National Contact Centre for Gender & Science

Established in 2001 as a team and as an independent research department in 2015, the Centre for Gender & Science (originally "for women and science") is the only specialized research department in the country focusing specifically on gender sociology of science, feminist science and technology studies, and gender equality in research. Our research focus is spread today in three strands: Firstly, we study research careers from a gender perspective with a particular focus on early-career researchers, academic mobility, attrition from academic research, work-life balance and family policy and sexual harassment in higher education. Secondly, we examine impacts of neoliberal transformations in the public sector with particular focus on the ways managerialism, quality control and assessments and marketization play out in research and innovation and in health and social care. Thirdly, we focus on medical anthropology and sociology of medicine. We are members in professional bodies, including RINGS The International Association of Institutions of Advanced Gender Studies, AtGender and the Gender Expert Chamber of the Czech Republic. The Centre publishes expert studies and analyses, and provides consultation services to state and public administration (Office of the Government, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Czech Science Foundation), and research and higher education institutions in the field of gender equality in research. Its members serve as experts on expert groups and advisory bodies in the Czech Republic and the EU. Marcela Linková is the chair of the ERAC Standing Working Group on Gender in Research and Innovation. We also develop international cooperation in the field of research into gender inequalities in research (RINGS The International Association of Institutions of Advanced Gender Studies, European Platform of Women Scientists etc.).

For the past two years, the Centre has run a dedicated service for Czech research performing and funding organizations focused on the structural change for gender equality through gender action plans, including trainings and workshops, and has established a national Working Party for Change bringing together representatives of institutions implementing or wishing to implement a gender equality plan. The annual monitoring reports bring a statistical review of the position of women and men in Czech research, career advancement of women and men researchers and the proportion of women and men in leadership and decision-making positions in research. Since 2010, we have been running a highly successful mentoring programme for secondary school women students, the goal of which is to eliminate stereotypical perceptions of technical and some natural sciences as masculine fields, and to motivate young women to enrol in the study of these disciplines at university. In 2015, we launched a mentoring programme for early-career researchers in all disciplines, the goal of which is to provide support for professional advancement of (post)doctoral fellows at the beginning of their research career and to help clarify their professional goals and focus. Established in 2009, the Milada Paulova Award is conferred annually by the Minister of Education in cooperation with the Centre for Gender and Science, for lifelong contribution to the development of a scientific field. The objective of the Milada Paulova Award is to acknowledge the work of prominent women researchers and provide role models to new generations of women researchers.

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