MINISTERS MUST TACKLE BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S PARTICIPATION IN SCIENCE - MCINNES

12.00.00am GMT Thu 19th Mar 2009

Liberal Democrat MSP for the North East Alison McInnes has called on the Scottish Government to face up to the disillusionment women starting out on a career in science feel.

Mrs McInnes recently met with female science academics who highlighted the serious difficulties they face in pursuing a career as a result of the unintentional barriers to progress in science, engineering and technology (SET).

Commenting during a Scottish Parliament debate on Science, Mrs McInnes said:

"Stakeholders within the scientific community seem to be unaware of the difficulties facing women seeking employment in SET.

"It is disappointing that the Athena project, set up to increase the number of women recruited to top scientific positions, has so far only attracted interest from three Scottish universities.

"We are losing female scientists and the valuable contribution they make to the economy, due to a lack of career support and flexibility in their working conditions.

"Urgent action is needed to tackle these issues and address the gender imbalance. It's not enough just to attract women into these sectors, we have to keep them there.

"The Scottish Government must take equal opportunities seriously and commit to a consistent and pragmatic approach to improve retention and advancement of women in science."