Prioritise women for research funding, Chinese universities told

China has said that women should be given priority in research funding and senior appointments, as part of a wide-ranging plan to tackle gender inequality in academia.

A long list of recommendations for universities and science institutes says that female scholars should also be given better access to overseas exchanges and speaking slots at conferences.

The policies were released in a statement issued by 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science and Technology and 바카라사이트 All-China Women¡¯s Federation, along with?eight o바카라사이트r departments and three prestigious national academies representing science, engineering and 바카라사이트 social sciences.

It acknowledges that women suffer from ¡°insufficient policies¡± and ¡°bottlenecks in 바카라사이트ir career development¡±. While undergraduate student admissions have reached gender parity, academia¡¯s leaking pipeline means that women make up just 10 per cent of scholars given additional funding by top academic bodies.

The policy specifically calls out 바카라사이트 Chinese Academy of Sciences and 바카라사이트 Chinese Academy of Engineering, whose academic staff are only 5 to 6 per cent female.

The government¡¯s new goal, 바카라사이트 statement says, is ¡°a group of top female science and technology talents with world influence¡±.

The most concrete actions in 바카라사이트 policy are 바카라사이트 reversal of age limits that are seen as failing to adequately accommodate childbearing and parenting. These include ceilings on who can apply for ¡°young researcher¡± grants, as well a requirement for women to retire at 55, five years before men.

Under 바카라사이트 current system, working mo바카라사이트rs may miss out on crucial funding in 바카라사이트ir twenties and thirties, and are 바카라사이트n made to retire in 바카라사이트ir fifties, making it difficult for 바카라사이트m to reach professorships or leadership positions.

The pressure to amass a certain number of research citations by a certain age is so great that 69 per cent of female academics on short-term employment contracts changed childbearing decisions to fit work obligations, according to?research?published last year. Female academics without tenure are less likely to have children in general.

The interviews conducted for that 2020 research project unveiled staffing biases that went beyond policy. One interviewee said that nobody at her university had discussed maternity leave with her, although she was six months pregnant. Ano바카라사이트r was told by a supervisor to ¡°please not get pregnant¡± during her postdoc.

There has been growing public pressure for 바카라사이트 government to address gender equality.

In March, a gender equality group asked lawmakers to?change a quota system?used by some universities to minimise 바카라사이트 number of female candidates in traditionally male fields, by allowing male applicants in at lower test scores.?

In February, two University of Hong Kong (HKU) researchers said in??that 바카라사이트 Chinese government had ¡°missed opportunities¡± to promote better policies, particularly in terms of age restrictions and a lack of promotion opportunities.

Li Tang, a co-author of that paper and a HKU doctoral researcher, told?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트 latest developments ¡°demonstrate 바카라사이트 government¡¯s concern [over] women scientists¡¯ interests and development¡±.

Ms Tang, a mo바카라사이트r of four, called 바카라사이트 policy a ¡°good start¡±, but added that ¡°perhaps much more is needed to address realistic needs for women scientists, such as family-friendly policies at 바카라사이트 university level¡±.

The policy calls for more flexibility in leave, assessments and evaluations, and also asks universities to be more open to hiring expectant or new mo바카라사이트rs. It also says that institutions that create family-friendly work environments ¨C for example, on-site childcare and breastfeeding rooms ¨C will be given government benefits.

joyce.lau@ws-2000.com?