Gender equality is one of the fundamental human rights. Promoting gender equality and ensuring equal opportunities for women and men is one of the strategic goals of the Institute of Organic Chemistry PAS. Bearing in mind the particular need to promote equal professional development of women and men, the Institute took preparatory measures in November 2021 to implement the Gender Equality Plan.
By decision of the Director of the IOC PAS, with the beginning of 2022, the Gender Equality Plan for 2022-2027 was adopted at the Institute. The Plan is the result of internal analyses and consultations carried out by a working group established for this purpose. The adopted comprehensive strategy is based on five strategic objectives aimed at achieving the overarching goal of improving gender equality at the Institute.
Reports on gender equality in research and innovation prepared by both Polish and European institutions clearly indicate that the development of scientific careers of women and men differs significantly. The most important reasons for women’s slower professional development include, above all, the unequal division of family and professional duties, the need to reconcile raising children with conducting research projects, lower self-assessment of scientific achievements among women and the desire to meet society’s expectations regarding the traditional role of women as mothers, partners and carers.
Poland ranks 23rd in the European Union in the Gender Equality Index with a score of 56.6 out of 100. The lowest score is obtained in the category of women’s representation in decision-making bodies and at the highest levels of scientific career. Over the last 15 years, the proportion of women at the highest academic level has increased by 5 percentage points – from 20% in 2007 to 25% in 2021. At the same time, Poland occupies second place in the European Union in terms of the proportion of women among persons completing doctoral studies – as many as 56.3 % of persons with a doctoral degree are women. This data shows unequivocally that the post-doctoral phase is a key moment in the professional careers of women, who often decide not to continue their scientific activity at this point. The aim of all measures relating to gender equality is to reduce these disparities.