This is the question we will be tackling at the Riksbanken funded workshop we shall be running on 25-27 February 2020. In our Nordwit Centre’s work, we have been addressing this question for some time, and it has also been at the heart of discussions in the Gender and Innovation Network in Sweden of which we are a part. So we are truly delighted that Riksbankens Jubileumsfond has given us the money to explore this issue further.
The genderization of research and innovation has many dimensions. For one thing, it includes the wholly under-researched poor completion rates for female doctoral students in the Nordic countries – e.g. according to the Higher Education in Sweden Report 2018, of 2009 female PhD study entrants only 23% of female Humanities PhDs had completed their PhDs after 5 years. These women who are the potential future researchers and innovators seriously lag behind but we don’t know why. And this is just one very small dimension of the question of gender in research and innovation. So roll on 2020!
Gabriele Griffin
NORDWIT 