'New centre needed' to stop exodus of female scientists

A new national centre should be established to help women to break the male stranglehold on senior science and engineering posts, an inquiry into "institutional sexism" in the fields concluded yesterday.

Baroness Greenfield, an eminent neurobiologist and author, presented ministers with the findings of her 10-month inquiry, which are intended to stop the deluge of female researchers leaving British companies and universities.

Among the recommendations is the creation of a national institution that would match female researchers with headhunters and government advisers looking to appoint people to coveted positions.

Lady Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, was asked to investigate earlier this year by Patricia Hewitt, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. "We are not talking about positive discrimination," Lady Greenfield said. "We are talking about an alternative to the old boys' network."

She said it was a "sad indictment of the system" that childless women, like herself, fared much better in scientific careers than those who decided to have a family.

New fellowships and research grants must be allocated to help women to return to the laboratory after taking time off to raise children, Lady Greenfield concluded in her report on women in science, engineering and technology. Those who returned to work should be allowed to attend part time and employers offering job-sharing opportunities should receive tax breaks.

The report was commissioned after research showed that more than 50,000 highly skilled women scientists, engineers and technicians of working age were no longer employed.

It found that although the treatment of women scientists had improved, there was still a long way to go to overcome "institutional sexism" in the scientific community.

A consultation of female scientists found that they felt they were disadvantaged by "informal practices including rumour, gossip, sarcasm, humour, throw-away remarks and alliance building" by male colleagues.

Women were still under- represented at the top of the profession. Only 3.7 per cent of Royal Society fellows are women, with just over 1 per cent at the Royal Academy of Engineering and 6 per cent at the Institute of Biology.

Ms Hewitt said that increasing the number of women scientists and engineers was vital for future productivity. "We will study the report carefully, and expect to publish a full response to the recommendations shortly," she said.

Professor Dame Julia Higgins, vice-president of the Royal Society, welcomed the report. "Clearly more needs to be done to ensure women scientists do not face more hurdles than their male colleagues as they pursue their career paths," she said.