The Equality Survey 2022 shows an increase in the proportion of female scientists between 2019 and 2021 from 27% to 29% in non-university scientific and technical research. Despite this progress, there are still significant differences between women and men in this research sector.
Participation of female scientists increased between 2019 and 2021
The current Equality Survey 2022 was carried out by the Policies Institute on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). The results show for the first time how the participation of women and men in non-university scientific and technical research changed between 2019 and 2021, a period characterized by the COVID-19 pandemic. The participation of female scientists has increased during this period: around 29% of scientists are women in 2021 - compared to 27% in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic has therefore not had a negative impact on the participation of women in non-university science and technology research .
There are still clear differences between female and male scientists
However, there are still clear differences between male and female scientists: female scientists are much more likely to work part-time, are significantly younger, are less likely to take on management positions and project management, and are also overrepresented in the lower income groups. There are also comparatively few women represented on the committees of non-university scientific and technical research institutions.
At the same time, it can be seen that around a third of research institutions have not yet developed and implemented an equality plan in 2022. But even of those institutions that already have an equality plan, the majority only developed such a plan in 2021 or 2022.
