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PRAGES – Practising gender equality in science

The PRAGES project aimed at analysing existing practices to support universities and research institutes, both in European and extra-European (Australia, Canada, USA) countries, willing to implement gender-equality oriented measures in their research management.

PRAGES was structured into four main phases.

  • An extensive networking activity aimed at mapping the initiatives implemented in Europe, USA, Australia, and Canada to support women’s progression in scientific and technological careers.
  • Semi-structured surveys with the 125 promoters of the programmes willing to participate. A database was designed to contain basic descriptive information on the 109 initiatives that were recognised as relevant to the project.
  • Identification of successful solutions among the analysed programmes to develop a second version of the database. Through the evaluation process, 42 programmes of excellence were singled out, and 29 additional ones were highlighted for excellent results in relation to least some of their features.
  • Output: Guidelines for Gender Equality Programmes in Science, drafted from nearly 30 experts from Europe, Australia, Canada and USA, and developed to achieve the project’s key strategic objectives: Creating a friendly environment for women researchers in the organisation; Promoting the awareness of the gender dimension in science and technology priorities, design and use; and Supporting women’s leadership.

Partnership: The project was coordinated by the Department for Equal Opportunities, Presidency of the Council of Ministers (Italy) and involved 11 partners at the global level: ASDO – Assembly of Women for Development and the Struggle against Social Exclusion (Italy); Centre for Study and Research “Women and Gender Differences”, University of Milan (Italy); Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milan Bicocca (Italy); European University Institute (Italy); Hungarian Sciences and Technology Foundation (Hungary); Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy, Aarhus University (Denmark); Department of Sociology, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom); Centre for Equality and Diversity at Work, Manchester Business School (United Kingdom); Center for Gender in Organizations, Simmons College School of Management (United States); and Research School of Social Science, University of Queensland (Australia).

Funding: PRAGES was funded in 2008-2009 from the FP7-SIS – Specific Programme ‘Capacities’: Science in society.

Research Team

  • Department of Social and Political Sciences:
    • Bianca Beccalli (Scientific Coordinator)
    • Antonio Chiesi
    • Daniela Falcinelli (Coordinator)
    • Rossella Riccò
    • Luca Solari
  • Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences:
    • Claudia Sorlini