Women in Industrial Research (WIR)

• In the US 323 000 female researchers and engineers work in industry - 16.9% of all researchers/engineers working in this sector, this represents 61.9% of the female SET workforce. The report: Land of Plenty. Diversity as America's Competitive Edge in Science, Engineering and Technology, is based on statistics from 1997

• US: The first report : Women Scientists and Engineers employed in Industry. Why so few? raised not only the awareness but also showed existing best practices and suggested strategies. It also includes the presentation of best practices.

• In the US there have been significant advances in the entry of women into science and engineering. In engineering, physical sciences, mathematical sciences, life sciences, and social/ behavioral sciences there were 350 percent more women among new PhDs in 1995 than in 1973. The Report: From Scarcity to Visibility. Gender Differences in the Careers of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers, also analyses changes in the public and private sector based on statistics from 1995.

• In France, there were 13 500 female researchers working in industry in 1997 - 17.3% of all researchers. (Source: Women in Science in France, Note d'Information 00.31 du Ministère de la Recherche et du Ministère Education nationale, septembre 2000)

• Women in ITEC Courses and Careers (PDF: 600kB - or executive summary 110kB). Study and analysis of the participation of women in ITEC-related courses in six countries (UK, US, Canada, Ireland, Taiwan, Spain). Publication of the Department of Trade and Industry, UK, November 2001.(Copies are available from: DfES Publications, email: dfes@prologistics.co.uk reference WIT 1 ISBN 1 841 85 575 8)

• Founders Values Help Shape Gender Mix in High-Tech. Six-year study of high-tech startups. It identifies factors that can predict how hospitable firms are to women and challenges the common assumption that access for women is uniformly low across technology firms

• Women Scientists in Industry: A Winning Formula for Companies. Pilot study to identify the factors in the corporate culture that contribute to or impede the retention, development, and advancement of women scientists in corporations. Based on in-depth interviews with 30 leading women scientists.

Last Updated: 06/06/2005