Number of women in higher positions continues to rise
16% women in scale 12 and higher at FOM on 31 December 2016
The FOM Foundation - since 1 January transformed into the NWO Institutes Organisation - signed the women's charter 'Talent to the top' in 2010. By signing this charter, FOM pledged to take concrete measures to get more female talent 'on board' the organisation and to retain this. With this FOM also saw a role for itself in facilitating the progression of women to a top position outside of its own organisation.
In 2010, the FOM board established charter objectives and target figures. The tangible final goal was to have 20% women in the top by 2020. With the transformation to the Institutes Organisation of NWO the new NWO and the institutes must establish joint policy objectives in the area of diversity.
The table below shows the number of men and women at FOM on a salary scale of 12 or higher on 31 December 2016. These are the combined figures for scientific and non-scientific personnel. The number of female board members was achieved quite quickly and achieving the target percentage for 2020 - 20 % women in scale 12 or higher - is now in sight as well.
|
01-01-2010 |
31-12-2011 |
31-12-2012 |
31-12-2013 |
31-12-2014 |
31-12-2015 |
31-12-2016 |
Objective for 2020 |
|
|
Number of female Governing Board members |
2 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
|
Number of female Executive Board members |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
Percentage of women in scale 12 or higher |
7% |
11% |
9% |
9% |
10% |
14% |
16% |
20% |
Over the past few years FOM has developed several new activities to encourage gender diversity within the organisation. Examples are a mentoring programme for women, gender awareness workshops for managers, gender as a permanent agenda point on the board agenda, and more attention for the existing possibilities such as childcare during business trips and events, and coaching. Several special activities:
WISE (Women In Science Excel)
WISE tenure-track-programme launched by the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Jet Bussemaker. With this, NWO wants to give twenty female researchers the opportunity to gain promotion to a top position at one of the NWO research institutes. The first round resulted in four awards.
GENERA
European project to increase the proportion of female researchers in physics by means of specific measures. The participants in GENERA investigate the best way to tackle gender differences. With this in mind FOM organised the first Gender in Physics Day in 2016.
FOm/f:
FOM/f Incentive programme to keep more female researchers in physics. From the start of the programme in 1999 up until the end of 2016 a total of 39 individual postdoc positions and bridging grants were awarded funding. Of the FOm/f alumni whose grant period had passed by the end of 2106, 86% had obtained a tenured academic position, 75% had an academic position within the Netherlands and 38% had become full professors. The programme will be continued under the name NWO Physics/f.
Director Christa Hooijer looks back: "Former FOM director Wim van Saarloos proposed several years ago that we should strive for 20% in 2020. That seemed to be a very ambitious goal. Now we still have four years to go and we are well on the way to achieving this goal. This effort requires continuous attention. It is fantastic to see that more than 30% of the directors team of the new NWO are women!"
Contact
For further information please contact Joost Weber, acting head Personnel & Organisation department +31 30 600 1246.