UK struggles in equality study

The UK is lagging behind when it comes to gender equality in there search and development sector, said a study released yesterday.

Ranked in ninth position out of 28 EU member states, the UK trailed countries such as Latvia and Romania for the ratio of female staff working in the field of research and development (R&D).

Statistics show that just 38.6 per cent of UK researchers are women, compared with 51 per cent in Latvia, which scooped top place and was the only country where the number of women in the R&D workforce outnumbered men.

Romania came second, with a proportion of 46.2 per cent, and Iceland third with 45.7 per cent.

The UK was not the only large economy to be outshone, as Germany found itself in 25th place, France in 26th and the Netherlands was ranked bottom of the table in 28th place.

Mark Tighe, CEO of Catax, which conducted the study, said: “So-called minnows on the EU industrial landscape are actually leading the way when it comes to female representation in the R&D workforce.

“Some of Europe’s big-hitters like Germany are falling short, and as Europe’s second largest economy, many will feel more needs to be done to encourage greater numbers of women into R&D in the UK, too.

“Disparities like this speak to all kinds of elements that contribute to a country’s economic wellbeing, including education, equality and employment protections.

“The big question is whether we can identify what’s holding the UK back fast enough to make a difference.”

The country has made progress, however, as the UK proportion of women working in R&D is up by 2.9 per cent, climbing four places compared with the same study ten years earlier.

During the same time period this figure has risen by just 1.8 per cent across the EU on average.