Implementing measures to promote gender equality and career opportunities of early career researchers

In the past decades, a variety of policy measures to promote gender equality in universities and research-performing organisations have been developed and implemented. Although there is a set of established tools and actions for promoting gender equality, the issues of the career development and precariousness of early career researchers have not to date been in the focus of attention. Furthermore, a clear understanding of implementation processes and practices is still lacking. This chapter builds on the results of an accompanying evaluation of implementation activities to promote gender equality and career prospects of early career researchers in six European research performing organisations in the course of the GARCIA project. It provides an overview of the situation of early career researchers – specifically of their working conditions and career prospects. This contribution describes the policies and measures implemented in research-performing organisations to promote gender equality, career opportunities and working conditions of early career researchers. The last part of the chapter summarises the implemented actions of the GARCIA project and the main characteristics of the implementation processes. The chapter ends with conclusions and recommendations.