Gender Balance
Women role in shaping the railways of tomorrow
Gender balance in shaping the railways of tomorrow is an opportunity more than an issue.
Attracting adequate human resources implies to explore the added value of Gender diversity and to support the women
participation.
Although the fact that women represent today the majority of European population (105 women per 100 men in EU 27 in
2005, according to Eurostat data), while 18 men out of 1000 are graduated in science and technology, only 8 women
out of 1000 graduate in such fields.
Moreover, the share of women researchers was estimated to be less than 26% in 2004, and when research in railway
transport field is considered, the figures are even worse: a survey among researchers involved in the EURNEX NoE
(carried out in 2005-2006) resulted in a women share of about 15% within the network (which suggest the share
outside the academic world is also lower).
The reasons for such limited participation of women in this specific scientific field are complex and different,
ranging from a lack of real equality in the accessibility to the relevant professional or academic paths, to a
limited appeal towards women of some scientific subjects traditionally associated with the sector (like mechanics,
electric machines, power systems, etc).
The objectives of FUTURAIL in this context are:
- To identify and develop actions promoting and supporting women participation for the benefit of outstanding railway transports research and industry.
- To disseminate the potential of gender diversity added value in research fields relevant to the greening of surface transports, the development of intelligent, sustainable and accessible mobility, the improvement of transports security, the enhancement of railways transport competitiveness.
- To raise awareness of high skilled job opportunities for women in railway science, research and innovation, by means of seminars, dissemination media, workshops and events organized in conjunction with WP1 and WP3.
- To disseminate best practices in promoting and supporting women participation in railway transport research.
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