Tag: european

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Europe examines gender equity in science

What is the proportion of female to male researchers in Europe, and how is this proportion evolving over time? In which scientific fields are women better represented? Do the career paths of female and male researchers follow similar patterns? Are statistics on women in science comparable across Europe? How many women occupy senior positions in scientific research in Europe?

Published every three years since 2003, She Figures replies to these questions. She Figures ” presents human resource statistics and indicators in the research and technological development (RTD) sector and on gender equality in science. The report is recommended reading for all policymakers, researchers and their employers, citizens with a vision of a participative, competitive and innovative Europe.

“The latest update, She Figures 2012 ( 4.32MB), shows that despite progress, gender inequalities in science tend to persist. For example, while 59 % of EU graduate students in 2010 were female, only 20 % of EU senior academicians were women. The publication also gives an overview of the scientific fields where women are better or less represented, and compares the research workforce in different economic sectors (e.g. higher education, government, and business sectors).

“The She Figures 2012 booklet has been published in March 2013 and uploaded on this website. All She Figures volumes, in addition to other relevant documents, are available through the e-Library”

More at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&id=1282

 

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Sweden suspends forced sterilizations

Eugenics is the practice of interfering (often coercively) in human reproduction to encourage or discourage certain traits from being passed along to offspring.

Reports from Sweden this week indicate suspension of a 40-year old Swedish law, requiring transexuals to

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divorce their spouses and undergo involuntary sterilization. Enacted in 1972, the law had been imposed by Swedish authorities on those seeking to change their legal identities following sex change surguryd

The forced sterilization of transgender men and women was officially banned on Jan. 10. After appeals were made by the European Convention on Human Rights, the law was deemed unconstitutional.

Transgender women and men who underwent sterilization procedures in order to have their new identity made official are now asking the government to provide compensation for emotional and financial damages they may have endured at the hand of the 1972 law. As reported in examiner.com, “The head of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights (RFSL) Ulrika Westerlund commented: ‘If lawmakers take the initiative to adopt a law outlining damages, we will not file a lawsuit.’ Sterilization is not a topic to be taken lightly. Many people wrongfully assume that if someone undergoes a sex change they cannot or do not want to have children. In fact, attitudes toward parenting within the transgender community are quite diverse and continue to change as views and definitions of the concept of family itself continue to evolve and change. organization like transparentcy.org provide information and resources on the issue.

 

Full story at: http://www.examiner.com/article/transgender-forced-sterilization-ban-sweden-effective-jan-10

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Six non-European cardinals named

For a faith that has seen it’s share of bad publicity in recent years, the Catholic church seem moving in the right direction on at least one front. Today Pope Benedict XVI has officially named six new non-European cardinals to the body that will elect his successor, saying the move underlined the Catholic Church’s diversity.”

This the total number cardinals (of a total of 117) from outside Europe to 47 percent. Al Jazeera reports that “The 85-year-old pontiff presided over the ceremony in St Peter’s Basilica that elevated the six prelates to the Church’s College of Cardinals on Saturday.

The body “presents a variety of faces, because it expresses the face of the universal Church”, he said in a development that has been welcomed by critics concerned that the college has become increasingly Euro-centric under Benedict. Continue reading “Six non-European cardinals named”