NWO makes women a priority

29 March 2010

NWO Employer signs Charter Talent to the Top

On 30 March 2010, Cees de Visser, Director General of NWO, signed the Charter Talent to the Top on behalf of NWO Employer. NWO shall take measures to attract more women to higher positions, to facilitate their progression to top positions and to retain female staff. De Visser signs for the NWO office including STW and for the institutes ASTRON, ING, NSCR and SRON. With this NWO concludes a series of signings within the research institutions. NWO chair Jos Engelen was the first to sign at the start of March. He was followed by the directors of FOM, NIOZ, CWI and the KB.

With this signing, NWO as an employer subscribes to the NWO Governing Board’s aim of having at least two women on all boards and committees of NWO within five years. In addition to this, NWO wants to realise more stability in the male/female diversity in top positions. An optimal diversity in the staff is an important condition for quality. The offices and institutes of NWO shall take specific concrete measures over the coming months.

NWO Division for the Humanities

Annemarie Bos, director of the Division for the Humanities: 'People often think that the participation of women is not a problem in the humanities. Although it is true that far more women are active in this field, the career progression is just as bad and the distribution just as skewed: from 59% female PhDs to 18% female professors. The aim should simply be 50% across the entire board.'

NWO institute ASTRON

Raffaella Morganti, head of the astronomers’ group and member of the Diversity Committee of ASTRON Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy: 'Female scientists at the top can contribute their own perspective to management and counteract the prejudices that exist within science and science policy. Moreover, it must be emphasised that science can be combined with family life without compromising the quality of the research produced. Female scientists can play a role in this and also encourage younger generations to choose a career in science. 

Technology Foundation STW

Eppo Bruins, director of Technology Foundation STW: 'A relatively large number of women are employed at the STW office, and in high positions as well. We are always on the look out for a good mix of people. Yet in the fields we support, especially in the technical sciences, there are far too few women employed as academic staff. In my view, the modern engineer is an integrator who can bridge cognitive distances and bring different disciplines together. Although typical female characteristics do not demonstrably exist, that idea is intriguing enough to motivate us to work hard on realising a greater diversity within the technical sciences as well.'

SRON Nederlands Institute for Space Research

Gerard Klamer, head of human resources at SRON Nederlands Institute for Space Research: 'More women in space research is certainly not an excessive luxury. Fortunately, within SRON a number of women have already progressed to leadership positions. And we also have a pool of emerging female talent. So Dutch space research does not have an absolutely impenetrable glass ceiling for women. However, further improvements can still be made.'

Talent to the Top Foundation

The Charter Talent to the Top is an initiative of the Talent to the Top Foundation. The foundation's aim is to increase the male/female diversity at the top of organisations. This is realised by convincing and encouraging employers to facilitate the entry, progression and appointment of the number of women at the top. The foundation is independent and is supported by the government (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and Ministry of Economic Affairs). So far more than 100 prominent employers have signed the Charter.

About NWO

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) is the principal Dutch science funding body and its mission is to facilitate excellent scientific research in the Netherlands by means of national competition. Each year NWO spends more than 700 million euro on grants for top researchers, on innovative instruments and equipment, and on institutes where top research is performed. NWO funds the research of more than 5300 talented researchers at universities and institutes. Independent experts select proposals by means of a peer review system. NWO facilitates the transfer of knowledge to society.

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last modified on 11 May 2010