BeWiSe is dedicated to achieving equal and full participation of women in all
scientific disciplines and at all levels, because diversity will promote scientific
excellence and progress further.
Flanders launched a debate on men and women on 23 February 2005. See
our links page.
BeWiSe is registered as a corporate association
since December 24, 2003. To become a member, go to our Membership
page.
BeWiSe's main objectives are :
To support the position of women in science, both in public and private sectors
To make it more feasible for women and men to combine a scientific career with family life
To improve communication among women in the Belgian and European, scientific community
BeWiSe will work towards achieving these objectives by :
Creating a network for support and exchange of information, experience and knowledge
Providing an electronic meeting place with easy access for everybody
Organising meetings, seminars and workshops
Setting up contacts with similar European and international associations
Publication of a newsletter (in the future)
BeWiSe encourages :
The right of all women and men to choose their own paths in life
Appropriate actions to achieve equal participation of women in science
Laws and regulations that encourage and sustain increased participation by women in science
Programs for change towards more democratic and participatory systems in science
Measures that facilitate the reconciliation of men's and women's professional and family life
Equal participation of women in decision-making bodies
BeWiSe is open to all women working or having worked at all levels in the
sciences in the public and private sector (technology & industry and research & education)
and those women and men who promote equal participation of women in science.
BeWiSe will take the following measures for fulfilling its three, main, objectives :
Support the position of women in science, both in public and private sectors
Increase the visibility of women working in various scientific fields in Belgium
Support actions aimed at increasing the number of women in science and technology
Promote sciences and women in science in the public
Provide role models and mentors of women in science
Encourage and motivate more young women to enter and stay in science
Support women with or desiring careers in science
Promote equal participation of women in councils and decision-making bodies
Make it more feasible for women and men to combine a scientific career with family life
Identify gender barriers in the career paths of women in science and by working towards removing such barriers
To improve communication among women in the Belgian and European, scientific community
Co-operate with groups and organisations with similar goals in Europe and elsewhere
Participate in a future European network of networks in concordance with the EC's policies
for promoting women in science
Background :
Although women were admitted to some Belgian universities as early as 1888,
recent studies have outlined that the situation of women in sciences in Belgium
is still characterised by a dramatic under-representation of women, especially at
the senior level and in decision-making bodies. At the full professor level, only 5.1%
(Flanders) to 7% (Wallonia) are women, whereas females represent 50% or more of the students.
For comparison - 5% of full professors are female in the Netherlands, 13.8% in France
(1).
The continuous dropout of highly qualified women at all stages of their careers ("scissors",
?leaky pipeline?) is an enormous waste of public and intellectual resources.
Furthermore, scientific progress and excellence will strongly benefit from a
more diverse input of both female and male scientists.
(1)
Research Directorate-General EC, Science Policies in the European Union:
Promoting Excellence Through Mainstreaming Gender Equality, Office for
Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 2001), p. 10.
General assembly and BeWiSe workshop on April 21, 2005.
