In the last decade, gender mainstreaming has become the overall strategy in the struggle for gender equality at international level. Unfortunately, a huge difference between women and men still exists, notably in private research and technological institutions. Since 2001, the Women in Industrial Research (WIR) initiative has been seeking to correct this imbalance so that European industry can appreciate the merits of a more gender-equal approach to research.
Why WOMEN-CORE?
The Industrial sector is playing a leading role in Research and Development. One of the most important industry sectors in terms of economic growth and employment is the construction sector. The construction sector is the most male-dominated sector within Industrial Research. In most of the European member states the percentage of women in the construction sector is far below the percentage of women in Industrial Research as a whole.
The WOMEN-CORE project is co-funded by the European Commission´s Research Directorate General (Women and Science Unit) and intends to address the unequal representation of women and men in construction research in Europe by strengthening women scientists' participation.
