and Administration 28 23.1 -1.2

Architecture 8.9 4.8 -1.9

Computing 8.5 2.7 -3.1

Engineering 18.5 2.5 -7.4

Percentage distribution of Students in University by field of study

Workplace

Age Group Men Women

15-19 4 4

20-24 51 46

25-29 76 73

30-39 84 77

40-49 86 74

50-54 84 66

55-59 75 54

60-64 51 22

65+ 15 5

Employment rates by Age for 2012

PhD students at Cyprus State Universities

Πανεπιστήμιο Λευκωσίας

Ευρωπαϊκό Πανεπιστήμιο

Ανοικτό Πανεπιστήμιο

Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο

Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου

20%

50%

52%

48%

80%

100%

50%

48%

52%

Άνδρες Γυναίκες

University of Cyprus

Cyprus University

of Technology

Open University

European University

University of Nicosia

Courtesy of Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Men (blue) Women (red)

University Faculty 2013/2014

LecturerAssistant

Prof.

Associate

Prof.Professor

M W M W M W M W

University of Cyprus 59 41 65 35 71 29 91 9

Cyprus University of

Technology 68 32 69 31 81 19 87 13


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

M W M W M W M W

Lecturer Assistant Prof. Associate Prof. Professor


Professors at the Universities in Cyprus


Cyprus University

of Technology

Open University

European University

University of Nicosia

Frederick University

Neapolis University

Men (blue) Women (red) Private

Univ

ers

itie

s

Sta

te U

niv

ers

itie

s


Participation at the University

Council

Άνδρες91%

Γυναίκες9%

Άνδρες69%

Γυναίκες31%

State Universities Private Universities

Men (blue) Women (red)


Research Program Coordinator

Men Women

Energy 100 0

Technology 100 0

Natural Sciences 100 0

Public Health 60 40

Education 66 33

Coordinators in Cyprus research projects of the

Cyprus Research Foundation 2008-2010

Recap

Engineering is not popular

Stereotypes

High drop out along the career path of

an Academic

Accumulation of unpleasant experiences

Evaluation system

Why is this a huge problem for

our society?

Crisis

Financial

Security

Well being

Environmental

When a region in the developing world

has a problem with

Children protection

Health

Community prosperity

What type of aid has been identified to be

an effective tool to mediate the situation?

Women empowerment

Innovation for women's empowerment and gender equality

International Centre for research on Women,

Anju Malhotra, Jennifer Schulte, Payal Patel, Patti Petesch

Deeper and truly transformative

changes can reshape societies

The multifaceted crisis of our society tells us

that we are in desperate need for change:

New innovative processes

Innovation in technology application

Who can make a difference?

Greater involvement from women has an impact beyond what their numbers

would suggest. For example, women are more likely than men to invest a large

proportion of their household income in the education of their children. As those

children grow up, their improved status becomes a positive social and economic

factor in their society.

Back to our conference:

Ladies in engineering for health carei

Problem 1 – engineering is not popular

Health care is popular; Engineering is not

We do healthcare engineering (hybrid sector)

We encouraging collaboration across sectors

○ Easy: Women collaborate

We encourage innovative research projects leading to

women empowerment

○ Medium: There is evidence that this works (contraceptive pill,..)

We encourage Ladies to lead research projects

○ Difficult: Need measures

Ladies in engineering for health carel

Problem 2 – drop out, progression to senior positions

The Academic System (Evaluation schemes and grant application) favours quantity rather than quality: Research paper pollution

○ - stop republishing previous work, publishing minute changes

Grant application craze ○ - apply for one grant only

Leading to : Mediocrity of the hyperactive

Reward work done for the community/society

We lost the balance

Recap

We have to overcome:

Societal Stereotypes

Evaluation criteria for academic promotion

By leveraging the facts that:

Women make true change to reshape

societies

Women are a powerful drivers of economic

growth

Resources

The policy on gender equality in Cyprus (2012) DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES; POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS'

RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Susana Pavlou & Josie Christodoulou

Cyprus National Report on the implementation of the Beijing

Declaration (2014)National Machinery for Women’s Rights Ministry of Justice and Public Order

Editor Mary Koutselini

CEDAW shadow report (2013)

Ο Έμφυλος Χάρτης στην Τριτοβάθμια Εκπαίδευση της ΚύπρουMary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Empowering the third billion, DeAnne Aguirre, Leila Hoteit, Christine Rupp, Karim Sabbagh

Innovation for women's empowerment and gender equalityInternational Centre for research on Women,

Anju Malhotra, Jennifer Schulte, Payal Patel, Patti Petesch

Acknowledgements

Data and reports from:

Mary Koutselini - UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Susana Pavlou – Director of the Mediterranean Institute of Gender Studies

Eleni Kaldoudi - Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupoli, Greece

Eleni Kaldoudi and Birgit Glasmacher from IFMBE

cite as

I. Chrysanthou, Women in Science, Invited Talk at the

WiMBE Networking Event, MEDICON 2016, Paphos,

Cyprus, 2 April 2016